Cordillera’s Ethnic Tribes Vow to Defend Ancestral Land

Cordillera tribes, drawing strength from their indigenous socio-political systems, brace themselves for “major fights” against big mining corporations whose applications now cover 70 percent of the Cordillera region.

BY JHONG DELA CRUZ
Bulatlat

MALIBCONG, Abra – For three days, the sounds of the gangsa (gong) reverberated throughout the surrounding mountains, surging with the mighty Abra river. A symbol of the Cordillera culture and history, the sounds were an unwavering call to the Cordillera people to defend life, land and resources from intensifying state repression and foreign corporations’ plunder.

Now on its 21st year, Aldaw Kordilyera (Cordillera Day) convened over 6,000 participants in the heart of Cordillera's most militarized province in northern Philippines. The participants renewed their commitment to fight transnational mining corporations that threaten the indigenous peoples’ ancestral domains through mine applications.

Community elders from the different villages in the Cordillera region, invoking the right of self-determination, also reiterated the strengthening of their indigenous socio-political systems such as the dap-ay, bodong, ator or ato, among others, in reviving inter-tribal unity against destructive projects and plunder, particularly large-scale mining operations.

These indigenous systems, said the elders in a resolution, have been utilized in opposing large-scale projects like the World Bank-funded Chico River dams in Bontoc and Kalinga and the Marcos-backed Cellophil Resources Corporation (CRC) logging concessions in the Abra, Kalinga and Mt. Province in the mid-1970s.

The celebration

This year's site of the historic Cordillera Day celebration was Barangay (village) Buanao, Bangilo district, Malibcong town, a seven-hour, 80-km ride from Bangued, the provincial capital. From Manila, the trip takes 15 hours.

The celebration was hosted by the gentle Igubang folks, descendants of the warrior Kalinga tribe that fiercely and successfully fought the CRC’s entry in Cordillera. Had Cellophil been allowed to operate in the region, it would have destroyed 200,000 hectares of logging concessions – as well as the life, land and culture of the community tribes.

The spirit behind Aldaw Kordilyera is the Cordillera peoples’ utmost respect for their land and resources.

An important part of this year’s Cordillera Day celebration was the recognition of the martyrdom of Ama Macli-ing Dulag, Bayan Muna leaders Romeo Sanchez, Abelardo Ladera (also a Tarlac City councilor) and Felidito Dacut, Aglipayan priest William Tadena and Anakpawis leader Ben Concepcion.

Other martyrs of the Cordillera movement were also given tribute.

IPs 'mecca'

Clusters of indigenous tribes from around the country and even abroad were present in the celebration.

Joan Carling, chair of the Cordillera Peoples’ Alliance (CPA) which hosts the celebration, noted the significant increase in the number of participants from various indigenous tribes coming from as far as Palawan, Mindoro and Bukidnon. Visitors from Taiwan were also present.

Anselmo Balansi, 40, from Talakad, Bukidnon and a member of the Kigaunon tribe, said his group came to draw from experiences of other indigenous groups in connection with the plunder of their resources by wealthy, mostly foreign, companies.

He said corporations like Dole Philippines, Palm Oil and Busco White Sugar threaten to steal ancestral domain claims from the Lumads.

Undo Rodrigo of the Manobo-Pulangiyon tribe in Kibawe, also in Bukidnon, said the proposed Pulangi Dam V in their village is set to erase their ancestral land which is occupied by 2,280 families.

Joel Esguerra, 38, chieftain of a Dumagat tribe from Casiguran, Aurora province said logging concessions by IDC Co. and Newmont Philippines would “erase” their ancestral domain. Twenty-four households are affected by the impending logging operation.

From Taiwan, In Muni of Paiwan tribe was overwhelmed by the solidarity of various local indigenous groups to defend ancestral domain rights. At least 10 tribes in Taiwan, he said, are seen to be dislocated by the Taiwanese government’s declaration that tribal domains are National Parks.

The issues

Perfecto Matnao, village chief, said his tribe embraces Aldaw Kordilyera as a source of strength against the impending large-scale operation of mining giants, Newmont, Vegas Exploration and Mining Corporation.

He said that there are 13 Exploration Permit Applications (EPA), five Mineral Sharing Production Agreements (MPSA) and one Financial and Technical Assistance Agreement (FTAA) in Abra. Most of these are filed by foreign companies.

Matnao said the village folks have long seen large-scale mining as destructive and cause of military atrocities in the area.

He said his village is getting ready for an "upcoming battle against deceitful development projects condoned by the government."

Reports from Mines and Geosciences Bureau-Cordillera Administrative Region (MGB-CAR) show a total of 128 different types of mining application in the Cordillera region, covering 1,434,770 hectares or 70 percent of the region’s total land as of January this year.

Carling said the number of mining applications has increased following the Supreme Court (SC) ruling last December finding the controversial 1995 Mining Act as “constitutional.” This and the aggressive promotion by the Philippine Chamber of Mines have increased to 131 mining applications in the Cordillera as of March this year.

MGB reported that nine Mineral Production Sharing Agreements (MPSA) covering 14,652 hectares and two exploration permits covering 574.55 hectares in the region have been approved since January.

Carling named Newmont, Newcrest, Terra Nova Exploration (involved with Wolfland), Ivanhoe Mining, Oxiana, Anglo-American, among others, as top corporations who vie for mining ventures in the region.

Bayan Muna Partylist Rep. Joel Virador said his group and other progressive partylists and legislators, have filed House Bill 3846 seeking to amend the Mining Act of 1995. The bill has so far reached the first reading and is set to be reviewed by the Committee on Natural Resources, Virador said.

Meanwhile, Carling chided Malacañang for reportedly putting pressure on the National Commission on Indigenous People (NCIP) to iron out a proposed revision of the Free Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC), an integral part of mining permit issuances as provided for in the Indigenous Peoples’ Rights Act (IPRA).

Impending policy changes on FPIC seek to streamline procedures in obtaining mining permits. In sections 25-26 of the draft guidelines, NCIP introduces Special FPIC Process as determined by the nature and extent of the mining activity. While a regular FPIC requires consensus-building of the entire community, a Special FPIC only limits the consultation to the Council of Leaders/Elders.

A section in the draft also allows simultaneous conduct of Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) and FPIC.

Carling said that the draft could overturn a genuine consensus by the affected community and would lead to divisiveness. A resolution urging to oppose such revisions was adopted by the participants during the event.

Terror-gripped

Aboard jeepneys and other vehicles, participants to the Cordillera Day celebration had to brace themselves for military checkpoints to and from Malibcong.

The influx of mining ventures in the Cordillera is accompanied by intensified military operations even at this early stage.

Virador said the intensified military operation is a covert declaration of martial law as proven by the series of assassinations of known leftist activists. He said the investigations conducted by various groups showed the military was involved in most of the cases while the national government keeps mum on the issue.

Meanwhile, CPA members said they were harassed by soldiers when preparing for the activity. Members of the Philippine Army’s 41^st IB encamped in Bangilo to conduct a clearing operation, while a band of soldiers, coming from a nearby forest, encamped in the area soon after. CPA said the intent was to sow fear among the Abra folk and disrupt preparations for the Cordillera day.

Matnao said the military presence prompted elders of the village to remind the military about the Peace Zone declaration bestowed upon the village 10 years ago. Bulatlat

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