BEHIND
THE SCENES
Alfred
P. Dizon
(First
of two parts)
BAGUIO CITY -- The
recent decision of the Supreme Court “nullifying “spurious ancestral land
titles in Baguio City” is now the talk in coffee shops among Baby Boomers of
this summer capital.
Shortcut: The SC said
such land titles are owned by the City of Baguio since these were proclaimed as
townsite reservation areas in the city. The SC said the National Commission on
Indigenous Peoples had no authority to issue Certificates of Ancestral Land
Titles (CALTs) over these areas.
Ancestral
land claimants in Baguio particularly the Ibalois are now apprehensive they
will be dispossessed of their lands which their forebears have owned since
“time immemorial.”
Observers are
saying it is high time, the Ibalois of Baguio show more unity in addressing the
issue considering that it is a matter of national significance. The SC decision
is a wake-up call for the NCIP to address the matter, they are saying.
This, as indigenous
groups and constituents are celebrating the Adivay Festival in nearby, La
Trinidad, Benguet, on occasion of the 119th anniversary of the founding of
Benguet. They are showcasing their different cultures in events.
***
In a related
development, Jacqueline K. Cariño of the Philippine Task Force for Indigenous
Peoples Rights (TFIP) presented recommendations as regards indigenous people’s
rights like on ancestral lands during the regional consultation on rights of indigenous
peoples in Asia on Nov. 13-15 in Bangkok, Thailand.
This was based
on data documented by indigenous peoples organizations during the Philippines national
indigenous peoples consultation held Nov. 6-7 in Quezon City.
Their recommendations
for action:
Respect
indigenous peoples’ rights to land and territories. Recognize ancestral domains
not necessarily through issuance of CADT/CALT but also those asserted by virtue
of native title or declaration of territories.
Scrap the
Philippine Mining Act of 1995. Repeal or amend all laws that blatantly
disregard indigenous peoples’ rights to land, territories and resources.
Treat the
FPIC (free, prior, informed consultation) as a right and part of the right to
self-determination instead of being merely a procedural requirement.
***
According to
Carino’s presentation, the “situation of indigenous peoples’ land, territories
and resources in the Philippines can be likened to a huge mango orchard laden
with ripe fruits. After indigenous peoples planted the seeds, tended and grew
the trees since time immemorial, the fruits, the trees and even the land on
which they stand are coveted and now up for grabs by State and corporate
interests.
“The current
Philippine administration’s 10-point Economic Agenda and the Philippine
Development Plan for 2017-2022 has set the policy framework for the grabbing of
indigenous peoples’ land, territories and resources in violation of the right
to self-determination. Government policies and programs in mining, energy
development, plantations, forestry, special economic zones and infrastructure
are marking a clear trend towards widespread dispossession and displacement of
indigenous peoples from their ancestral territories.
“While the
Philippines has the Indigenous Peoples’ Rights Act (IPRA), considered by the
international community as a landmark legislation in the recognition of
indigenous peoples’ rights, provides for the issuance of Certificates of
Ancestral Land and Ancestral Domain Titles (CALT / CADT) and requires Free
Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC) for projects to be implemented in their
territories. However, the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP) has
fallen far way below and even violated its own mandate of protecting indigenous
peoples’ rights.
“The facts
are too many to mention, yet the following examples clearly show how the
provisions of the IPRA and the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous
Peoples (UNDRIP) are being violated by the State and corporate interests in
pursuit of their neoliberal economic agenda.
Energy, dams
and water supply projects:
“Among the
priority projects in Philippines under the Build Build Build program of
President Duterte are the Chico River Pump Irrigation Project in Kalinga and
the New Centennial Water Source-Kaliwa Dam project in Rizal and Quezon provinces. Both projects are being built in indigenous
communities with detrimental effects, both are revivals of the Marcos-era
mega-dam projects, both are multi-billion peso projects funded by onerous
Chinese loan agreements disadvantageous to the interest of the Filipino people,
both are staunchly protested and resisted by the affected communities and other
organizations.
“Many
hydropower projects are ongoing or planned in other ancestral territories that
will displace more than 100,000 indigenous peoples from at least 106 villages.
These include: the Agus-Pulangi dams in Bukidnon and North Cotabato;
Balog-balog dam in Ayta lands in Tarlac, Ilaguen Dam in Isabela, Diduyon Dam in
Nueva Vizcaya, Jalaur Multi-Purpose Project and Pan-ay River Basin Integrated
Development Project in the Tumandok lands in Iloilo and Capiz; Alimit Hydro
Complex of the SN Abotiz in Ifugao; Karayan dam in Kalinga; Dupinga dam in
Nueva Ecija; Sumag River Diversion Tunnel in Quezon, and the Violago Olympia
Power Dam in Rizal.”
Aside from hydropower,
the presentation said geothermal energy will be harnessed in the projects of
American company Chevron and local company Aragorn Power and Energy in Kalinga
province; the PRC Magma in the provinces of Benguet, Mt. Province, and Ifugao;
and the Aboitiz Power Corp. in Pampanga and Zambales, and in South Cotabato.
Coal Operating Contracts (COC) issued by the Department of Energy are also
encroaching on hundreds of thousands of hectares of ancestral lands in 7
municipalities of Surigao del Sur covering parts of the sacred Andap Valley
Complex, and in the provinces of Zamboanga del Norte, Zamboanga Sibugay,
Sarangani, South Cotabato, Agusan del Sur, Agusan del Norte and Palawan.
***
I
would like to share this post by a dying lady. Here are her top five regrets.
1.
I wish I'd had the courage to live a life true to myself, not the life others
expected of me.
2. I wish I hadn't worked so hard.
3. I wish I'd had the courage to express my feelings.
4. I wish I'd stayed in touch with my friends.
5. I wish that I'd let myself be happier.
What do you think?
2. I wish I hadn't worked so hard.
3. I wish I'd had the courage to express my feelings.
4. I wish I'd stayed in touch with my friends.
5. I wish that I'd let myself be happier.
What do you think?
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