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DAVAO CITY (MindaNews / 27 November) – A network of  Lumad (Indigenous Peoples) schools here slammed the Philippine Army for allegedly encamping inside Lumad schools and prohibiting a team from conducting a medical mission in Talaingod, Davao del Norte.

Citing accounts from volunteer teachers, Jong Monzon, lead convener of Save Our Schools (SOS) Network in Davao region, said at least 30 soldiers belonging to the Army’s 56th Infantry Battalion have been staying in makeshift tents some 10 meters away from the Salugpungan community school in Sitio Dulyan, Barangay Palma Gil in Talaingod town, Davao del Norte since November 17.

He said the soldiers immediately conducted a meeting with community members upon arrival, “under the guise of livelihood programs.”

Monzon called the military’s offer of livelihood programs to the community as a “sham,” noting that there was no discussion at all on livelihood programs.

Maj. Ezra Balagtey, spokesperson of the Eastern Mindanao Command (Eastmincom) denied the SOS’ allegation of military encampment.

“Military troops who are conducting security operations in Nasilaban are observing the proper distance from a school as stipulated in the AFP (Armed Forces of the Philippines) directive,” he said.

Balagtey said they have a military detachment in Sitio Nasilaban, including a Community Support Team based in Sitio Dulyan where a Salugpungan community school is located.

Monzon said Lumad community leaders were coerced to sign a blank piece of paper that he suspects will be attached in a petition letter to seek the closure of the Lumad school.

Nerhaya Talledo, the Salugpungan community school’s basic education head said the military visited Sitio Dulyan and “asked the people to sign a blank sheet of paper for their supposed gardening activity. However, they refused to sign because they are worried that it might be used against them.”

“They are hesitant to sign because they don’t want a repeat of the incident that happened in Sitio Nasilaban where the community was duped to sign a document for the soldiers’ activity but later their signatures were attached in a petition letter to close down the Lumad school in Sitio Nasilaban,” she said, adding “the military’s deceptive tactic successfully shut down the Lumad school in Sitio Nasilaban.”

Balagtey denied allegations that the military coerced and deceived the Lumad leaders and community members in sitios Dulyan and Nasilaban.

“For what reason that 56th IB will resort to such? Will they benefit from it? Let the community speak,” Balagtey said.

“It is our obligation to protect these communities from deception, coercion and intimidation and allow them to practice their socio, cultural, and economic rights freely,” he said.

Also on November 17, soldiers barred the team from the Urban Integrated Health Services Inc. (UIHAI) which was slated to conduct a Medical and Relief Mission in Sitio Igang, Barangay Palma Gil also in Talaingod.

The UIHAI was responding to the call of SOS for immediate medical assistance to the community after several families and Lumad children, including those from Sitio Dulyan, complained of illnesses.

Monzon said soldiers used “suyak,” a sharp metal spike to flatten the tire of the medical team’s vehicle.

“Until now, the 56th IB continues to occupy residents’ domicile threatening and harassing all members of Salugpongan Ta ‘Tanu Igkanogon organization,” he said.

The communities in Sitio Igang and Dulyan had been the target of military’s harassments back in July this year which prompted more than 120 Lumad families to abandon their homes. These lumad sought refuge in UCCP Haran after being displaced by military operations, according to Monzon.

Balagtey reiterated on Monday that the soldiers were conducting security operations. “As what I’ve said, they will not resort to (coercion and deception) because it is their duty to prevent anyone to be coerced, intimidated, forced.”

He said the Eastern Mindanao Command “does not tolerate any unit or soldiers violating the rights of any human being, or community in our area of responsibility. While we will be coordinating with other agencies in the conduct of investigation to ferret out the truth in these incidents.”

Balagtey challenged the SOS to “come up with their evidence and file the necessary complaint.” (Mart Sambalud / MindaNews contributor)

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DAVAO CITY (MindaNews/ 4 December) – The governor of Davao del Norte and the head of the school for Lumad (Indigenous Peoples) in Talaingod town exchanged tirades over the arrest of former Bayan Muna representative Satur Ocampo and other personalities last week.

In a statement on Tuesday, Governor Anthony del Rosario said the arrest of Ocampo, ACT Teachers Party-list Rep. France Castro and 16 other individuals behind the supposed the National Solidarity and Fact-Finding mission on November 27 “exposed the wiles of the leftist organizations in using the IPs to push their own agenda.”

Collectively called the Talaingod 18, Ocampo and his companions were arrested in Barangay Palma Gil, Talaingod for transporting 14 minors to “rescue” them from being harassed by the paramilitary group Alamara.

They, however, were blocked by police and the 56^th Infantry Battalion, arrested and detained at the municipal police station for alleged kidnapping, human trafficking and child abuse.

The Provincial Prosecutor on November 29 found probable cause in the child abuse complaint, recommended bail for 80,000 each and gave them 10 days to file their counter-affidavits. The group was granted temporary liberty Saturday night after posting bail of  80,000 each or a total of 1.44 million pesos.

Del Rosario said the local government unit and tribal leaders demanded the closure of Salugpongan Ta Tanu Igkanugon Community Learning Center (STTICLC) in Barangay Palma Gil, “for its questionable motive” but that the progressive groups exploited the situation to “demonize the government and raise funds for their benefit.”

He claimed that authorities and tribal leaders decried how the Salugpongan, a boarding school which houses Lumad students coming from distant areas of North Cotabato, Bukidnon, and Zamboanga peninsula, was used for their anti-government propaganda and training ground for their armed struggle.

He said the groups that conducted a fact-finding mission, supposedly to investigate allegations of harassments by the Alamara, failed to coordinate with the LGUs, national government agencies and Lumad leaders for their own safety.

“They did not even secure a written consent from the Provincial Government of Davao del Norte, among other protocol. The mission failed to show that it is bent on upholding the best interest of the Lumad children,” he added.

The governor said their non-coordination brought to light their “clear motive of exploiting the Lumad students to pursue their selfish objectives and their arrest showed that the rule of law can prevail despite the maneuverings, threat and intimidation of the leftist groups.”

Reacting to del Rosario, Meggie Nolasco, executive director of STTICLC maintained that they asked help from the LGU for weeks on the intimidations from the military and Alamara and the threat to shut down their school but the officials refused to act.

“We get only harsh words from them. All of these can be supported by our letters of communication received by their offices. I personally have been to their offices several times to plead for help yet no one made any concrete action,” she said.

She added various government agencies exposed “their inutility and now they are pointing at each other as if they have no responsibility and accountability.”

“The incident revealed how the age-old conflict between the government and those who seek to overthrow it took its toll on our innocent and disadvantaged IP brothers and sisters,” she said.

Del Rosario said genuine pro-poor governance is the key to alleviate the lives of the IPs and not the “divisive schemes” of the activists.

He added the provincial government has strengthened programs to ensure a safe and nurturing environment for the Lumad children and that he will not allow a few individuals to mar the development momentum of  Talaingod.

He said the government has expanded education programs for the IP communities, among them the launch of Talaingod Cultural Heritage Village, creation of Talaingod-DavNor runners to train Lumad kids, and establishment of Davao del Norte State College – Datu Jose A. Libayao Extension Campus.

The tribal school offers a diploma in agriculture technology without sacrificing the living traditions, values and practices of the Lumad youth, he said.

“This is our tangible way of nurturing them to become catalyst in improving the lot of our IP communities in the only tribal town of the Davao Region,” he said.

He said they have also started efforts to make Talaingod a vegetable capital and livestock hub.

“I invite the leftist organizations to stop exploiting our poor Lumads and start working closely with the government in genuinely advancing the rights, protection, welfare and development of our IP people,” he said.

He called on the other government agencies to pool their resources together and strengthen their commitment in advancing the socio-economic development in Talaingod complex down to the mineral-rich Pantaron Range, also a source of water for Davao Region, Northern Mindanao, and Caraga. (Antonio L. Colina IV/MindaNews)

Manobo Lumads from Pantaron Range in Bukidnon join the International Human Rights Day rally in Cagayan de Oro City on Monday, 10 December 2018, to protest the alleged militarization of their ancestral territory. The UN General Assembly passed the Universal Declaration of Human Rights on 10 December 1948. MindaNews photo by FROILAN GALLARDO

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CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY (MindaNews/ 11 December) — Government forces set up several checkpoints along a key highway in Bukidnon to stop a caravan of hundreds of indigenous people from coming down to this city to protest militarization in their villages, but denied allegations they harassed the protesters.

The Manobos from Bukidnon coincided their protest rally with the celebration of the International Human Rights day.

Police detained seven minors who were traveling with the caravan without their parents.

Fr. Allan Khen Apus, spokesperson of Karapatan Northern Mindanao said the caravan was also harassed by military trucks full of soldiers and policemen as it traveled along the Sayre Highway from the Pantaron mountain range in Bukidnon to Cagayan de Oro.

Apus said many of the lumads were forced to sleep Sunday night along the highway on the backs of the trucks that ferried them to Cagayan de Oro.

“All these efforts are made to impede the voices of lumad protesting the militarization in their villages,” he said.

Philippine National Police Northern Mindanao spokesperson Supt. Surki Serenes denied the Army and PNP harassed the caravan of lumads.

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Serenes said the Army and police set up three checkpoints in Malaybalay City and Impasugong town in Bukidnon and Barangay Baloy in Cagayan de Oro.

“We just reinforced these checkpoints. We did not have the intention of stopping the caravan,” he said.

He said the police personnel checked the vehicles for firearms and asked the lumads for identity papers.

He said after checking for guns and identity papers, the caravan was allowed to proceed.

He said the minors were detained at the checkpoint in Baloy when the police found they were traveling without their parents.

Serenes said they were later turned over to the Cagayan de Oro Social Welfare and Development Office (CSWDO) for proper disposition.

He said the CSWDO required the parents of the children to be present during their release.

If the parents could not come, the agency will bring the children back to their villages, he added.

“The PNP is aware of the juvenile justice in our country. We did not detain any minors,” he said.

Lawyer Czarina Musni of the National Union of People’s Lawyers said they have agreed with the CSWDO proposal.

“The CSWD will have the children in custody and if their parents could not come for one reason or another, they will be the ones who will bring them back to their parents,” she said.

Two weeks ago, police and Army soldiers arrested 18 people including former Bayan Muna Rep. Satur Ocampo and  Act Teachers Rep. France Castro for allegedly taking children from a school for lumads in Talaingod town, Davao del Norte without the consent of their parents. (Froilan Gallardo/MindaNews)

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KORONADAL CITY (MindaNews/ 21 December) – A Mindanaoan activist bagged the 2018 Alexander Soros Foundation Award for Environmental and Human Rights Activism for standing with the lumads or indigenous peoples in their fight against “development aggression”.

South Cotabato native Rene Pamplona assured the award from the New York-based foundation would inspire him to do more for the sake of the environment and human rights protection.

“Winning the Alex Soros Prize is not just a recognition of my activism, it is a recognition of the work of all defenders,” he said in a statement.

Soros is the son of Hungarian-American investor and philanthropist George Soros, a leading global advocate of liberal democracy.

The 49-year-old Pamplona is currently the advocacy officer of the Convergence of Initiatives for Environmental Justice Inc., which he organized after his 15-year stint at the Social Action Center of the Diocese of Marbel.

In a Twitter post, Soros said that Pamplona, a father of seven children, was chosen as this year’s winner “because of his tireless effort to seek justice for indigenous communities.”

Pamplona was notified of the award on Wednesday.

Last year’s awardee was Antônia Melo Da Silva, a longtime Brazilian environmental activist.

In the last three decades, Pamplona was at the forefront of opposition against the Tampakan project, the largest undeveloped copper and gold minefield in Southeast Asia, and the coal mining project in Lake Sebu town, both in South Cotabato province, and the coal plant in Sarangani province.

These mining projects, which have yet to proceed to commercial production, straddle indigenous peoples’ communities.

Pamplona confirmed he received death threats and experienced intimidation because of his work to protect the environment and the human rights of indigenous peoples.

The Philippines is the most dangerous country in Asia for land and environmental defenders, with at least 48 activists killed in 2017, data from Global Witness said.

Sister Susan Bolanio, a member of the Oblates of Notre Dame and executive director of the non-profit Hesed Foundation, Inc. based in nearby General Santos City, lauded the recognition given to Pamplona.

“I have worked with Rene for many years. He is deserving of the award,” said Bolanio, who was previously Pamplona’s superior at the Social Action Center of the Diocese of Marbel.

He has been consistent in his advocacy against the Tampakan copper-gold project and the coal mining project in South Cotabato, the nun added.

Among the communities where Bolanio and Pamplona worked together was in the village of Ned, Lake Sebu town, South Cotabato, where at least seven tribal members opposing the coal mining project and coffee plantation expansion were killed during a military operation in December 2017.

The victims belong to the T’boli-Manubo S’daf Claimants Organization (Tamasco). The military claimed they were members or supporters of the communist New People’s Army killed during a legitimate military operation.

“They (victims) rely on this land for their livelihoods and traditions and I will not just stand by while indigenous communities are brutally cut down for defending their way of life,” Pamplona said.

According to him, the international support that the Alex Soros Prize represents is vital in ensuring businesses and governments are held to account for cases like the Tamasco “massacre.”

Alyansa Tigil Mina, a coalition of organizations and groups challenging the aggressive promotion of large-scale mining in the Philippines, also welcomed the Soros Foundation Award for Pamplona.

Pamplona has worked tirelessly for more than three decades with the Church and national environmental organizations to assist communities in protecting their food, land, water and biodiversity resources, it noted.

“We laud this dedication and passion to his mission,” the group said in a statement.

ATM said the award will increase Pamplona’s security risks, as he has suffered and continues to face numerous threats and harassment while performing his work.

We demand that the Philippine government ensure that the safety and well-being of Pamplona and all his co-workers as well as community partners are ensured, the group said. (Bong S. Sarmiento/MindaNews)

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DAVAO CITY (MindaNews/ 29 January) – A Lumad leader and a peasant leader have been reported missing since Monday morning, the human rights group Karapatan said in a statement Tuesday.

Karapatan secretary general Cristina Palabay said Datu Jomorito Goaynon and Ireneo Udarbe were on their way to a meeting with Pig-uyonan, a member of Kalumbay Regional Lumad Organization which had scheduled a dialogue on Monday with the 65th Infantry Battalion facilitated by the Commission on Human Rights.

Goaynon is the chair of Kalumbay while Udarbe is the chair of Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas-Northern Mindanao.

In a post on social media, KMP-Northern Mindanao said the two left their office in Bulua, Cagayan de Oro City at past 10am Monday.

“Their last communication to a staff of Kalumbay had been to inform him that they were stuck in traffic on the way to their meeting place from their office. It was around 11 in the morning. The two never got to their meeting place. None of their relatives or friends have seen or heard from them afterwards. Twice, calls to Datu Jomo were picked up but no one answered. His phone, as of this writing, can no longer be reached. Udarbe’s phone still rings but no one is picking it up,” KMP said.

“Goaynon and Udarbe’s last communication was sent while they were commuting from Bulua to Carmen,” it said.

The group said that on January 22, the two filed a complaint against the 65th IB for alleged harassment and forced surrender.

“A tarpaulin bearing a picture of Datu Jomorito accusing him of recruiting the Lumad to the New People’s Army has also been hung in Talakag,” it added. (MindaNews)

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY (MindaNews/ 30 January) – Police presented Tuesday two leaders of militant groups here after their organizations raised an alarm that both went missing last Monday.

PNP northern Mindanao spokesperson Supt. Surki Serenas tagged Ireneo Udarbe and Datu Jomorito Goaynon as “top New People’s Army leaders” allegedly responsible for the attack of the police station in Binuangan town, Misamis Oriental last Dec. 2, 2017.

Goaynon is the chair of Kalumbay Regional Lumad Organization while Udarbe is the chair of Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP)-Northern Mindanao.

Serenas said police seized firearms, fragmentation grenades and subversive documents from the two suspects when they were arrested.

He said Ubarde and Goaynon were arrested on the strength of a warrant of arrest issued by Judge Emmanuel Pasal of Regional Trial Court branch 38 for four counts of attempted murder and frustrated murder.

“They are not missing. Ubarde and Goayon were arrested at Barangay Patag by virtue of a court-issued arrest warrant,” he said.

Earlier, Kalumbay and KMP-Northern Mindanao raised an alarm that Udarbe and Goaynon went missing after they left their office in Barangay Bulua, Cagayan de Oro City Monday morning.

KMP-Northern Mindanao spokesperson Michael Pineda said the two were supposed to meet with officers of another organization, Pig-uyonan which had scheduled a dialogue on Monday with the 65th Infantry Battalion facilitated by the Commission on Human Rights.

Pineda said the two did not make it to the meeting.

He said Goaynon was the subject of an “anti-red smear campaign” through tarps accusing him of recruiting Lumad to the NPA.

Meanwhile, Iglesia Filipina Independiente Bishop Felixberto Calang decried the painting of “anti-red slogans” on the walls of their churches in Cagayan de Oro and Pagadian cities.

He said the graffiti are malicious and aimed to foster hatred against their church. (Froilan Gallardo/MindaNews)

MIARAYON, Talakag, Bukidnon (MindaNews/28 February) – Through the last fifty years of my life, I have traveled extensively across the breadth and length of Mindanao. Some places earlier could only be reached on foot or horses and later by habal-habal. If there were roads, only the logging trucks or those referred to as three-fourths  could penetrate far-flung interior territories. One held one’s breath as these vehicles traversed cliffs and one-way muddy roads that could easily make the ride a trip to the after-life.

There are, of course, ugly sights as one travels these roads including bald mountain slopes, unkempt checkpoints and polluted rivers. However, most of the time one is gifted with the most delightful scenery and awesome sights. Beholding these wonderful views that Mother Nature has so generously offered the Mindanawons, one can only thank the heavens for the privilege of being in such moments of great beauty.

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Just when I thought I had seen them all – having gone up to the mountain ranges across Mt. Apo and Mt. Malindang, across the Valleys of Kulaman in Sultan Kudarat and Maragusan, the coastal areas along the Davao Gulf to the marshland of Agusan Sur and the small islands surrounding Mindanao – another vista unfolded which convinced me that there is still so much that Mindanao can offer the weary traveler.

When the roads were still primitive and the surroundings were not so secure, Miarayon – located in the western plank of Bukidnon Province adjacent to Lanao del Norte – had very few visitors. For centuries, only the Lumads occupied this territory which lies between Mt. Kitanglad and Mt. Kalatungan. Slowly, migrant settlers began to move from central Bukidnon towards the town of Lantapan, Barangay Kibangay and ultimately, Miarayon. (Kibangay is in Lantapan and Miarayon is a barangay of Talakag municipality). From Malaybalay, the capital city of Bukidnon, it takes about an hour-and-a-half to travel to Miarayon.  Fortunately, the road has been cemented thus making the trip very pleasant.

This journey is most enjoyable especially as the sun rises and nature sparkles or late in the afternoon when the fog starts to envelope the slopes of the mountains and the thinning sunlight caress the treetops. Along  this road millions of sunflowers bloom where they are allowed to thrive with little human care. The trees range from the golden showers at the foot of the mountain range (which start to bloom in February and will hold on to the branches in full glorious yellow till the rains come in May) to the pine trees at higher levels.

Name a cash crop – whether corn, pineapple, banana, rubber, sugar cane and falcatta – these are all grown on the rich fertile soils of this land. And in Kibangay and Miarayon, the vegetable patches are everywhere on the limited plains, by the side of hills and on mountaintops. Along the road one can see green fields planted to cabbages, broccoli, pechay, parsley, lettuce, eggplants and other vegetables. Even outside the rainy season, the vegetable patches thrive owing to the cold weather in the uplands. During bountiful harvest time, so many are just discarded and left to rot under the sun. Farmers will willingly give to the passersby those that cannot anymore be transported to the markets.

While on first glance, this scene of bountiful vegetable harvest gladdens the heart, eventually there are shadows that needs to be confronted if the farmers – mostly Lumad – are well-rewarded for their hard labor. As we all know, vegetables are some of the most perishable agricultural products in the market. Their shelf lives last only a short time. These need to be transported to the markets as soon as possible. Considering the government’s neglect of our peasants – with a Department of Agriculture that remains inept and inefficient – it is almost an impossibility that State assistance for cold storage that would lengthen the freshness of the vegetables would ever reach places like Miarayon.

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As extended vegetable cultivation has taken its toll in terms of the soil’s fertility, practically all the farmers now use fertilizers and chemicals. Toxic agricultural practices sustain the production of these veggies whose markets go all the way to Cagayan de Oro City in the north and Davao City in the south. When typhoons cut off the Cordilleras from Manila, vegetables from Bukidnon find their way to the metropolis. The demand will continue to grow; thus the farmers in Kibangay and Miarayon will have no choice but rely on the toxic products. If a farmer engages in organic farming even as his farm is surrounded by farmers who do not, he will surely see his farm attacked by the multitude of insects.

The cement road that has connected Miarayon to the national highway that traverses across Bukidnon is now being extended towards Iligan City. Already there are those who brave the trip from Malaybalay to Iligan as there are just a few kilometers unpaved. Soon it will be cemented all the way which means the travel time from Davao City to Iligan City will be a lot shorter, since vehicles need not anymore pass through Cagayan de Oro City.  For the moment however, there are no public utility vehicles that travel this route; only private vehicles can pass through this road. But as a four-lane road is being constructed, soon buses will be available for the paying public.

Once that happens, it would be like travelling from Davao City to Cagayan de Oro City via the BUDA road where the sojourner has a chance to travel across rivers and mountains and passing through hills with pine trees and quaint little towns where small houses are surrounded with flowers that only bloom in cold climate. For the road to Miarayon provides one of those magical rides where one can just sit back and enjoy the unfolding of nature’s beauty.

[Redemptorist Brother Karl Gaspar is a professor teaching at St. Alphonsus Theological and Mission Institute (SATMI) in Davao City and a professor of Anthropology at the Ateneo de Davao University. Gaspar is author of several books, including “Desperately Seeking God’s Saving Action: Yolanda Survivors’ Hope Beyond Heartbreaking Lamentations,” two books on Davao history launched in December 2015, and “Ordinary Lives, Lived Extraordinarily – Mindanawon Profiles” launched in February 2019. He writes two columns for MindaNews, one in English (A Sojourner’s Views) and the other in Binisaya (Panaw-Lantaw).]

DAVAO CITY (MindaNews / 21 March) – Soldiers belonging to the Philippine Army’s 28th Infantry Battalion (28IB) rescued on Monday a wounded communist rebel, the Eastern Mindanao Command (EMC) reported on Thursday.

Lt. Col. Ezra Balagtey, Eastern Mindanao Command (EMC) spokesperson, identified the member of the New People’s Army as “Randy” (real name withheld), who was rescued last March 18 somewhere in the boundary of Lupon and Brgy. Las Arenas in Pantukan, Compostela Valley.

The 28-year-old rebel was wounded when government troops engaged in brief firefight with NPA rebels last March 17. Randy was rescued by soldiers when his companion left him behind after they were subdued by government troops.

Balagtey also cautioned the public of what he described as a “propaganda” peddled by Save Our Schools Network (SOS) who reported earlier this week that a militiaman had slain a Lumad teen in the hinterlands of Talaingod, Davao del Norte.

On Tuesday, SOS spokesperson Rius Valles said that Jerome Pangadas, a resident of Sitio Kamingawan, Brgy. Palma Gil, Talaingod, Davao del Norte and a Grade 6 pupil of Salugpongan Ta ‘Tanu Igkanogon Community Learning Center, was killed by a member of the Citizen Armed Forces Geographical Unit (CAFGU) last March 15.

Pangadas was killed after a bullet hit his head.

But Balagtey belied Valles’s claim and tagged the SOS report as “distorted.”

“The CAA [Civilian Active Auxiliary, the CAFGU member] did not shoot the Lumad student. It was his brother Jimbo Valintin who accidentally did it when he fired his improvised shotgun targeting a certain Andomy Umasay who was with the CAA at that time,” Balagtey said in a statement sent to reporters Tuesday.

The military official said that the incident transpired last January 7, contrary to SOS’s claim that the incident happened on March 15, noting the case was settled through the tribal justice system which is allowed in the Indigenous People’s Rights Act (IPRA).

“In fact, the troops mediated and helped out in caring for those who were harmed and killed during the unfortunate incident. The situation in the community has been normal and peaceful since the settlement was reached,” he said.

Balagtey warned the media and netizens “to beware of fake news or propaganda being sent to you or posted in social media.” (Mart Sambalud / MindaNews)

DAVAO CITY (MindaNews / 11 Apr) – A Lumad rights group condemned the killing of Datu Kaylo Bontolan, a community leader who was killed in a military encounter in Sitio Ngaran, Barangay Kipilas, Kitaotao in Bukidnon last April 7.

Jong Monzon, secretary general of Pasaka Confederation of Lumad Organization in Southern Mindanao, said in a statement on Thursday that the Lumad leaders of the Salugpongan Ta Tanu Igkanugon in Talaingod expressed grief over the death of Datu Bontolan, a council member and deputy secretary general of Pasaka.

Monzon claimed Bontolan was checking on the condition of the Manobo evacuees, who fled their homes in Talaingod, Davao del Norte due to alleged military operations and bombings, when the firefight between the New People’s Army (NPA) and government forces erupted.

“We mourn the death of Kaylo, who at his young age has sacrificed much for the defense of our ancestral land and the Lumad schools in Talaingod. He could have contributed more for the Lumad,” he said.

A photo released by the Eastern Mindanao Command (EastMinCom) dated April 9, 2019 showed a slain NPA member in combat attire, bearing resemblance to Bontolan.

Monzon confirmed it was the slain Datu leader, who appeared mostly in forums and media interviews on the plight of the Lumads.

“Oo si Kaylo na, pero pwdi nila himuon ang biskan unsa, sa usa ka maayo nga leader ug dili nana bago sa ilang hinimuan (Yes, it’s Kaylo. But they can always do anything to a good leader and that’s nothing new from what they usually do),” he said.

Lt. Col. Ezra L. Balagtey, EastMinCom spokesperson, said troopers of the Army’s 3rd Infantry Battalion, who were validating information on the presence of an armed group in the area, clashed with communist guerillas at 9:50 a.m. after the NPA members fired at government forces.

Another clash erupted at 10:15 a.m. and lasted for two hours, he said.

Balagtey said the military recovered an AK-47 rifle, an M653 rifle, an M16 rifle, three caliber .45 pistols, one improvised explosive, combat pack, personal belongings, and subversive documents.

Monzon said: “Our plight in Talaingod is comparable to ants being trampled and forced to scatter anywhere, because of Martial Law in Mindanao, where soldiers and the paramilitary Alamara have attacked us no end.”

He said Lumads would continue to stand united for their tribe and ancestral domain even if their leader died.

“Like ants we unite and resist the militarization in our communities. We know their aim is to seize Pantaron Range in our ancestral territory, which they want to plunder for mining and other ventures,” he said. (Antonio L. Colina IV / MindaNews)

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DAVAO CITY (MindaNews/18 April) – Bayan Muna Rep. Carlos Isagani T. Zarate called a military official a “congenital liar” for alleging that members of the left-leaning Makabayan Bloc did not show up when invited to a validation trip on Wednesday to know if the red-tagging accusations against a Salugpongan School in Talaingod, Davao del Norte were true.

The allegation came from Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) deputy chief of staff for civil-military operations MGen Antonio Parlade Jr. during the AFP-PNP press conference at the Royal Mandaya Hotel here on Wednesday.

But in a phone interview, Zarate said they had not received an invitation to join the supposed investigation.

Parlade also claimed the progressive partylist groups wanted to delay the inquiry.

“Ginapagawas karon na gipugngan namo. Na-bilib ko sa bakakon ni Parlade bisan sa Semana Santa (They want to make it appear that we’re suppressing it. I am impressed with the dishonesty of Parlade even if it’s Holy Week),” Zarate said.

The Makabayan bloc, a coalition of 12 partylist groups, comprises Bayan Muna, Alliance of Concerned Teachers, Anakpawis, Gabriela, Kabataan, Katribu, Migrante, Akap-bata, Courage, Piston, Kalikasan and Aking Bikolnon.

Parlade said the “congressional inquiry,” obviously referring to the validation trip, was conducted to know the truth behind the Salugpongan schools amid accusations that communist rebels used them to radicalize and indoctrinate young Lumads.

Among the agencies that joined the activity were the Department of Education, National Commission on Indigenous Peoples, Department of Interior and Local Government, police, military, and Office of the Presidential Adviser for Indigenous Peoples’ Concerns, according to Parlade.

“Hindi nagpakita ang Makabayan Bloc (The Makabayan Bloc did not show up). We want to engage them into this inquiry para sabihin natin ang totoo (so we can tell the truth),” he said, adding the inquiry could have answered questions on issues on human rights abuses and militarization in the region.

A similar activity had been undertaken on Tuesday in Tugbok, Davao City, he said.

For his part, Anakpawis Rep. Ariel Casilao said his office had not also received an invitation.

“The two previous official inquiries of the House committee on indigenous cultural communities and indigenous peoples last February clearly demolished their baseless accusations and in fact napakaulawan sila (they were put to shame). They insisted that Salugpongan is not registered with DepEd when a DepEd representative present during the hearing clearly affirmed the school’s permit to operate,” he said.

Had he known, Casilao said he would “be very willing to face them and debunk their lies.”

Zarate said he was not aware of the supposed inquiries in the region this week.

He, however, admitted to receiving an invitation from the House committee on indigenous cultural communities and indigenous peoples last March 25 for an “ocular inspection” in Lianga, Surigao scheduled on April 25 in relation to his House Resolution 1656 filed in February 2018, which called for an “investigation, in aid of legislation, on the human rights violations committed against the Indigenous Peoples in the same province.”

He said he declined it explaining he would not be available due to the campaign sorties, and suggested that it be held after the elections.

His letter to committee chair Rep. Allen Jesse C. Mangaoang dated April 10 read in part: “My staff have been trying to arrange my schedules to fit in the said ocular inspection. However, because of numerous activities and campaign sortie events, which have been prepared way earlier, it will be very difficult for me to adjust because of the very limited campaign days available.”

Parlade also accused the Makabayan bloc of delaying the inquiry but maintained it had to be pushed through because it had been postponed twice.

“Matagal na itong naka schedule pero gusto itong ipa-postpone ng Makabayan bloc, sabi namin hindi, dalawang beses na itong na postpone, we have to proceed with this inquiry on this Salugpongan schools for us to finally thresh out ano ba talaga ang katotohanan sa Salugpongan schools (This has been scheduled a long time ago but the Makabayan bloc wanted it postponed. This was already postponed twice. We have to proceed with this inquiry on this Salugpongan schools for us to finally thresh out what’s the truth behind the Salugpongan schools)” he said.

But Zarate belied such claims saying he was not a member of the committee, “so I have no power at all to prevent or stop it from conducting any hearing if its members want.”

“From the statements and lies now being peddled by Parlade, it is now becoming apparent that the purpose of this so-called investigation is nothing but a McCarthyism witch hunt to further vilify and slander the Makabayan bloc and other progressive groups,” he said.

“This is part of the vicious partisan campaign directed against us by anti-democratic forces, like the discredited putschist Parlade,” he said.

Parlade added the government wanted the closure of all schools linked to the communists but vowed the government would bring basic services closer to lumad communities.

Parlade further repeated earlier allegations that the Alternative Learning Center for Agricultural and livelihood Development Inc. and Mindanao Interfaith Services Foundation Inc. had links to the communist movement. (Antonio L. Colina IV/MindaNews)

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Events and groups in Mindanao which have not been included or “glossed over” in Philippine history books as well as new researches about local heroes will be the focus of the first Mindanao History & Literatures to Film Summit that will open on May 9 at the Capitol University in Cagayan de Oro City.

Around 25 historians, writers and filmmakers will attend the event to plan the use of historical events and heroes in Mindanao and works by local writers as subjects of short films, animation or as documentaries for the planned Mindanao Film Fest in February 2020.

“Works by Mindanao writers such as their poetry and fiction will likewise be tackled as possible subjects for the short films or animation to include Mindanao folk materials such as epics, legends, and other narratives. Other possible subjects for the films are cultural practices and rituals, traditional dishes and native attire from the lumad and Moro groups,” summit convener Dr. Christine Godinez Ortega said.

Ortega said she would like scripts to be written in Sebuano, Mindanao’s lingua franca or in the ethno-languages with translations in English.

The prize-winning short films will be shown in local universities to popularize locally-made films and promote understanding and peace among Mindanao’s diverse peoples with the participation of the MSU-IIT Institute for Peace & Development in Mindanao, she said.

“Trainings and forums on screen writing, film production and management will be launched in September this year while guidelines for the film fest for Mindanao’s filmmakers will be released soon,” she added.

The two-day summit is hosted by the Mindanao Creative Writers Group and its Multi-Media Arm and Capitol University. (MindaNews)

DAVAO CITY (MindaNews /18 May) – Three-term Representative Nancy Alaan Catamco is North Cotabato’s first Lumad Governor.

Catamco defeated veteran politician Rogelio Talino, long-time mayor of Carmen town and father of incumbent Governor Emmylou Talino-Mendoza, by a margin of 3,531 votes. She got 272,249 votes against Talino’s 268,718 votes.

Mendoza, who had served as three-term Representative of the first district of North Cotabato from 2001 to 2010 and Governor from 2010, won the post of Vice Governor with 326,718 votes 209,064 of Socrates Pinol, brother of Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel Pinol.

In a statement written mostly in Cebuano and posted on her Facebook page on May 16, Catamco thanked her supporters and urged her constituents to leave partisan lines behind now that the election is over.

She vowed her leadership would ensure participatory governance.

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“Ang akong administrasyon mosubay sa mga prinsipyo sa Participatory Governance diin atong imbitahon ang tanan nga sector sa atong probinsya sa pagpartisipar sa mga proseso sa konsultasyon aron atong maangkon ang kooperasyon ug collaboration sa tanan” (My administration will follow the principles of participatory governance where all sectors in the province will be invited to participate in consultations so we can achieve everyone’s cooperation and collaboration), she said.

Addressing employees at the Provincial Capitol, she assured them she is not vindictive. “Ako mohatag kaninyo og oportunidad nga mapakita ninyo ang inyong mga abilidad walay pagduha-duha alang sa kaayohan sa katawhan nga atong gisaaran nga alagaran” (I will give you the chance to show your abilities for the sake of the people we vowed to serve), she said.

Agriculture Secretary Pinol, who served as Governor of North Cotabato from 1998 to 2007, congratulated Catamco through his Facebook page on May 14. “With a 3,000-vote lead and 2.6% of votes still to be tabulated, it is almost improbable to dislodge you from the top. Please lead our province towards an era of harmony and unity. Let us discard the politics of hatred,” he said.

Among the bills filed by Catamco in support of the Lumads (Indigenous Peoples) are the proposed creation of a Department Of Indigenous Peoples; establishment of an Indigenous Training Center in Kidapawan, North Cotabato; mandating the inclusion of Ingigenous Culture Education in the curricula of schools in all levels in the country; maximizing the contribution of Indigenous Peoples to nation-building, grant benefits and special privileges; creating barangays for Indigenous Cultural Communities and Indigenous Peoples (ICC/IP) – all of them pending with their committees or referred to other committees.

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She also filed a bill “extending the period for Indigenous Cultural Communities/Indigenous Peoples to exercise the option to secure Certificates of Title to their ancestral lands under Commonwealth Act 41, as amended, or the Land Registration Act 496, amending for the purpose section 12 of Republic Act No. 8371, otherwise known as “The Indigenous Peoples Rights Act” which, according to House records, was approved by the House of Representatives on May 22, 2017 and transmitted to the Senate on May 24, 2017.

She also filed a bill “defining political dynasty and prohibiting the establishment thereof.”

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Clik here to view.Catamco is Vice Chair of the committees on Local Government, Mindanao Affairs and Sustainable Development Goals in the 17^th Congress (2016-2019).

She was chair of the House of Representatives’ Committee on Indigenous Cultural Communities and Indigenous Peoples Peoples in the 16^th Congress (2013-2016).

Catamco figured in a controversy on July 23, 2015 when she led the police and military in efforts allegedly to “rescue” some 700 Manobos who sought refuge in the Haran compound of the United Church of Christ in the Philippines in Davao City, after fleeing their villages in the hinterands of Davao del Norte and Bukidnon to avoid getting caught in the crossfire between government forces and the New Peoples’ Army. Catamco argued the evacuees should be released, alleging they were held against their will.

Days after the failed attempt, Lumads and their support groups filed a complaint before the Ombudsman against several officials, including Catamco, for alleged usurpation of authority or official function, physical injuries inflicted in a tumultuous affray, serious physical injuries, qualified trespass to dwelling, grave threats, grave coercion, malicious mischief

The Ombudsman dismissed the complaint a year later, citing lack of evidence.

In the efforts to push the passage of the Bangsamoro Basic Law in 2014 and 2015 and in 2017, Catamco helped push for provisions to ensure the rights of Lumads in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao are protected.

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Catamaco is the third woman-governor of North Cotabato after Rosario Diaz (1988 to 1998) and Emmylou Talino-Mendoza, from 2010 to June 30, 2019.

The 2019-2022 term will be the first time in North Cotabato history where the Governor and Vice Governor are both women.

Elected representatives of the province’s three districts are Joel Sacdalan (PDP), son of former Governor and Representative Jesus Sacdalan, for the 1^st district; Makilala Mayor Rudy Caoagdan (NP) for the 2^nd district while Jose Tejada (NP), who ran unopposed, earned his third term for the 3^rd district.

Kidapawan City Mayor Joseph Evangelista was elected to his third term in office. (Carolyn O. Arguillas / MindaNews)

GENERAL SANTOS CITY (MindaNews/22 May) – Tribal schoolchildren in a remote community in Malungon town, Sarangani province will no longer need to walk for at least two hours when they return to school this June, with the construction of three new classrooms in their village.

The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD)-Region 12 formally turned over on Tuesday the newly-completed P3.3-million three-classroom building at the Lamlangil Elementary School in Barangay Tamban, Malungon.

Jackiya Lao, DSWD-12 assistant regional director for administration, said the project was among the school-based projects implemented by the agency in the area in partnership with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).

She said the new classrooms will mainly benefit at least 60 schoolchildren belonging to the Blaan and Tagakaolo tribes in Sitio Lamlangil and the neighboring areas.

Sitio Lamlangil, which is among the far-flung communities of Barangay Tamban, is located around 24 kilometers from the town proper of Malungon.

Lao said the classroom project was earlier identified by community stakeholders as one of their most pressing needs.

The lack of classrooms in the area had forced some schoolchildren in enrol in other schools and endure at least two hours of hike, she said.

She said the project was eventually endorsed by DSWD-12 for funding under the Bottom-up Budgeting or BUB program and with the UNDP as its partner service provider.

”This is a concrete way of showing that our government is taking care of the welfare of our children — our next generation leaders,” Lao said in a statement.

She said the presence of the new school building will be “a great help in encouraging the whole community to send our children to school.”

The implementation of the project was supervised and monitored by DSWD-12, through the Kapit-Bisig Laban sa Kahirapan- Comprehensive and Integrated Delivery of Social Services or Kalahi-CIDSS program.

The agency said it ensures that recipients are empowered and given the opportunity to be actively involved in the identification, implementation and rollout of sustainability mechanisms for the projects.

Under the program, Malungon received last year around P10 million worth of classroom buildings and daycare center projects.

As of the end of April, DSWD-12 already completed some P13.18 million worth of projects in parts of the region that were funded through the BUB program since last year.

At least 14 community projects worth around P23 million are being implemented in the area and due for completion this year. (MindaNews)

(Inspirational Message delivered by Marites Gonzalo to the Mindanao Peacebuilding Institute’s Asia Opening Ceremony, on the theme “Positive Engagement in Peacebuilding” at the Mergrande Ocean Resort in Talomo, Davao City on May 20, 2019).  

Let me start by greeting you all Madyaw na maselem! That’s good morning in our Tagakolu language. Maayong buntag sa tanan!

Today is the beginning of our second week of courses that are anchored on thematic approaches to creating and strengthening a culture of peace. This is in line with the theme of this year’s training of working toward “Positive Engagement in Peacebuilding.” We are invited to look into our very own practices at this annual training vis-à-vis our curriculum design, dynamics, and, most especially, our engagements in our respective communities and countries.

I am nervous right now standing before you. I feel so tiny being a neophyte in peacebuilding. When Chris invited me to become part of MPI’s board in 2016, I was hesitant to accept because I did not have that much experience in peacebuilding. After some deep thought, I eventually accepted. It is a formidable challenge for me knowing that I have much to learn. I do not have extensive experience in peacebuilding work in an institution or in an NGO. However, I have my experience with my own Tagakolu indigenous community. This, I think, will be a significant contribution to our peacebuilding efforts and advocacies. Coming from a lumad or indigenous peoples’ perspective, I believe that peace begins with oneself. Meaning, you bring peace with you, you live it… it is a way of life!

Let me share with you a very personal story. When I was in secondary school, I had an experience that damaged my self-image as a Tagakolu youth. I was bullied at school and was made fun of because my accent was different from that of my settler schoolmates. I, together with my dorm mates who were also indigenous peoples, were labeled as taga bukid or backward. We were considered ignorant and uncivilized. We were often ridiculed due to our way of dressing and manner of walking. We were out of fashion in the eyes of those who lived in the plains, the majority of whom were settlers. Whenever we were asked to perform our traditional dances at school or in huge gatherings, I dreaded taking part in them and would cry in silence. I knew that the moment my schoolmates would see me and my fellow lumad students dancing, they would most certainly mock us.

I remember one incident: during the annual festival of our town in 1995, the most awaited event was horse fighting. For one reason or another, we were asked to perform our traditional dance in the horse fighting arena as the opening act. When we started to dance, my heart was racing! It beat so fast it felt like the hooves of a terrified horse dashing to safety to escape its opponent. My heart was beating so fast because of the catcalls of the jeering mob. The day after that festival, I did not want to go to school knowing our classmates and schoolmates would contemptuously insult us as they often did with statements like: “Kuyawa ni Gonzalo gahapon uy, mura man pod og kabayo mosayaw (Gonzalo was amazing yesterday, she danced like a horse!)

That was a grave affront to my dignity. That scarred me for life; it devastated my self-esteem and made me lose my self-confidence. It made me feel unworthy, undignified, and shameful. It distorted my understanding of what it is to be Lumad. From that moment on, I refused to dance our traditional dance. I felt very ill and hated who I was. How I badly wished to become a settler and cease to be a Tagakolu.

I came to a point in my teenage life that I blamed Tyumanem/God for having given me a father who was from the mountains and whose forebears were Indigenous Peoples. I came to a point of disowning my Tagakolu identity and trying to forget my cultural roots. How could I ever have thought of that, you might say! But it’s true. That was how I felt then after having gone through years of discrimination that no young person should ever go through while growing up, indigenous or otherwise.

That experience made me un-peaceful. It made me feel uneasy and uncomfortable whenever I am with a big group like this. I was always suspicious whenever someone would look at me while talking to other people. I would often think that these persons were talking about me, or that they considered me backward or ignorant.

Years had passed, I continued my schooling. Then I returned to my community to serve for three years. After which, I decided to continue a college degree. I went to the city to find a job after graduation. While working there, I met people who were advocating on behalf of and working with indigenous communities: peace advocates in Mindanao, religious men and women, as well as NGO workers. They were the ones who helped me realize the realities and needs of our indigenous community. After five years of living away from home, something dawned on me and I started asking myself, as a Tagakolu, “How can I contribute, how can I be of help to my people?” That was the moment that I felt that the mountains were calling me. It was as if they were saying… “Come back! Come back to us for you belong to us!” This is why I returned to my community and started to work with my people.

PEACE begins with oneself, it’s a way of life… it is a spirituality. Going back to my community is like going back to and tracing my own roots. I started to listen to and learn from our elders about our indigenous knowledge, systems, practices and spirituality. Elders in the community should be listened to for they are our culture-bearers. I started to appreciate, rediscover, re-learn, recognize, and re-embrace the richness of our cultural practices and values. This, for me, is the foundation of our cultural identity.

Our identity and spirituality as indigenous peoples or Lumad is deeply anchored in our homeland and ancestral domains. Most of our cultural practices like rituals, dances, stories, and songs are greatly related to land, environment, ecology, and its symbiotic relationship to the human community. That is why, in the greater scheme of things, especially in Mindanao, Lumads will never be at peace amidst the ceaseless take over of our ancestral homelands. Concern for the Lumad in Mindanao at present focuses solely on development projects that, regrettably, threaten to displace us from our ancestral lands; this is developmental aggression. Nowadays, there are a number of our Lumad communities that are caught in the crossfire between government and rebel forces. They are either tagged as communist rebels or assets of government forces. They are sandwiched between these opposing forces that are often present in the Lumad homeland.

On the other hand, colonization brought us various influences and has challenged us, as a people, as a nation. These influences are now imprinted and integrated in our government laws, educational systems and even in our value systems. For me, it is our great challenge to trace our roots. Let us start with ourselves and our families. Then, we can find peace.

How can we do this? For me, as a Lumad, we need to make our culture stronger because it will bring us peace. Culture is the soul of our community and is at the core of the identity of a nation. Our elders play an invaluable role in this journey of going back and rediscovering who we are as a people. In the same way, our facilitators in this training are our mentors who are tasked to help us learn what and how it is to build peace in each of our own lands. With this, I say, look into yourself and trace who you are as a peacebuilder, and be filled with peace in yourself.

May this week be a fun and fruitful journey for everyone!

(Marites “Matet” Gonzalo, a Tagakolu, finished her MA in Anthropology at the Ateneo de Davao University in 2017, She is now the IP School Coordinator of the Malita Tagakolu Mission in the Diocese of Digos in Matamis, Dmoloc, Malita, Davao Occidental.)

BOOK REVIEW. Panagkutay: Bringing us right into the Lumad lifeworld
Levy L. Lanaria, Ph.D. A.Th.

TITLE: Panagkutay: Anthropology & Theology Interfacing in Mindanao Uplands (The Lumad Homeland)
Author: Karl M. Gaspar, CSsR
Publisher: Institute of Spirituality in Asia, 2017

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Clik here to view.(This review by Levy L .Lanaria, Ph.D A.Th., faculty member at the Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies of the University of San Carlos in Cebu City, was read for him by an MA Anthropology student during the book launch of “Panagkutay” at the Ateneo de Davao University on August 4, 2017)

When Brother Karl invited me to do a review on his most recent book Panagkutay I promptly gave my nod.  Indeed, it would be a great honor on my part to do it for an icon in the area of Christian social activism and pastoral-educational ministry. Thank you, Brother for giving me the opportunity to share my thoughts and sentiments on another remarkable literary work. This is a work that is grounded on the “joys and the hopes, the griefs and the anxieties” of our indigenous brothers and sisters. Thank you too for bringing the Lumads closer to my consciousness in a way that challenges me to go into some sort of soul searching as an academic.

Bro. Karl’s engaging and challenging book is about his personal-professional experiences and empathetic reflections as an anthropologist-theologian-religious brother with one of the most vulnerable sectors in the country. Hence it is most fitting and proper that he dedicates the book to all the Lumads whom, in his own words, he has encountered across Mindanao in the last 50 years of his life. That’s a great 70% deal of his life outdistancing the number of years he has been a Redemptorist brother! When you read Panagkutay you get connected as well with the author’s autobiography of his public ministry.

I must confess that the Lumads have been almost entirely invisible to my academic radar. My knowledge of development aggression historically rooted in the colonial era that has victimized many a community was very limited – until I read Bro. Karl’s informative/educational literary work. In many history books written by local historians and used as school textbooks they are, in fact, virtually anonymous. This book gives face, flesh and life to their deplorable condition of depravity, sufferings, and pains but also of their struggles and small successes in reclaiming what historically belongs to them. The interdisciplinary work is worth three units in one semester.

The book takes off not from a polished academic runway but from the rough grounds of a very personal pad, certainly very anthropological still and political, which exposes the deep affective involvement of Bro. Karl with his Lumad partners. This is heavy reading, not in terms of the concepts expounded and idioms used but of being vicariously weighed down by the author’s disappointments and frustrations. Sapagkat siya ay tao lamang.  Brother has seen it all: both external and internal factors/forces that had converged to render the struggle for self-determination almost an impossible dream.  Make no mistake about it. The lament that he unabashedly expressed in Chapter 1 is his calculated way of disallowing the utopian illusion to sap his human spirit and religious energy.  For this he wrote the chapter as “an antidote” to his “tendencies at times to romanticize his engagements with the Lumads.” Writing is therapeutic.

Chapter 2 brings us right into the Lumad lifeworld highlighting the urgent issues confronting the indigenous peoples which previous administrations failed to address seriously and consistently. Brother hopes that the current administration (Aquino at the time of the writing) “will do much more.” Today it is Duterte’s. The government must be there but he adds that “in the end, it will be the Lumads themselves who will determine their future.” This early the book serves notices that patronizing and paternalizing approach and attitudes are a no-no to the long-term project of empowerment. The chapter brings closer the major concerns of the Lumads to the readers.

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The entire book particularly this chapter brings to light the kind of anthropologist-activist Brother is. His advocacy of self-determination with theoretical underpinning in the post-modern concept of identity politics is a form of self-disclosure. His approach is not to come from a position of superiority but as a dialogue partner with a people who have the right to chart their own future and map out the means on how to get there without losing their shared cultural identity. This is demanded by the ethnographic approach that he has intentionally adopted as an anthropologist-researcher. He refers to it as “experiential participation.” This is, in his words, “pushing to a higher level the method of participant observation.”  In more concrete terms, Bro. Karl would enter Lumad territories not so much as a researcher “but as someone present among them to share their griefs and pains, hopes and joys, and whenever the opportunity arises, to be of service in whatever way (he) can but always from their perspective.” Indeed, he was careful that he would not force his thoughts and ideas on the Lumad but “to dialogue with them towards agreeing with them on what was needed to be done.” This dialogical approach is easier said than done for in ethnographic studies should not the deeply involved researcher in pursuit of truth and knowledge maintain some affective distance from the subjects of his/her study lest his analysis and judgement falls prey to unwarranted subjectivism? Apparently, Bro. Karl succeeded in striking the balance not without much reflexive thinking while maintaining his non-neutral political stance.

Chapter 3 puts in a diachronic element to the Lumads’ struggle for self-determination to complement the synchronic in his work. It provides the historical backdrop to their tragic loss of ownership and control over their ancestral territories from Spanish to American to Japanese to American colonization. This portion of the book is a must reading for those of us who possess only a surface knowledge of our indigenous brothers’ and sisters’ situation of depravity. The pockets of rebellion and resistance (ideologically directed or not) can only be adequately understood by those of us outsiders if we take seriously their colonial and neo-colonial provenance. Threatening to bomb a Lumad school is rubbing salt to injury and betrays an unhealthy ahistorical mindset and gross insensitivity to a people long oppressed, long marginalized, long excluded.

What follows all in Chapter 4 is a case study of the Lumad communities in the municipality of Jose Abad Santos of the province of Davao Occidental.  The ethnographic study is another eye-opener and heart-breaker. It is a report of the saga of the Lumads’ uphill struggle to claim their ancestral lands inspired by the assistance of concerned partner-groups and reinforced by the historic enactment of the Indigenous Peoples’ Rights Act (IPRA) in 1997.  Sadly, the political landscape did not change much to improve the people’s lot. As one author puts it and this is worth re-quoting: their lives have “remained stubbornly, frustratingly unchanged.” Bro. Karl shares with us the key reason to the utter lack of progress as pinpointed by Gatmaytan (I find this very interesting): the misconception of equating a land tenure title with autonomy. Autonomy is the core issue traceable to the “historical reality of unequal treatment and relations between the State and the indigenous peoples.”

Chapter 5 is an attempt to bridge anthropology and theology, thus the work’s title panagkutay (“to connect”).  This is the part of the book including the subsequent chapter that most interests me as a theologian. Many of us here probably know that for so many centuries the classical theology of the past had privileged philosophy as its dialogue partner, never mind if the relationship is asymmetrical:  philosophy as ancilla theologiae (handmaiden of theology). But that is beside the point. Vatican Council gave official impetus to many contextual theologians to enter into a respectful conversation with human and social sciences. The Aggiornamento (“a bringing up to date”) Vatican II Council   insists on a Church that is humble, listening and dialogical – a Church that does not pretend to know all the answers to the complex questions of modern men and women.  In view of this, “Christians are joined with the rest of men and women in the search for truth, and for the genuine solution to the numerous problems which arise in the life of individuals and from social relationships” (GS 16).  Ours is a complex world of myriad problems that the quest for truth and for solution points to the need for theology to enter into a dialogue not only with philosophy but with other sciences. The recognition of the value of the sciences is taken for granted in the liberation theologians’ popular use of the “see-judge-act” pastoral cycle/spiral approach. Bro. Karl employs precisely the pastoral framework in his conceptual and practical engagement as a theologian-activist while tapping the insights of both anthropology-sociology and philosophy.

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The chapter focuses the lens on how the local church got involved in the highly contested political space of the uplands. The book traces the church’s shifts in approach in its pastoral ministry with the Lumads. From the traditional proselytization practice, it moved to conscientization and organizing for the Lumads to resist State aggression, then slowly and gradually shifted to inculturation. The seed of inculturation had been officially sown in Vatican II. The discourse on inculturation in the 1970s received a boost from the Federation of the Asian Bishops’ Conferences with its advocacy of an indigenous and inculturated Church.  In Mindanao, it would take a while before the seed would sprout. Bro. Karl attributes the very slow reception of the cultural approach to the privileging of the liberational project by the church and its pastoral workers. It was only towards the end of the millennium, according to him, that the church showed greater concern towards inculturation.

A notable development presented by the book was the ecumenical collaboration between Catholics and Protestants to respond to the needs of the Lumad and Moro communities and the realization that Christians must be more sensitive to the IP’s perspective of life and struggle and not impose outside ideas. This view could have been pursued but this had to wait as there was an attempt to contextualize the liberation theology which resulted in the formulation of the theology of struggle.

In time, the sharp militant edge of the IPA network’s liberation theology dissipated. The Vatican II statements on culture and faith were given theological articulations by contextual theologians. The Marxist tradition which informed the liberational project was criticized for its anthropocentric bias anchored on “foreign symbols and values in the name of a universality that was quite destructive of indigenous cultures” (Mcdonaugh).

The discourse on inculturation now began to make, as it were, to gather momentum. The Episcopal Commission on Indigenous Peoples in 1992 and 2010 affirmed the principle and approach of inculturation privileging the rubric of self-determination under the general matrix of total human liberation or integral evangelization.  For its part, the Association of Major Religious Superiors in the Philippines expressed “inculturation at the core” in terms of listening, learning their languages, denouncing transgressors, recognizing the sacred. In fact, there has been an abundance of literature about inculturation. Unfortunately, church rhetoric in the observation of Bro. Karl did not translate into a vigorous push by church workers for inculturation, including an inculturated liturgy. There was just little institutional support.  The author laments further that the great majority of writers are merely “talking” rather than “walking” about inculturation.

Here Bro. Karl appeals for a collaborative effort among church people who have training in philosophy, anthropology, theology, religious and cultural studies to reflect on the lessons that need to be articulated in the field of inculturation and then to formulate approaches that are practical for workers in this field. The kind of inculturation that Bro advocates does not shunt the emancipatory project of liberation theology. While a lover of theology of liberation, his keen reading of the signs of the times aided significantly by his continual readings as an academician opened his critical mind to the limits and shortcomings of liberation theology. On the other hand, he could not accept an exclusivist notion of identity politics divorced from the basic concerns and needs of peoples. His synthetic stance has been shaped by the probing insights and critical ideas of thinkers-writers from the West (Lynch, Mejido, Zizek), from Africa (Oduyeye, Ukpong), and from Asia (Pieris).   Quoting the western thinker-writer Mejido, there is a need to “fuse the symbolic-cultural and the material-economic.” He further anchors his conviction on Pieris’ thoughts on the Asian reality as an interplay of Religiousness and Poverty. For the Asian theologian inculturation and liberation are two names of the same process.

Panagkutay pinpoints popular religion or folk religiosity as a possible stage of an inculturated theological work. To quote him: “One looks forward to a Filipino theologian who would engage the text of Reynaldo Ileto’s Pasyon and Revolution: Populist Movements in the Philippines 1840-1910 and formulate a theological reading which highlights how the Pasyon narrative appropriated by poor peasants was inculturated in the context of a revolutionary agenda.” The book does not mention that there is at least one Filipino theologian by the name of Jose de Mesa, who has, in fact, tapped the liberationist insights of Ileto’s Pasyon in his attempt to construct an inculturated theological discourse using the rich native concept of Loob. He is just one of the few theologians in the country whose passion to pursue the project of inculturation mostly in the sphere of language (footnote: inculturation is not a monochromatic concept) is known by those who were under his mentorship. Unfortunately, frail health has caught up with the Filipino theologian-advocate of inculturation. How many centers of theological studies really offer extensive and intensive training program on inculturation? Individual initiatives are hard to come by, let alone sustain, unless supported by institutional superstructure. But first some kind of paradigm shift must happen in pastoral and theological thinking. Quo vadis ecclesia?

Chapter 6 is a fresh re-iteration and further elaboration of the author’s attempt to engage anthropology and theology in mutual interaction with each other. Martial law was a blessing in disguise because both disciplines came ‘face-to-face’ with each other as academic partners-in-dialogue to make sense of the centuries-old oppression, marginalization, and now exclusion of the indigenous peoples in Mindanao and forge an alliance with an intentionally prescriptive orientation. Marcos’ hegemonic rule made concerned theologians and church workers, including Brother Karl, engaged in indigenous peoples ministry discard the traditional value-free, objectivist and positivist position. Anthropology-cum-theology shifted from merely being descriptive to insistently being prescriptive (reminiscent of Marx’s challenge to philosophy to “change the world”). The shift occurred not without tension in the anthropologist-theologian Karl. He took pains to underscore the normative task inherent of theology, one that envisions a “praxis that more fully embodies the Christian faith and more meaningfully expresses that faith” in terms of the people’s perspectives and capacities.” While at it, he issues a warning: an uncritical appropriation of the social sciences runs the risk of denying “the very principles on which they (theologians) operate and turn them, as Berger suggests, into agents of propaganda” (Gaspar). Anthropology and theology are certainly autonomous disciplines distinguishable from each other, but theology is not subsumable by anthropology.

Post-modern anthropology’s option for identity politics underscoring the cultural constitution of the Lumad communities impacted theology. It turned to culture as a legitimate locus and source of theological reflection and discourse not to blunt but precisely to sharpen the emancipatory design of liberation theology. Here again Bro. Karl is not indulging in arbitrary thinking; in his evolving synthetic anthropological-theological and liberationist-inculturated discourse he has found theoretical frameworks in the writings of theologians like Lonergan, Tracy, Gittins, Arbuckle (who himself is an anthropologist), Gustavo and other Latin American theologians, Pieris, Phan, Berker, Douglas, Geertz, Witvleit, Asad). I remember him telling us his fellow theologians during our annual conference in 2013 in Butuan that he began with social action or practical engagement with the people and later on felt the need for theoretical frameworks to serve as privileged hermeneutical lens in his social-cultural engagement with the indigenous peoples. The social activist has become more scientific; in the see-judge-act method social action needs the insights coming from the academe.

Certainly, one can never accuse Bro. Karl of being an armchair theologian or academic. Many theologians live their academic life safely ensconced in ivory tower so that their theology is not necessarily their spirituality. I must remind myself. The editor’s characterization of Brother’s work as a spirituality book (Fr. Ponce calls it the “spirituality of connecting,” in rhythm with panagkutay) conjures an image of a social activist whose theology is his spirituality. Another point worth noting is that the author’s journey is marked by a number of conceptual shifts in his thinking and approach in dealing with the Lumads: from exclusively political to inclusively cultural, from traditional missiological model of translation (from a position of superiority) to a missiological model that is inculturated (from the perspective of partnership of equals). Indeed, it is worth repeating that Bro. Karl’s book reveals a theologian who has been most attentive to the signs of the times. Under the current administration that is showing no signs of promise in taking up very seriously the Lumad’s uphill struggle for self-determination, I am sure Brother will pursue his project of inculturation with dogged determination and unshakeable faith in the God of history that he has been despite numerous setbacks.

Let me bring to a close my review parallel to how Bro. Karl ended his book.  As the anthropologist opened his book with a lament, he ends it by a ringing appeal in his Epilogue addressed to all of us: “it is my hope that this book reminds us that the situation is desperate and that time is no longer on our side.” Take it from a post-modern prophet who listens, writes, talks, and walks.

8 Agosto 2017 (dagdag 26 Hunyo 2019) 

(Historian and peacebuilder Rudy Buhay Rodil presented this piece at the “Recognizing the Role of History in the Marawi Siege: A Panel Discussion and a Workshop, Theme: Kasaysayan: Susi Tungo sa Nasyonalismo’t Pambansang Kamalayan held at the Department of History, College of Arts and Social Sciences’ Board Room, MSU-Iligan Institute of Technology on 30 Aug 2017 and revised for the joint Mindanews-Institute of Peace and Development – MSU Marawi City – Theme: Reflections on the Siege of Marawi on 26 Hunyo 2019)

Giyera sa Marawi. Ano ang pumasok sa isip ko na naka-trigger na nagaganap: ano ang magandang nangyari sa Marawi na may kinalaman sa aking pagkatao ngayon, diyan mismo sa bahagi na ngayon ay nawasak na?  Para sa akin. Exercise ito sa positibo na pag-iisip. Naghahanap ako ng positibo, hindi ako magpapalunod sa negatibo. Heto po, tatlong karanasan na magandang i-highlight.

Una -1974.  Nagkausap kami ni Senador Domocao Alonto sa kanyang bahay.

Exciting people, mababait, pinatuloy ako, kinausap ako, pinakain ako, pinatulog, may pabaon pa. Laging nakangiti. Hindi ko matandaan ang As Salamu Alaikum pero hindi ko malilimutan ang ngiti. Kumpleto na yon. Damang-dama. 1974 – unang punta ko sa Marawi, hinanap ko ang bahay ni Jun Alonto, yong naging kakilala ko sa Davao, nagkape kami, nagkuwentuhan, naging magkaibigan doon. Sabi, punta ka sa bahay. Doon ko narinig ang mga pangarap ng mga Mrenao, kainitan ng giyera noon, AFP vs MNLF.  Kinabukasan, dinala ako sa bahay ni Domocao Alonto, hindi niya sinabi sino yon. Wow! Si Alonto na naging congressman at naging senador, siya pala. At ikaw ay anak niya! Quietly lang ako, papaano ko ilalabas ang aking excitement, parehong iginagalang. Kaharap ko pala ang kinikilalang lider, traditional lider ng Ramain, promoter ng Islam sa Mindanao, political leader ng buong Lanao, at sa Mindanao at sa buong bansa. At kasama ko ay si… Oy ako si Jun. Sa susunod, sino sila sa pagkakaalam ko mula mismo sa kanila?

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Nakatingin ako sa kanya, maaliwalas, smiling. Sa harap niya, nandoon pala ang kopya ng sinulat ko. Sabi niya gusto ko ang sinabi mo, nagagap mo ang aming kalagayan. Dagdag niya, nakikinig ako intently, kulang pa daw ang kanilang nalalaman tungkol sa Islam, naghahanap siya ng maayos na edukasyon, naghahanap siya ng maayos ng status ng mga minorities. Ayon, nagkita daw sila ni Gamal Abdel Nasser, ang presidente ng Egypt. Bandung Conference sa Indonesia noong 1955, nagkaipon-ipon ang 29 nations ng African-Asian regions, na puro bago pa lang nakaalpas sa kolonyalismo, miyembro siya ng Philippine delegation.

Si Nasser ang nakita niyang tulay, inayos nito ang Al-Azhar University sa Egypt, binuksan para sa mga iskolar ng ibang bansa. Ayon maraming mga young estudiyante mula sa Mindanao ang nagtungo doon. Nagkaroon ng isang Makkah-based Muslim World League, in fact isa siya sa founding members nito, nagkaroon ng dagdag na scholarship opportunities para sa mga Muslim sa Pinas, kaya sumulpot ang listahan ng mga institusyon, tulad ng Madinah, Makkah, Tripoli, Damascus, Riyadh, Kuwait, at iba pa sa Middle East… namulaklak ang mga graduate sa Islam. Dito mismo sa Pinas, sumulpot ang Commission on National Integration (CNI) at ito ang nagbigay ng scholarshhip sa mga Muslim at iba pang tribu. Nagkaroon ng Mindanao State University (MSU) at dito mismo sa Marawi itinatayo. At ang Mindanao Development Authority (MDA) doon inilagay sa Davao. Nakalimutan ko na ang iba, pero ang nakalista dito ramdam na ramdam ko. Bakit? Bahagi ng research ko sa kasaysayan ng Mindanao ang istorya ng CNI; ang MSU, dito ako naging lubos na Mindanao historyan, sa Department of History ng MSU-Iligan Institution of Technology. Ang MDA? Ang tinutukoy ni Senator na report ko, ito ang katayuan ng National Cultural Minorities of Mindanao and Sulu. Kaya buhay na buhay ang exchange namin. Kabit-kabit ang lahat. Ah, natatandaan ko na, siya pa rin ang nagpalit ng pangalan; ang dating Dansalan ay naging Marawi. Lumabas doon na nakalutang sa tuwa, dreamy kumbaga feeling ko. Ngayon, ang tanong? Noong nag-usap merong giyera sa palibot, wala sa Marawi. Ngayon dito mismo ang giyera!

Hindi na kami nagkita ni Sen. Domocao Alonto mula noon. Nabalitaan ko na, bago lang, na pumanaw siya noong 2002. Pero alam ko na marami siyang ginawa. Ang totoo, nang nagpaalam na ako binigyan ako ng kanyang mga sinulat. Hinanap ko rin ang report ng kanilang House Special Committee to look into the Moro problem of the Moro. Ako? Naging titser ako ng History sa MSU-Iligan Institute of Technology. Si Jun naging Presidente ng MSU Marawi, Dr. Ahmad Alonto ang buong pangalan. Nagkaroon ng Campuses ang MSU: una ang Iligan, sumunod ang MSU General Santos, MSU Maguindanao, MSU Naawan, MSU Jolo, MSU Bongao. Kung hindi ako nagkakamali, noon naging System ang MSU. Meron pang maliliit na campus na naging bahagi buong System.

Ang pinakamagandang nangyari na nais kung bigyan pansin, bilang historyan, na ang Moro history ay naging required course for graduation (1978). Noong bandang mid-1990s, idinagdag ang Lumad or other indigenous tribes, History 3 ang technical name. Sa buong Mindanao-Sulu, ang MSU lamang ang meron ng ganitong kurso. Totoong hindi na kami nagkita ni Sen. Alonto, pero yong kanyang pinasimulan, nabuhay at namulaklak. Kumbaga, itinanim sa Marawi at kumalat sa ilang bahagi ng Mindanao-Sulu. Isa lamang ang Moro-Lumad History. Ngayon, merong sumulpot na bagong batas na ang Moro-Lumad History ay gawing integral bahagi ng Philippine History.

Malalim ang impression ng pag-uusap namin ni Sen. Alonto. Pati ang exchange ng mga kabataan sa bahay ni Jun. Na-trigger ang aking pagiging historian. Nag-isip ako. Anong koneksyon ng aking buhay sa mga napulot ko sa Marawi? Laking Upi ako, ngayon North Upi, dati Dinaig pa yon. naging tao ako sa Darugao, panahon ng giyera sa Hapon. Marami daw ang nagkaipon-ipon sa Kasisang, naging evacuation yon, umiiwas sa mga Hapon. Naging ninong ko daw si Francisco Ricasa, at ninang ko ang misis niya, sila yong na-assign sa Kiamba, South Cotabato. Pareho silang titser. Hindi na kami nagkita pero ang colored photo nila naiwan sa bahay namin. Nakapalibot namin ang mga Teduray, ipinaglihi daw ako sa Teduray. Simula sa Grade II, naging kalaro ko si Alim, Teduray ang salita namin, kumakanta ako ng bayok, palitan ng salita in verse. Pero dahilan ng imposition ng Ingles sa iskwelahan, natabunan ang magandang simula ko sa Teduray. Pero ang impression sa akin, deep empathy, ang naging baon ko nang mag-team leader ako ng research sa National Cultural Minorities of Mindanao and Sulu.

Nang mapunta ako sa Notre Dame of Jolo Enero 1967, first time to teach, pinagturo ako ng Philippine History. Pagdating sa Moro chapter, nabanggit ko ang “Moro Pirates”. Nagtaas ng kamay ang lahat, walang nakangiti, nais magsalita. Tinawag ko isa-isa, sabi sa Ingles: Our ancestors are not pirates. They fought the Spaniards. They were those who called us Moro Pirates. I apologized, sori talaga, yon lang ang libro na alam ko, may dala akong kopya ni Zaide. Heto. Tanggap ko na tayong lahat, may trabaho na gumawa ng bagong libro, ipasok doon ang aking mga karanasan. Ayon smiling na sila. Good friend na kami. Maraming Tausug na naging kaibigan ko doon. Noon ako nagsimulang mag-aral tungkol sa mga Muslim. Puedeng sabihin na doon nagsimula ang aking pagiging historyan. Tinamaan ako, kumbaga. Malalim din ang impression ko. Doon ako nagkaroon ng kaibigan na handang ialay ang buhay para sa aming friendship; noon hindi ko masagot. Ngayon ang sagot ko, alay ko na ang buhay ko sa paggawa ng bagong kasaysayan ng Mindanao-Sulu.

Ayon, nagsimula sa image ni Tondok, yong idol ko na Maguindanawon, klasmeyt sa elementarya, mabait, matulungin sa ina, napadagdag dito ang pangalan ni Michael Mastura, deep thinker, naging assistant researcher niya ako, summer of 1973, matapos sa kanyang participation sa Concon, Constitution-1973, tapos nagkaroon ako ng kaibigang Tausug, si Ajawi, tapos pagdating ko sa Marawi, nakadaupan ko ang sparkling image ng mga Mrenao, at napadagdag pa si Abdul.

Dito ko nabuo ang tatlong malalaking komunidad ng mga Muslim. Silang tatlo ang naging Abdul sa akin. Positibong karanasan – dama ko ang kanilang pagkatao.

Pangalawa -1977-78. Isang buwan akong tumira sa Marawi.

Araw-araw halos ako nagbabasa ng mga libro at dokumento na may kinalaman sa kasaysayan ng Moro, ito ang Dr. Peter Gowing Memorial Research Center. Sa tingin ko pinakamagandang koleksyon ito sa buong Pilipinas tungkol sa mga Moro. Dito ko nabuo ang unang libro ko, hindi ko doon sinulat; pero uulitin ko, doon ko binuo ang kumbinasyon ng isip at puso.

Taon 1977-78. Yon ang panahon na nagsusulat ako ng Two Hills of the Same Land (Rad D. Silva o si ako ang awtor). Isang buong buwan akong tumira sa Marawi. Naranasan ko ang tahimik na buhay at malamig na hangin. Maganda ang tulog ko doon. Araw-araw maghapon akong nagbabasa sa Dr. Peter Gowing Memorial Research Center. bahagi ito ng Dansalan College. Walang ibang nagri-research noon, sinuyod ko ang mga mahalagang mga libro at mga dokumento na may kinalaman sa Moro History. May baon akong mga libro na siyang binabasa ko sa gabi. Honestly, matindi ang aking passion for absorption. Doon ko nagagap ang kumplikasyon ng problema, lubhang masalimuot, hindi madaling ayusin. Mula doon, nagpatuloy ako sa UP Diliman library, sa Ateneo de Manila University, sa National Library.

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Finally, nang makabuo ako, at napagdugtong-dugtong ko ang mga detalye, at nang redi na ako magsulat, meron akong nahiram na Underwood typewriter, at nakakita ako ng kuwarto na tahimik na walang istorbo, nasa tabi ko ang sigarilyo at kape, nakayari ako ng draft, sa loob ng pito araw at gabi. Mabigat ang balikat ko sa pagod pagkatapos, pero magaan, langit ang pakiramdam ko sa ulo.  Ito ang draft na aking inilibot sa mga kaibigan sa Iligan, sa Marawi, sa Cotabato, sa Davao, sa Maynila. Nakaka-inspire ang mga feedback. Lumabas ang unang bersyon (1978), sumunod ang pangalawa slightly revised bersyon (1979). Bakit Rad D. Silva? Ang Rad ay nagmula sa Latin na radix o ugat. Ang Silva ay tumutukoy sa gubat. Pagbasa ng pangalan ay “rad-dis-silva” o roots of the forest o ugat ng gubat.

Paglilinaw. Bakit ito ang title?  Una, bakit Two Hills of the Same Land? Bakit dalawa lang, tumutukoy sa Moro at Kristiyano settlers? Kasi noon, kulang pa ang mga detalye sa mga Lumad, at Hunyo 1986 na nang nagsimula ang paggamit ng collective name na Lumad, batay sa desisyon ng mga representante ng 15 tribu ng Lumad mismo.

Pangalawa, sa ilalim ng title nakasulat ang “Truth Behind the Mindanao Problem”, ang problema na nakasasakit sa lahat pero hindi maliwanag kung ano yon… gaano kasakit, mahigit na 120,000 katao ang nakitil, na 1990s ko na nalaman.

Pangatlo, ang libro mismo ay nagsimula sa Dear Abdul na sulat, sa dulo nito, nasa gitna ang istorya kung anong ang nangyari sa kasaysayan, kung pagkaroon ng gulo… kolonyalismo ang nagpasimula at sinisikap na ayusin. Sino si Abdul? Tatlong Muslim na ginawa kong isang imahe, ang pinagkunan ko, isang Mrenao, isang Maguindanao, at isang Tausug, puro naging malapit na kaibigan, puro turing kapatid.

Pang-apat, ang cover ng libro, sa totoo, dalawa ang nagdesign, isa sa unang bersyon, iba sa pangalawang bersyon, parehong hindi ko kilala noon, pero tumulong sa pagbubuo ng libro mismo. Isa lang ang umamin siya si Ed dela Torre, siya ang gumawa ng cover na pangalawang bersyon ng libro. Niliwanag ko sa Intro ng latest bersyon na naging desisyon ko na hindi ko ipagsasabi; masyadong marami ang sasabit kasi noon hindi ko ginagamit ang sarili kong pangalan ko. Pero okay lang sa akin, kung aaminin nila ngayon; hindi manggagaling sa akin.

Panglima, marami ang tumutukoy na tumulong na nakapaloob dito na “Mindanao-Sulu Critical Studies & Research Group”.

Pang-anim, ang huling linya ay: “P.S. This is not the end of the story.” Sabi ng isang na-meet ko sa labas ng simbahan, sa Cotabato, pagkatapos ng misa, retired Ilocana titser, nag-kuwentuhan kami tungkol sa Moro problema, naitanong ko sa kanya, anong sa tingin niya ang solusyon? Sagot niya: “Basahin mo ang Two Hills of the Same Land.” Hindi ko sinabi na ako ang sumulat; hindi rin kami pala nagkaalam ng pangalan.

Pangpito, ang huling limang linya ng sulat:

The mutual hostility between your people and mine

was sown and nurtured in times past.

The situation now is different.

New enemies have emerged, new friendships

must be born.

Pangatlo. 1985 (April 15 to May 10).  

Partisipante ako sa  Eleventh Annual Seminar Session on Mindanao and Sulu Cultures doon sa  Dr. Peter Gowing Memorial Research Center, bahagi ito ng Dansalan College. Meron kaming term paper dahil credited daw sa graduate school sa Xavier University.  Isa ang aking ni-research at isinulat: Reflections on the Moro Right to Self-Determination. Kasali sa kurikulum ang Islam at diskusyon sa Muslim-Christian Dialogue, na tinawag na Duyog Ramadhan ng ibang mga grupo. Nagamit ko kaagad nang magsalita ako sa Duyog Ramadhan Seminar sa  Malabang, Lanao del Sur, May 15-17, 1985.  Ang paksa ko: The Historical Background of Muslim-Christian relations.  Wikang Filipino ang ginamit ko. Sunod ang May 18-19, sa Marawi din, naging topic ko ang papel ang mismong “Reflections on the Moro Right to Self-Determination,” activity ito ng First Assembly of Ranao Development Forum, Marawi City, wikang Filipino pa rin ang gamit ko.  Ang mga sinulat ko noon, naging integral reference ko sa History 55 Moro History, na naging History 3 sa MSU-IIT.

Ito ang outline ng nilalaman ng papel:

1. Theory and forms of self-determination
2. The Moro people’s fight for self-determination: Historical perspective
3. The MNLF response: their view of the present Moro situation
4. Basic problems faced by the MNLF
5. Poverty in Moroland
6. Pressures of tradition; the pagan ang Islamic past
7. Relations with the other Lumad and Christian populations
8. The need for a model: Islamic state or Revolutionary line

Dugtong ito sa Two Hills of the Same Land, at mas malalim ang pagkaintindi ko ng kultura ng Moro, especially ang Mrenao.

Lahat ito ang mga ito ay naging bahagi ng sumunod ng apat na libro. Positibo ang imahe ng Marawi sa akin. Kahit nawasak na, madaling ayusin ang mga building na panlabas sa ating kumpara sa ating kamalayan; mas matindi ang kumplikasyon ng problema – sa relasyon. Gaya ng nabanggit ko sa Two Hills, uulitin ko lang:

The mutual hostility between your people and mine

was sown and nurtured in times past.

The situation now is different.

New enemies have emerged, now friendships

must be born.

Dito susulpot ang bagong kasaysayan at nasyonalismo, bunga ng bagong kamalayan.

Nasa kamay natin ang gawa.

#

P.S.  Makasaysayan ang pagsulpot ng BARMM (Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao – Enero 2019), mahalagang bahagi nito ang Marawi City.  Magandang umpisa ito ng bagong kasaysayan. Hindi lamang sa Mindanao-Sulu, pati na ang buong Republika ng Pilipinas. Mabuhay tayo!

[Si Prof. Rudy Buhay Rodil ay aktibong historyan ng Mindanao, tagapasulong ng kalinaw (Bisaya sa kapayapaan). Kilala siyang espesyalista sa paghusay ng mga gusot sa Mindanao-Sulu. Naging Komisyoner noon ng Regional Consultative Commision sa siyang nagbuo ng draft organic law ng Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao noong 1988. Dalawang beses siyang naging miyembro ng GRP Peace Negotiating Panel. 1993-1996, pakikipag-usap sa Moro National Liberation (MNLF), at noong 2004-2008 sa pakikipag-negosasyon sa Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF). Naging visiting propesor sa Hiroshima University, Oktubre-Disyembre 2011. Nagretiro noong Oktubre 2007]

LONDON, England (MindaNews/09 July) – The 2-day conference sponsored by the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) of the University of London recently took place in this city last 5-6 July 2019. The Conference theme was “Mindanao Cartographies of History, Identity and Representation”.  A total of a hundred scholars from mainly Europe, the United States and Asia participated in this conference solely on Mindanao, which is a clear sign that in itself, there has already evolved a vast Mindanawon scholarship through the past decades.

Outside of two key note speeches (by Dr. Patricio Abinales of the Asian Studies Program of the School of Pacific and Asian Studies at the University of Hawaii and Dr. Oona Paredes of the Department of Asian Language and Culture of UCLA), a total number of 24 papers were presented at the conference. Of these, six were from Mindanao. They included the following:

– Beautiful English: Marginal Identities and Dominant Positions by Sheila Java-Guinal of ADDU.

– Texture, Text and Context: A Journey Into Mandaya Folklore: by Rhodora Ranalan of ADDU.

– The Spanish Musings in Philippines’ South: The Politics and Name and Images in the Creation and Fostering of a Town, 1635-1899 by Ma. Christina Canones of ADZU.

– Manobo Textile Art and Design: by Carlito Camahalan Amalla from Agusan

– Re-staging Histories and Identities in Museums in Mindanao by Pamela Castrillo of ADDU

– Popularization of the Mindanao Cultural Landscape by Karl Gaspar of ADDU.

There were also two art installations set up by Igy Castrillo and Abraham Garcia Jr.  and the film of Arnel Barbarona – Tu Pug Imatuy – was also shown.

There were other speakers who are from Mindanao but who are not based in the island these days. They include the keynote speakers and Adrian Calo of Butuan. A few others are not from Mindanao but did their research work among the IPs of Mindanao. Thus Cherubim Quizon’s paper dealt with the indigenous dress of the Bagobo-Tagabawa and others, Antoine Laugrand did his study on the Blaans of Davao Occidental and Sr. Geraldine Villaluz RSCJ on the Talaandig.

The history of Muslim Mindanao was dealt with by a number of scholars, but unfortunately not one of them is a Moro based in Mindanao. Among those who had papers on the Muslims in Mindanao include: Kawhima Midori on the Legacy of Sayyidna Muhammad Said of Lake Lanao, Annabel Teh Gallop on the Art of the Qur’an, Rogelio Braga on Decolonizing the Bangsamoro Narratives and Miyoko Taniguchi on the New Challenge of Bangsamoro Peacebuilding.

There were a few reflections I had during the two-day event at SOAS. First, that it was rather sad that of the 24 papers and two keynote addresses, only six of us were actually based in Mindanao as of today. This is of course not the fault of the organizers as they had limited funds and could not provide for travel costs. Considering the high costs of travel, many Mindanawon scholars would have found it difficult to attend as hardly any university would fund the travel costs. Besides the UK visa requirements also make it difficult to come to London.

Clearly, Mindanao has already registered well in the minds of both scholars who have been working on the Philippines as well as the up-and-coming ones but they are mostly concentrated in Europe, the USA and some parts of Asia. Once more there is a question of available resources, as there are more possibilities of research grants in the developed countries rather than in Third World regions. Thus there were no participants from Latin America and Africa. But there is no question about it: rather than insist always on PHILIPPINE STUDIES, it is now possible to have the regions as specific topics also on their own merit.

The interest on Mindanao is still concentrated on the Moro and the Lumad realities. There are still very limited interest in terms of the migrant settlers’ realities as well as present-day concerns for politics, culture and the arts. But it is also very interesting in terms of dealing with some of the past historical periods that need to be further researched on, e.g. the pre-conquest periods when Mindanao had vast contacts with its neighbors, the role of the other European attempts to conquer the Spanish colony but from the south and so on.

In the two-day conference, a Mindanawon scholar can only be so delighted that in the years to come, Mindanao will continue to be of strong interest for scholars all over the world.

[Redemptorist Brother Karl Gaspar is a professor at St. Alphonsus Theological and Mission Institute (SATMI) in Davao City and a professor of Anthropology at the Ateneo de Davao University. Gaspar is author of several books, including “Desperately Seeking God’s Saving Action: Yolanda Survivors’ Hope Beyond Heartbreaking Lamentations,” two books on Davao history, and “Ordinary Lives, Lived Extraordinarily – Mindanawon Profiles” launched in February 2019. He writes two columns for MindaNews, one in English (A Sojourner’s Views) and the other in Binisaya (Panaw-Lantaw).]