Scouting and IPs in ‘Octobeer’

LETTERS FROM THE AGNO

March L. Fianza

When I met manong Nars Padilla, the last fighter Boy Scout around, he related to me something about finally acquiring the 20-hectare camp site at Barangay Scout Barrio for the Boy Scouts of the Philippines. He got the chance to reiterate this request when he was chosen to be SCOFAD or Senior Citizens Official For A Day, taking mayor Domogan’s seat for only one day.

So in a letter to President and CEO Arnel Paciano D. Casanova of the Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA), manong Nars reminded the official about the commitment of former President Fidel V. Ramos and former BCDA chairman Vicente Lim to appropriate at least a 10 hectare lot inside the former U.S. Military Reservation for a permanent camp site for the Boy Scouts and the Girl Scouts of the Philippines and other youth organizations.

The allocation of the campsite for the BSP is No. 15 in the 19 Conditionalities that BCDA has to carry out in the development of the former US military reservation into a government ecozone after this was approved by the City Council and the BSP Baguio-Benguet Chapter Councils.

Last Tuesday, manong Nars and BCDA Casanova met with fellow newsmen. At least, the latter’s body language “demonstrated” an unwillingness to say “yes” to manong Nars’ request in behalf of the BSP. Although, we heard him say that segregating the BSP campsite is okay “in principle”. Unfortunately that is not an assurance but an empty promise.      ***

Aside from the fact that the present month is the time for the filing of politicians’ certificates of candidacy all over the country, it can aptly be dubbed as the “Cheerful Month of October”, that embraces at least three celebrations of national and international importance. It is also an optimistic month as it is the time when all and sundry look forward to something that is coming -- National Indigenous Peoples' Month.

In the United States, smaller government units celebrate Indigenous Peoples’ Day that is also known as Native American Day. The event started in Berkeley, California and Denver, Colorado, through the International Indian Treaty Council to signify their protest against Columbus Day.

Columbus Day, held every second Monday of October in the US was replaced with a day celebrating the indigenous people of North America after representatives of Indian groups from Northern California formed the Bay Area Indian Alliance, and the "Resistance 500" task force in July 1990, which advocated the notion that Columbus was responsible for genocide of indigenous people.

In 1992, the city council of Berkeley symbolically changed Columbus Day to "Indigenous Peoples' Day" to protest the historical conquest of North America by Europeans, and to call attention to the death of Native American people and their culture through disease, warfare, massacre, and forced assimilation.

The Native American group successfully persuaded the city council of Berkeley to declare October 12 as the "Day of Solidarity with Indigenous People", and 1992 the "Year of Indigenous People", and to implement related programs in schools, libraries, and museums.

In the Philippines, then President GM Arroyo signed on Oct. 5, 2009 Proclamation No. 1906 s. 2009 that declared the month of October of every year as “National Indigenous Peoples Month”, and issued Proclamation No. 486 that declared October 29 as National Indigenous Peoples Thanksgiving Day to recognize IPs in the Philippines.

This year’s IP month theme is “Lupaing Ninuno, Kilalanin at Igalang: sa Pagbabagong Kalikasan, Katutubong Kaalaman at Kasanayan ay Pagyamanin at Isabuhay” (Acknowledge and Respect Ancestral Lands: for the Development of Nature, Promote and Practice Indigenous Knowledge and Culture.

The recurrent question that IPs ask is “how far have we gone in helping IPs finally acquire titles over their ancestral lands?” Eighteen years after the passage of the Indigenous Peoples Rights Act or IPRA, we still hear complaints of IPs about the slow or delayed process in the issuance of ancestral land titles – not of their own doing but because some personalities and even government itself that is tasked to assist them are the ones who are against them. Sad.

***

Oktoberfest. It is the largest People's Festival in the world with seven million visitors to the 42 hectare open space in Theresienwiese, Munich, Germany, of which 72 percent are from Bavaria, while the rest of the visitors come from the surrounding European and non-European countries including the United States, Canada, Australia and Asia.

Oktoberfest, an important part of the culture of Bavarian beer-drinkers, had a simple beginning in the 1800s with restaurant owners and beer makers marching on a grassland meadow with a brass band and a load of beer.

The activity expanded to an annual celebration where large quantities of beer overflowed, horse races were held alongside other amusement rides, traditional food such as roast chicken and pork; grilled ham, fish and sausages with potato and bread dumplings were served, just like what we do in Philippine Fiestas.

Today, many cities across the world, including the Philippines, celebrate Oktoberfest. The last time Oktoberfest was in Baguio was in 2013 at the Camp John Hay. Although, I stopped beer since 1986 so that there is no reason to join beer drinking contests, I find the side events and the food interesting, especially when I sneak in my own poison. Cheers to October!