About the COVER MESSAGE FROM THE EUROPEAN UNION

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2 Kidlap MAGAZINE Special Issue, March 2016 EDITORIAL BOARD Sr. Ma. Famita N. Somogod, MSM Sr. Mary Jane C. Caspillo, MMS Agustina C. Juntilla Melissa A. Comiso Sr. Susan M. Dejolde, MSM STAFF FOR THIS ISSUE Ailene Villarosa Amy Doydoy Beverlita Rendon Mary Louise G. Dumas Clarin C. Pasco Ronan Andrew G. Ulanday Evelyn L. Naguio Photos by Winbel Mordino M. Visitacion, Gary Ben S. Villocino, and Erwin Mascarinas Contributions, comments and inquiries are welcome. Please send them to: Rural Missionaries of the Philippines Northern Mindanao Sub-Region (RMP-NMR), Inc Rm. 01, Kalinaw Lanao Center for Interfaith Resources 0016 Bougainvilla Puti, Villaverde 9200 Iligan City Philippines T/F: +63 (63) E: Soft copies of this issue can be downloaded from Like us on Facebook: Follow us at This special issue is published with support from the European Union. The views expressed in this issue are the sole responsibility of RMP-NMR and do not necessarily represent the views of the donors. About the COVER A Matigsalug woman collects firewood. The Matigsalug communities in Quezon, Bukidnon have been trying to maintain their traditional lifestyle, subsistence farming their main means of living. They gather abaca fiber and some do gold panning to earn cash which they use to buy basic necessities such as salt, instant coffee, and sometimes bread. Their simple lifestyles, however, is threatened with large-scale mining. With a paramilitary group already gaining control over the small-scale gold mining in the neighbouring municipality of San Fernando, resource conflicts are now escalating in the Matigsalug communities. Kidlap is a Cebuano term for sparks. KIDLAP Magazine is the official, semi-annual publication of the Rural Missionaries of the Philippines-Northern Mindanao Sub-Region (RMP-NMR), Inc. Congratulations to the Rural Missionaries of the Philippines-Northern Mindanao Sub-Sub-Region (RMP-NMR) for the publication of this special edition of Kidlap magazine. Kidlap contains relevant information on the state of human rights in Mindanao which need public attention. The feature articles and abstracts of various commissioned researches in this magazine promise to offer a systematic analyses of issues such as the impact of industrial practices on the well-being of indigenous communities in Mindanao. They are also useful to anyone who are interested in social research of regional and sectoral issues pertaining to indigenous peoples or the Lumads. MESSAGE FROM THE EUROPEAN UNION The EU considers human rights as a priority and supports initiatives aimed at ending all forms of discrimination against indigenous peoples and is working towards ensuring their rights are respected, protected and fulfilled. As stated by our High Representative and Vice President Federica Mogherini: The EU reaffirms its support to the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) and is determined to work closely with indigenous peoples, along with other partners and stakeholders. In line with this, the EU supports the RMP-NMR s initiative to assist the vulnerable sectors of Mindanao through the Healing the Hurt Project. The project, which is financed by our European Instrument for Democracy and Human Rights (EIDHR), aims to empower the indigenous communities living in north Mindanao region in combatting discrimination and rights violations. I hope that this publication will contribute to the people s increased awareness about the Lumads of Mindanao; and, perhaps more importantly, lead to a sincere social dialogue among all concerned. THE RURAL MISSIONARIES OF THE PHILIPPINES OR RMP is a national organization, inter-diocesan and inter-congregational in character, of men and women religious, priests and lay people. We live and work with the rural poor. Founded by the Association of Major Women Religious Superiors of the Philippines (AMWRSP) in 1969, RMP members commit themselves to support the Filipino peasantry s quest for social justice, freedom, and genuine agrarian reform. As a Church of the Poor, the RMP aims to strengthen the awareness of the rural poor regarding the truth that all have the right to live fully as human beings, to selfdetermination, and to freedom from oppression and all forms of exploitation. RMP-NMR has been established to promote missionary work in Northern Mindanao sub-region. RMP- NMR is duly registered in the Security and Exchange Commission with registration number CN as a non-stock, non-profit corporation on 22 June 2009, and with TIN Number FRANZ JESSEN Ambassador Head of Delegation Kidlap MAGAZINE 3

3 MESSAGE FROM THE PROJECT MANAGER I WISH TO REITERATE ONE OF THE QUESTIONS POSED BY THE MISSIONARY SISTERS OF MARY in our statement on the recent killings in Lianga, Surigao del Sur: What is to become of our society if the state, which according to Catholic Social Teachin g should be an instrument to promote human dignity, protect human rights, and build common good, is the perpetrator of attacks against its constituents? The Rural Missionaries of the Philippines was first formed during the dark years of martial law. People were killed for their ideas. There was absolutely no respect for human rights --most importantly the right to life -- during that period. The state was then the enemy of the people. Fast forward to today, two EDSA revolutions, and a cacophony of politicians elected through supposedly democratic processes later, we see the same bleak situation. The assertion of the people of their right for a selfdetermined development is held at gunpoint. While this is true for many sectors -- the farmers, workers, fisherfolk, and others who are forced to conform to the elitist economic framework of the government -- the indigenous communities most especially feel this. The resources that are targeted by large companies are mostly in their ancestral lands. And when they fight for their right to these resources, they become victims of brutal state repression. The human rights situation in this country has improved little since the dictatorship. What is probably worse is that the government is blatantly supporting the perpetrators. Hasn t it promoted the creation of special auxiliary units to the military that will serve as investment defense forces? Any resistance to the entry of these business interests is automatic target. And this is what has cultivated this impunity, the violence in the ancestral domains. We are grateful for the timely arrival of this project, Healing the Hurt. While we work widely in our advocacies, we are not financially big. What we bank on are our dedicated workers, and most importantly, committed communities who are eager to capacitate themselves to better combat threats against them. The project has allowed us better mobility and faster pacing of our campaigns. This has also allowed us to materialize ideas that we have long considered such as the backing of our campaigns with concrete data through research, and the provision of community financial opportunities that would help them with their resources while they struggle for their rights. Healing the Hurt, a collaboration of various organizations, seeks to address the intensifying issue of marginalization and rights violations of our Lumad communities in Mindanao. This special issue of Kidlap wishes to elaborate our engagement so that readers might find inspiration and perhaps join us in this endeavor. We would like to thank the European Union through the European Instrument for Democracy and Human Rights, for supporting the idea of coming up with this special issue. Finally, we are most grateful to the Healing the Hurt staff who put the pieces of the project, together with their reflections, in their articles. BY THE HEALING THE HURT PROJECT MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE THE PROJECT HEALING THE HURT was conceived to address the issues faced by Lumad 1 communities in Mindanao. The proponent organizations recognize that indigenous peoples rights have to be respected and upheld to achieve a just and lasting peace in the region. In the rapid expansion of monocrop plantations, aggressive interests in mining and other resourceintensive business ventures, the still resource-rich ancestral lands of indigenous peoples are threatened. The pattern of violence over the years shows that most of the victims of attacks associated with the entry of extractive industries come from the indigenous communities. Unfortunately, these communities are the least prioritized by the government and even nongovernment institutions. The partner organizations got together to formulate a strategy to help address the situation. The over-all objective of the intervention is to contribute to the advancement of the rights and continued development of the indigenous peoples in Mindanao, starting with a focus on the Northern Mindanao Region and some parts of the CARAGA. This contribution specifically seeks to protect and enhance the capacities of Lumad socio-political structures, which include traditional and communitybased organizations. Trainings, financial aid, and the organization of human support networks are among the activities planned to achieve this objective Specifically, the components of the project are based on the results it aims to realize: SR. MA. FAMITA N. SOMOGOD, MSM 1 PROJECT MANAGER Collective term for Mindanao s indigenous peoples 4 Kidlap MAGAZINE Kidlap MAGAZINE 5

4 RESULT 3 To arrive at this result, a research and media center will be established. It will be, known as the Mindanao Interfaith Institute on Lumad Studies. The institute will invite research fellows to focus on specific Lumad concerns. Furthermore, for issues needing immediate attention, the institute will also invite media associates who can provide investigative reports. All the fellows and associates will be provided with venues to train, RESULT 1 Increased number of research studies on the historical development of discrimination against Lumads and their present-day legitimate struggles. exchange ideas, and build their capacities for further advocacy on Lumad issues. Under this component, a website will also be set up to provide interested individuals or institutions easy access to the data that shall be generated from these reports. On top of this will be the publication of books meant to popularize the contents of the formal research reports. The third component is focused mainly on providing concrete support to the Lumad communities who are actively struggling for their rights. It has two major parts -- one is support for the economic needs, and the other is for the legal/extralegal needs of the communities in the run of their campaigns. To help with their financial situation, cooperatives will be set up in the intervention areas. The design and function of these cooperatives will be done by community members themselves, based on the resources and skills that they have. Although the project will initially fund them, the communities will man their functions and operations with the project staff only providing trainings and monitoring Increased financial, material and other forms of support for the protection and security of Lumad victims of rights violations. so that they can continue after the end of the project. The help with the legal and extra-legal needs of the communities, a support network to be called Higala sa Lumad (Friends of the Lumad) will be set up. This will be composed of interfaith advocates who will help provide protection for the Lumad leaders and community members. The network will also serve as an informal network that would monitor IP rights violations. This network, together with the initiatives from other components of the project, will establish a central data bank for this monitoring and release urgent alerts on human rights cases. Shadow reports will also be submitted to international monitoring bodies. RESULT 4 RESULT 2 Increased number of educational and informative channels, activities and materials with the end view of increasing awareness and promoting public support for the Lumad struggle. The activities for this component target both the urban and rural communities, including the Lumad themselves. In many areas outside the urban centers, radio is still the main medium of mass communication. Because of this, the establishment of a community radio is the principal activity in this component. Programming will be solely composed of Lumad stories, advocacy songs for the Lumad, and traditional Lumad songs and oral narratives. To gather broad support from the urban areas, theatre productions on the Lumad struggle will be staged in at least five major universities in Northern Mindanao. An interfaith exposure program in Lumad communities as well as biblio-theologico reflection sessions would be offered and would be open to different religions. The aim of these activities would be to promote nondiscrimination of the Lumad through cultural and religious understanding. Educational materials on the Indigenous Peoples Rights will also be distributed to secondary and tertiary schools as well as to churches. Enhanced capacities of indigenous communities to monitor, document and report rights violations; and enhanced human rights campaign management, organizational and financial capacities of indigenous leaders and structures of community development. To best monitor and report cases of human rights violations in communities, the residents themselves need to know their rights and are able to report when these are abused. This is ensured through the establishment of community-based human rights teams to be called Katungod Lumad Monitors (Lumad Human Rights Monitors). They will be equipped with necessary skills through documentations and paralegal trainings. The output of the documentations will aid in filing appropriate charges against perpetrators before judicial and quasijudicial bodies. Under this component, a Lumad Academy for Human Rights will also be organized. The academy is an informal training program that will provide inputs on various human rights mechanisms and procedures, campaign management on land rights, organizational, and even financial management. 6 Kidlap MAGAZINE Kidlap MAGAZINE 7

5 RESULT 5 Improved cooperation among Lumad communities where they can synergize indigenous resources; and enhance dialogue among stakeholders to surface specific land and human rights issues of indigenous communities. BY SR. FAMITA N. SOMOGOD, MSM THE STATE OF LUMAD HUMAN RIGHTS: UNCHANGING NARRATIVES, WORSENED SITUATION The intervention shall provide venues for discussions and dialogues among interfaith groups and different sectors. The major gathering, which shall be held annually, will be called Panumpa Katungod 1 a colloquium which hopes to foster solidarity among indigenous leaders. 1 Pledge for Human Rights In December 2010, the council of the Kalumbay Regional Lumad Organization decided to organize a Pigsapaan 1 among its member communities. The previous year, Lumad leaders Datu Mampaagi Belayong and Datu Mansubaybay were allegedly killed by the armed groups of Mario Napongahan and Datu Manlapangan Bato. Both of the Datus had been openly against the entry of mining into their ancestral domains. Community representatives from all over Bukidnon, Misamis Oriental, Agusal del Sur and Agusan del Norte gathered to conduct a ritual vowing to protect their lands from companies that would destroy their lands, and an assertion of their right to self-determined development and governance. The compact was also an expression of their opposition to regular military operations in their communities. Four years later, the narrative has not changed. Instead, the situation has worsened. Without any case solved, impunity has emboldened paramilitary groups and state forces to commit several human rights violations. The start of this year saw several Banwaon families seeking refuge in the center of Barangay Balit in San Luis, Agusan del Sur after Necasio Precioso, Sr. was killed on December 22, Precioso was both a local government official -- the barangay captain of Balit -- and a traditional datu of the Banwaon. He was a leader of the Banwaon organization Tagdumahan. Members of Tagdumahan were distraught that even a locally elected government official would be targeted by what they suspect to be members of a paramilitary group protected by the military stationed in their municipality. The second quarter saw again a series of evacuations -- three of them by the Higaonon community from Camansi, Lagonglong, Misamis Oriental, who were demanding the pullout of the military from their communities. On May 1, 252 individuals evacuated to the Central School of Lagonglong after parts of their community were bombed by the military, which claimed that these were meant for the New People s Army (NPA). The residents reported that the military cannons were angled to release bombs to their community and not at the forested mountains where the alleged NPA camp was. June was a turning point in Northern Mindanao for the campaign against paramilitaries and militarization. Higaonon residents of Cabanglasan and Malaybalay, Bukidnon gathered together in front of the province s capitol grounds and set up a camp, revealing that families and individuals have slowly been leaving their communities in fear of an armed group headed by Romulo Dela Mance and his brothers. Later on, this group was discovered later on to be a part of the Alamara, a paramilitary group operating in Davao del Sur. According to the evacuees, the group had been on a killing spree in their communities since December of last year. In the span of half a year, the group had killed seven. The most prominent of the killings had been that of Frenie Landasan, the chairperson of the Higaonon Tribal Association of Dalacutan, 8 Kidlap MAGAZINE Kidlap MAGAZINE 9

6 RE-SEARCHING WHERE ARE WE NOW? BY MARY LOUISE G. DUMAS The choice is between the protection of the marginalized Lumad and the promotion of plunder Cabanglasan. Landasan had been accused of supporting the New People s Army. For several years, the group had already been harassing the residents, one of the Dela Mance brothers holding a position in their local government unit. Because of the protest actions held by the evacuees, a warrant of arrest had been released against Romulo Dela Mance, Mario Mesto, alias Lolong Kumaingking, alias Mako Santas, and alias Enad Santos. But despite this, none of the brothers nor their subordinates had been arrested. In fact, residents say they see the group with the military when they conduct their operations. With the evacuees still camped up in the Capitol Grounds in Malaybalay, another major incident erupted. Five Manobo civilians were killed in Pangantucan, Bukidnon following an armed encounter between the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the NPA. The military at first insisted that the men they killed were members of the NPA. But then proved wrong by a fact-finding mission conducted by several Lumad and human rights advocates, they changed their tune and said that the NPA killed the five. Despite various demands for justice both in the local and international levels, the government is not taking serious action on these matters. These Lumad communities happen to be in resource-rich areas, targets for the entry of extractive industries. The government s economic policies push for the entry of these companies, irrespective of the Lumad communities assertion for self-determined development. The project team is anticipating a further escalation of incidents. With the coming nationwide elections, many promises of politicians to investors are nearing their deadlines. The increasing incidences of violence towards the Lumad are a symptom of this growing urgency. But at the same time, the indigenous communities themselves are upping the ante of their struggle by conducting wider campaigns and seeking the support of different sectors. They want to show that while attacks continue against them, they have become more resolute in their fight. 1 A ritual of pledge BACK IN COLLEGE, we had a joke among us that the only answer an activist could give to a question is ibagsak 1. Of course the joke was not meant to offend as we were among those shouting ibagsak with utmost feelings. It has been more than a decade since my first rally. But to this day, when I pass by demonstrations, I still hear the very same chants. Imperyalismo-- ibagsak! Burukrata kapitalismo -- ibagsak! Pyudalismo -- ibagsak! And I d think, haven t these organizations thought of something more creative to chant? The slogans are the same. But then perhaps, the question should be, has nothing changed? Has society remained the same so that these calls are still appropriate, still valid? The only way to find out is to re-search these issues. Data and concrete analyses of situations are needed to substantiate claims. Researches, for so long synonymous with academics and done on a theoretical level, have not always touched base with the social actors. This could have been for various reasons. It could be the jargons. Or maybe the discussion is too theoretical. Or sometimes, there is no involvement of the people in the communities that they feel detached from the reports that are actually about them. At the same time, community movements are gaining momentum. And many of their success stories remain undocumented, not assessed, or remain an internal organizational knowledge. What the Mindanao Interfaith Institution on Lumad Studies would like to do is to marry both -- research and action. Action based on research is surer, more strategic. Research based on action is more grounded and pragmatic. To start, the first and a half years of the institution focus on nine major researches: 1.) the systematic marginalization of indigenous peoples; 2.) the laws that affect indigenous communities; 3.) experiences on the free prior and informed consent in the region; 4.) the heightening problem of paramilitarism and militarization in ancestral lands, 5.) the effect on mental health of militarized and violent situations; 6.) what has become of the logged ancestral lands in the headwaters of the region s main river basin; 7.) state of large scale mining in the region; 8.) state of monocrop plantations, and 9.) the socio-economic effects on indigenous communities of power generation from megadams. After these major researches, smaller case studies will be conducted in all the communities identified in the project as priority intervention areas. Slogans would always be a component of popularization campaigns. But if these haven t evolved for so many years, the critical audience starts to wonder. And with so many opinions thrown around, people need proof that that the demands are legitimate and reasonable. 1 down with.. 10 Kidlap MAGAZINE Kidlap MAGAZINE 11

7 THE FIFTH ESTATE AND THE LUMAD BY MARY LOUISE G. DUMAS THEORETICALLY, LOCAL JOURNALISTS WOULD understand issues at their backyard better than parachuters those who are based in the country s capital, or are from another country, who briefly fly into an area to cover some stories then go back to their base. Theoretically, based on this understanding, local journalists are more sensitive in dealing with delicate matters such as conflicts, deaths, and cultural traditions. funding or if their expenses would be covered by what their stories would earn. The aim is to allow the idealist in the media workers to rekindle -- what would they write about if their income were not at stake? Under the program, trainings and discussions are also organized to better capacitate the journalists. While it is assumed that the individuals who will be invited as associates already have an advocacy for indigenous peoples, they are not necessarily experts in indigenous cultures and traditions. Conversely, organizations and advocates of indigenous peoples rights also need to hone their relationship with the media. Sometimes, with regards to those organizations who are bringing the media to the communities, they are too assuming that the journalists are already culturally aware, which is not always the case, said Ms. Grace Cantal Albasin, the editor in chief of SunStar Daily Cagayan de Oro during the round-table discussion organized for the media workers. Also, some organizations who invite to the area portray the situation of the indigenous peoples too dramatically that it is no longer appealing to journalists. For this, the institute will be working with the other project components to train indigenous leaders and support organizations on how best to communicate their situation and issues to the broader public. The institute is firm on its stand that news -- even hard news -- is never objective. The process of crafting a media output involves too many layers of human intervention to be objective. Who does the media person interview? What, among all the information gathered, gets included in the cut? And most importantly, what story RESEARCH ABSTRACTS OF THE MIILS Social Suffering and Hope among the Lumads in Mindanao [Structural Discrimination of the Lumads of Mindanao, Philippines] RESEARCHER ARNOLD P. ALAMON 12 Kidlap MAGAZINE Kidlap MAGAZINE Marked: a study on investment defense forces, paramilitarism and militarization of selected indigenous territories in Mindanao IN THE MULTIPLE NARRATIVES of the Filipino nation, the story of Mindanao and its people is a frayed thread. More than a century after the nation s birth from the bosom of colonial rule and governance mostly emanating from political centers of the North, the inhabitants of the country s Southernmost But the reality is simple Island remain locked in a bitter struggle over land and in reporting about indigenous economics. News is what sells, what rights. The indigenous peoples of Mindanao comprising of peoples. First, the information is puts food on the table. Perhaps numerous ethnolinguistic groups who consider themselves either lacking or wrong, which many journalists started idealistic, falling under the collective identity of lumad or natives are in turn leads to a misinformed RESEARCHERS bent on informing society of issues the unfortunate victims of the regime of resource-extraction public. Second, the information MARY LOUISE DUMAS & that matter -- issues that should in the form of logging, mining, and large-scale agricultural romanticizes indigenous practices GRACE CANTAL ALBASIN matter. But in the long run, this enterprises by a growing migrant population from the North too much, and this again ends with responsibility becomes secondary. and the Visayas backed by foreign economic interest in the a misinformed public. Media concern [on Indigenous past century. This has led to the lumads social, political, and MIILS, as an institution Peoples] is low, said Beverly Longid economic displacement together with a significant Muslim advocating for knowledge from the Asia Indigenous Peoples population of the South. Mindanao has thus been the site of generation on the issues of Network on Extractive Industries these national contradictions that tear upon the imagined IN EARLY 2015, several families of the indigenous peoples -- especially on and Energy, the resource person for fragile fabric of peaceful co-existence among its tri-partite Banwaon community in Agusan del Sur rights protection and promotion the sessions on Indigenous Peoples peoples. left their homes in fear and sought refuge -- seeks to lessen this information Rights Reporting that the Mindanao This study aims to trace the history and evolution of in a makeshift evacuation area in Balit, San hitch through a program for media Interfaith Institute on Lumad these narratives of structural discrimination among a number Luis, Agusan del Sur. They were members associates. Studies (MIILS) organized in July. of lumad communities in Mindanao. It seeks to document of the indigenous people s organization, The institute has adopted They are used to press releases, the stories of social, political, and economic marginalization Tagdumahan, calling for the cessation of a fellowship scheme with four chopped stories. Companies can from the past to the present that are the bases for their the Magahat, a systematic killing of the batches of intakes. Five media afford classy restaurants but the IP continued structural discrimination. Through the gathering organization s members. It was shortly workers are invited to become communities cannot. of community histories and life-stories among the old and the after one of their leaders was killed by a associates for each intake. These Ms. Longid underlined the state young from select lumad communities, the study aspires to group of rebel returnees who had rearmed themselves and joined military associates are given funding for of Philippine media, which largely surface not just the stories of oppression but also highlight mobility, giving them the freedom revolves in sensationalism. This to cover indigenous peoples issues -- and in many cases, whose story the narratives of resistance and hope among the indigenous operations against the communist-led consequently leads to two trends without worrying where to get -- should be told? peoples of Mindanao. CONTINUED ON PAGE 16

8 PUTTING HUMAN RIGHTS DOCUMENTATION INTO THE LUMAD S HANDS BY RONAN ANDREW G. ULANDAY After the breakthrough training, Concretizing their zeal on EXPECTED IMPACT five more batches were trained: two the plight of the Lumads through Dili na gyud mi madali-dali nga batches from Agusan del sur and the training, the trainers poured malapasan sa among katungod Agusan del Norte and three batches their best effort in realizing the (Human rights violations will not from Bukidnon. The succeeding objectives of the training, which be easily committed against us, batches were trained in the most is to equip the Lumad with the said Bactom Cambusan, a mother accessible venues for the Lumad skills to gather and document of four from Bulunay, Mahan-aw, who came from the hinterlands. information related to indigenous Impasug-on, Bukidnon. The schedule for the remaining peoples rights violations in their three batches was put on hold communities and nearby areas. With knowledge gained from due to the heavy militarization The participants came from the training, the participants can of their areas. Nevertheless, some many communities from the now muster enough courage to communities dared to defy and provinces Misamis Oriental, assert their rights and identify and took the risk and attended the Agusan del Sur, Agusan del Norte document violations. training. and Bukidnon. The Lumads belong KLMs joined a fact-finding Maayo kay naa ni nga to Higaonon, Manobo, Talaandig, mission co-sponsored by RMP-NMR pagbansay (It s good that there Tigwahanon, Manobo-Pulangihon, DAKO KAAYO NI NGA TABANG KANAMO (This is and assisted in the documentation is this discussion), said Bombay Matigsalog, Ata Manobo and of the Pangantucan Massacre a huge help to us), Bae Jocelyn of Brgy. Butong,. Manlomanta, a Matigsalog of Santa Ummayamnon groups. Aside from Local organizations will Quezon, Bukidnon happily conveyed during the Felomina, Quezon, Bukidnon on the defying militarization, they trekked provide guidance to the KLMs Katungod Lumad Monitors (KLM) Training. necessity of the training. mountains and crossed a number operations and this mechanism Datu Dodong Antugon added, of rivers just to attend the training. will ensure the protection of THE MONITORS Karon kabalo na mi sa among The KLMs were selected after indigenous peoples rights in areas Nine batches of KLMs have been targeted for training. The first batch mga katungod ug kinahanglan nga consultating with Datus and Baes where there is a Katungod Lumad came from the Higaonon communities of Camansi, Tapol and Anahaw panalipdan (Now we know what (Lumad community leaders) and Monitor. of Lagonglong, Misamis Oriental. These communities were the victims our rights are and what we need to facilitated by the Kalumbay Lumad of human rights violations committed by the elements of the 58th protect). Regional Organization, a project Infantry Battalion on June 4, Their remarks have affirmed partner. The presence of the military, and the subsequent harassment, the objectives of the training. The intimidation, and their being tagged as supporters of the New People s main objective had been to equip Army (NPA) forced them to leave their communities. They temporarily the KLMs with knowledge on Basic camped in front of the capitol grounds of the province of Misamis Human Rights, Documentation Oriental. Their experiences were the highlight of the training making it and Paralegal Action. The Union rooted in the realities on the ground. of People s Lawyers in Mindanao, a project partner, took charge in developing the training. 1 Five Lumad were reportedly shot by elements of the 3rd Company of the 1st Special Forces Batallion of the Philippine Army under the 4th Infantry Division in Pangantucan, Bukidnon 14 Kidlap MAGAZINE Kidlap MAGAZINE 15

9 RESEARCH ABSTRACTS FROM PAGE 13 New People s Army (NPA). This situation was an echo of the killing of a leader in Bukidnon by a paramilitary group and the consequent evacuation of his community had occurred in Bukidnon in Over the years, the killing of leaders of indigenous organizations have been reported by human rights groups, the perpetrators always these paramilitaries who the victims seemed to know personally. This study looks at how these armed groups came to be in selected areas in Mindanao. The groups are specifically those that have been identified by the communities as active in military operations, directly or indirectly employed by the state. The study s research questions are: 1.) When did these armed groups start operating in the communities? 2.) Who are their usual victims? 3.) What are their stated reasons for their actions? A historical approach will be employed in doing the research using the life story methodology, focusing on the elders experience living in a conflict area. The stories will then be compared, looking for patterns and similarities of their experiences. Reports on previous Human Rights Violations will be used as secondary data and will be processed quantitatively. 3 The Psycho-social Effects of Militarization and Protracted Armed Conflict on Women and Girls in Communities of Indigenous Peoples on the Balatukan (Misamis Oriental) and Kitanglad (Bukidnon) Mountain Ranges RESEARCHER LINA SAGARAL-REYES THE STUDY SEEKS to find out the short-term and long-term effects/impact of human rights and International Humanitarian Law (IHL) violations on the individual and collective lives of women and girls, specifically on their emotional well-being and mental health. It will determine how the female lumad (indigenous peoples/ip) respond to repeated traumatic experiences of armed clashes and subsequent evacuations in recent memory, as well as the violations of HR and IHL in these milieus. The study will include documenting the responses of individuals, families, communities and local governments units to gender-based mental health needs. It will also delve into cultural/indigenous rituals, ethno-interventions of trauma healing that encourage and build resistance, resilience and posttrauma growth in these milieus. There is scarce research on the impact of armed conflict on the psycho-social functioning of women in Mindanao (Dwyer and Guiam, 2013); much less among the marginalized lumad communities, which in the past 40 years have been caught in the crossfire between the military and the nationalist freedom fighters. In some instances, the lumad themselves have become frontline defenders of their homelands. The first phase of the project involves a twotier survey/assessment questionnaire on trauma symptoms/syndromes among primary information sources and focus group discussions in situ. The second phase are in-depth interviews with other key Informants/stakeholders (women leaders, traditional healers/baylan, barangay health workers, municipal doctors, psychologists, social workers and first responders, disaster risk and reduction team members, staff at the National Commission on IPs, peace and order councils). A Free and Prior Informed Consent (FPIC) process, a (p)review of related literature and analysis, processing of the gathered data will also be essential parts of the research. 4 Study on the impact of laws and relevant national policies on extractive industries in selected areas of Mindanao RESEARCHER ATTY. JARLEY SULAY-TRUGILLO THE STUDY LOOKS at the different laws and policies -- such as but not limited to the Mining Act, the Indigenous Peoples Rights Act, the National Integrated Protected Areas System, and others pertinent to indigenous communities -- in general and their interplay with each other. It reviews the loopholes that can be found in them, and the recommendations on how to consolidate / improve the laws based on experiences from the ground. While the majority of the research will be a review of the laws, field research will also be done to get the sentiments from the indigenous communities who are directly affected by the laws. 16 Kidlap MAGAZINE KidlapMAGAZINE 17

10 5 Schizoid Praxis of the Free Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC) in Two Mindanao Ethnoscapes RESEARCHER ANTONIO MONTALVAN III, PHD WHAT ARE THE TENSIONS in the practice of the Free Prior and Informed Consent? What is a cultural FPIC and what is the FPIC of the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP)? What has brought about the bifurcation? If the NCIP is the primary government agency responsible for the formulation and implementation of policies, plans and programs to promote and protect the rights and well-being of Indigenous Cultural Communities/ Indigenous Peoples (ICCs/IPs) in the Philippines, why the heterogeneity of the FPIC? Does the IPRA law itself accommodate cultural FPICs? If not, has it unwittingly brought it to existence? Is there now a paradox of two competing assertions of principle and law, thus bringing about an aporia, an irresolvable antinomy? Is the praxis of the cultural FPIC seen as a counter-modality to the NCIP FPIC and hence a form of resistance to government? Or is it simply a simulacrum of the other? Is it motivated by an anxiety that cultural folkways are inassimilable in government praxis? Conversely, is the NCIPsanctioned FPIC an illustration of what Renato Rosaldo calls the imperialist nostalgia, a mourning of the passing of what we ourselves have transformed or are transforming? These are the questions of the study that shall focus on two localities of indigenous communities: Kalugmanan in Manolo Fortich, Bukidnon and a hinterland barangay in Opol, Misamis Oriental. The study will collect data from resource persons by way of interviews and focus group discussions during the course of fieldwork. 6 The effects of logging and the current situation of the Lumad communities in the headwaters of the Cagayan de Oro River RESEARCHER GRACE CANTAL ALBASIN IN THE 80S, the Higaonon communities in Agusan del Norte declared a tribal war against the Nasipit Lumber Company and its sister company, the Anakan Lumber Company. This resulted to the death of Higaonon leader Datu Mankalasi. His son took up his battlecry together with several other Higaonon datus in their resistance against the company. Despite their losses, they were victorious when NALCO finally pulled out from their ancestral domain. This was one of the very few victorious stories against logging, which was at its height in the 70s and 80s in Northern and North-Eastern Mindanao. This victory, however, is slowly eroding with the remaining logging concessions gradually eating up the staunchly defended forests of the indigenous peoples. The problem of denuded mountains only resurfaced when natural disasters worsened and badly hit Northern Mindanao. This study aims to present the current environmental situation of the areas that had been logged in the decades past. This is to look at possible scenarios of worsened environmental conditions, and its effects on the traditions of indigenous communities. The area it seeks to cover is the headwaters of the Cagayan de Oro river which claimed more than a thousand lives when it flooded in 2011 due to a mere Tropical Storm. The study specifically aims to answer the questions: 1.) What is the current forest cover? What was its rate of deforestation in the past? 2.) What has become of the logged area -- environmentally, socially, politically? 3.) What had been the effects of the massive logging in the past on the culture and traditions of the indigenous peoples living in the areas where the concessions were operating? Kidlap MAGAZINE Kidlap MAGAZINE 19 7 On Megadams RESEARCHER GLENIS TERESA C. BALANGUE THERE IS INCREASING aggressive development in Mindanao, including the construction of mega-dams. The government is pushing for the implementation of energy projects, such as the Pulangi V Hydro-Electric Power Plant (HEP) in Bukidnon, which is expected to generate 300 megawatts (MW) of power in Mindanao. Areas targeted however are part of the ancestral domain of the indigenous peoples (IP) of Mindanao, collectively called Lumad. The 3,300-hectare Pulangi V HEP threatens the existence of Manobo communities including farmer settlers and fisherfolk in the 22 barangays (villages) in seven municipalities of Bukidnon and Cotabato provinces, which the energy project is seen to submerge under water. The construction of large dams, otherwise called megadams, whether for power or irrigation, as in the cases of Pantabangan, Binga and San Roque dams, has led to physical displacement and economic dislocation of IPs. It has also subjected them to greater forms of structural discrimination. The over-all objective of the study is determine how the construction of megadams, particularly Pulangi V HEP, contributes to structural discrimination of IPs and violation of their human rights in order to provide for protection and enhanced capacities of IPs against structural discrimination and rights violations. Data shall be gathered through Desk Research, Key Informant Interviews, and Focus Group Discussions. 8 On Large Scale Mining in Mindanao RESEARCHER AUDREY DE JESUS THE RESEARCH AIMS to answer the problem: What are the impacts of large-scale mining (LSM) on the rights of indigenous people (IP) in Mindanao, collectively called Lumad? The general objective of the research is to analyze the impacts of LSM on the rights of the Lumad in order to support the campaign on combating structural discrimination, human rights violations and impunity. Specifically, it aims to: 1.) explain the policy of mining liberalization in the Philippines 2.) describe LSM activities in Lumad areas in Mindanao (with focus on Bukidnon, Misamis Oriental, Agusan del Sur, and Agusan del Norte; 3.) articulate the rights of the IP according to the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP); 4.) show the impact of LSM on the promotion of UNDRIP ; 5.) explain the impact of LSM on Lumad access to land and resource 6.) analyze the impact of LSM on the environment, agriculture, forest-based activities, fisheries, and artisanal mining of Lumad communities; and 7.) analyze the impact of LSM on socio-cultural practices. Data shall be gathered through Desk Research, Key Informant Interviews, and Focus Group Discussions. 9 On Corporate Plantations in Mindanao RESEARCHER MA. JENNIFER HAYGOOD-GUSTE THE RESEARCH AIMS to answer the question: What is the impact of the renewed proliferation of corporate plantations in Mindanao (oil palm, rubber and agrofuels) on the rights of the Lumad? Its general objective is to determine the violations that may be committed by corporate plantations in Mindanao of the rights of the indigenous peoples (IP) as stipulated in the UN Declaration on the Rights of the Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP). Specifically, it aims to: 1.) describe the activities and processes in the establishment of corporate plantations in Mindanao (with focus on Bukidnon, Misamis Oriental, Agusan del Sur, and Agusan del Norte); 2.) document the violations of the UNDRIP principles in the process of establishing corporate plantations; 3.) document the impact of corporate plantations on existing socio-economic, political and cultural structures and practices of the Lumad communities; 4.) explain the impact of corporate plantations on Lumad access to land and resource, livelihood and decent incomes; and 5.) analyze the impact of corporate on the Lumad s environment and other sources of livelihood. Data shall be gathered through Desk Research, Key Informant Interviews, and Focus Group Discussions.

11 GET TO KNOW THE RESEARCH FELLOWS OF THE MINDANAO INTERFAITH INSTITUTE ON LUMAD STUDIES ARNOLD P. ALAMON completed his graduate and undergraduate degrees in Sociology at the University of the Philippines -Diliman where he also taught for several years. He is a member of CONTEND or the Congress of Teachers and Educators for Nationalism and Democracy where he co-edited a number of the progressive organization s publications on the Philippine educational system, the history of the radical student movement in UP, among others. He now teaches Sociology at the Mindanao State University - Iligan Institute of Technology and maintains a twiceweekly column for Sun.Star Cagayan de Oro. GLENIS TERESA C. BALANGUE is Senior Researcher of IBON Foundation. She is IBON s specialist in mining, health and power. She is the lead researcher and writer of several major researches: Implications of Large-scale Mining on Food Security (2014) and Privatization and the Right to Health (2014) with Third World Health Aid, Climate and Food for the Asia-Pacific Research Network (2012), Poverty and Crisis in Eastern Visayas (2010), and A Study on the Socioeconomic Impacts of the Rapu-Rapu Polymetallic Mining Project on the Residents of Rapu-Rapu, Albay and Prieto Diaz, Sorsogon (2007). She also writes for IBON s flagship publication IBON Facts and Figures. She joined IBON in 2004 after finishing her B.A. Political Science degree at the University of the Philippines Diliman. GRACE C. ALBASIN is the editor in chief of Sun.Star Cagayan de Oro. She used to write for the Philippine Daily Inquirer before she took her masters in Media Studies at The New School in New York. She had also been a fellow of the Southeast Asian Press Alliance. MARY LOUISE G. DUMAS worked as a journalist after obtaining a degree in Development Communication from Xavier University in Northern Mindanao. She then engaged for some years with Lumad communities when she joined the Ethnic Groups Development Resource Center. She presently serves as the Executive Director of the Mindanao Interfaith Institute on Lumad Studies. She holds an MA in Media, Peace and Conflict Studies from the University for Peace in Costa Rica. MARIA JENNIFER HAYGOOD-GUSTE is Senior Researcher at IBON Foundation. She has been with IBON since She currently specializes on Philippine Agriculture and Agrarian Reform. She was main researcher for IBON s various books on Globalization of Philippine Mining, WTO in Philippine Agriculture, and Philippine Financial System, and led IBON s field researches on various socio-political issues. Before working with IBON, Jennifer also did volunteer work for indigenous peoples in the Philippines through Tunay na Alyansa ng Bayan Alay sa Katutubo (TABAK or Network of Advocates for IP Rights), Kalipunan ng Katutubong Mamamayan ng Pilipinas (KAMP or Alliance of Indigenous Peoples of the Philippines), the Ecumenical Movement for Justice and Peace (EMJP); with farmers and fisherfolks in Southern Tagalog and helped produce the region s major crop and fisheries studies; and, likewise did volunteer work at Wantok Environment Center which assists Ni Vanuatus in conserving their environment and culture in Vanuatu. CONTINUED ON PAGE 25 HIGALA SA MGA LUMAD REFLECTIONS OF A COMMUNITY ORGANIZER BY CLARIN C. PASCO Defend the cause of the weak and fatherless; maintain the rights of the poor and oppressed. Rescue the weak and needy; deliver them from the hand of the wicked. Psalm 82:3-4. The message here is really very simple: help those in need. But who are these people in need? I have spent the first three years of my high school life in a sectarian school. I often hear our teachers say that we should help the needy to be a real follower of Jesus Christ. But to make the story short, I stepped out from that school, still without entirely knowing who - and perhaps more importantly, how - to help. In my college years, I got a picture of who are those needing my helping hand. It was at that time when I was introduced to a student organization that taught me to be vigilant and be vocal against issues of corruption and plunder, against human rights violations, the tyranny and social injustice causing poverty, hunger and indecent living conditions of the people. The organization taught me, little by little, how to open up to the poor (which, astoundingly composes almost 99% of our population despite the luxuries I see around me in the urban centers) by devoting my intellect, energy and courage to build a better society devoid of corruption, inequality and social injustice. It was also at that time that I learned of the Rural Missionaries of the Philippines (RMP). Although then, their work was a bit vague to me, my idea of them similar to other congregations who do charity works (that is, give one or two kilos of rice to poor families or cooking lugaw every third Sunday of the month for street children) while preaching the word of God. Now, after so many years, I finally got the chance to work in a project under RMP -- a project for the Lumad communities in the provinces around me. Here I finally understood the biblical passage better -- not just understood in fact, but started to live it. The Lumads are considered the most historically marginalizedgroups in the country. We hear and see stories and news about the life-and-death struggles of the Lumads against intrusion of extractive and destructive industries in their ancestral territories. They were dispossessed of their land, despised for their culture, abused, and murdered. They have been discriminated and subjected to violence and other forms of human rights violations while they were defending their ancestral domains, right to a selfdetermined development and cultural practices. Indigenous communities from different regions of Mindanao are calling for support in their fight to defend their ancestral land from military encroachment and harassment. In the recent months, throughout the region, Lumad families have traveled for hours and even days to leave their ancestral territories to make a political statement and expose the CONTINUED ON PAGE Kidlap MAGAZINE Kidlap MAGAZINE 21

12 KATUNGOD LUMAD ALERT Five Manobos massacred in Pangantucan, Bukidnon Five civilians from the Manobo community of Barangay Mendis, Pangantucan, Bukidnon, were reportedly massacred by members of the 3rd Company of the Special Forces Batallion under Col. Nasser Lidasan after an armed encounter between the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the New People s Army (NPA) on August 18, DEMAND JUSTICE NOW! EXPRESS YOUR CONCERN to the Philippine Government by writing to: According to a 15 year old boy who survived, the military came to their farmhouse shortly after they heard gunfires. At that time, he, his 70-year old father, his brother, nephew, and two neighbors were busy preparing a meal. They were ordered to come out and form a line. When the military started shooting them one by one, the boy ran back to the center of their village. Almost immediately, Colonel Lidasan claimed that they had killed five members of the NPA. However, after a fact-finding mission found out that those killed were civilians, the military allegedly changed their statement and said that the NPA killed the five. Witnesses came up, claiming that on the morning of August 18, before the armed encounter happened, military men who pretended to be members of the NPA came to them and asked to be guided to their camp in the mountains. The residents of Mendis claimed that it had been a long time that they have not seen NPAs in their village and that they did not know of any camp in the mountain. However, they were forced to guide, and fearing harm, they agreed. (Next to farming, their source of income is working as guides for mountain climbers. So they knew the paths around the mountain.) The military to this day has encamped in the center of Barangay Mendis, occupying the barangay hall. The residents are said to be forbidden to go to their farms without permission from the military. They are ordered to sign a logbook whenever they need to go to their farms and they need to be back in their community before dark. Many of the families have opted not to go to their farms as these were far and the time allotted to them was very short. In addition to the economic limitation, this Manobo community was not able to hold their rituals in the mountain, where their sacred areas are. And the bodies were immediately taken by the military which did not allow the families to bury them according to the tribe s ritual. According to International Humanitarian Law, civilians are to be protected and should not be targeted in situations of armed conflict. Public structures and spaces meant for civilians should not be occupied by any of the armed groups, and the community s economic, social and cultural rights should remain respected. However, these were not observed in the case of Pangantucan. We call out to all concerned individuals and organizations to join the families of the victims in their demand for justice. We urge you to send a letter to the Commission on Human Rights, the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples, and the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process to petition for an in-depth and honest inquiry on the massacre, and prosecute those responsible for the crime. H.E. BENIGNO S. AQUINO III President of the Republic of the Philippines Malacanang Palace JP Laurel Sr. San Miguel, Manila Fax: (+632) / corres@op.gov.ph / opnet@ops.gov.ph HON. LEILA M. DE LIMA Secretary, Department of Justice DOJ Main Building Padre Faura Street, Manila Tel: (loc. 211/214 ), Fax: info@doj.gov.ph RET. LT. GEN. VOLTAIRE T. GAZMIN Secretary, Dept. of Nat l Defense Room 301 DND Building, Camp Emilio Aguinaldo, E. de los Santos Avenue, Quezon City Voice:+63(2) Fax:+63(2) HON. JOSE LUIS MARTIN GASCON Chairperson Commission On Human Rights SAAC Building, Commonwealth Avenue UP Complex, Diliman Quezon City , Telefax: SEN. AQUILINO PIMENTEL III Chair, Justice and Human Rights Committee, Philippine Senate Rm. 512 GSIS Bldg., Financial Center, Roxas Blvd., Pasay City Trunk Lines: (632) to 70 loc Direct Lines: (632) Fax No.: (632) kokopimenteloffice@yahoo. com REP. GUILLERMO ROMARATE JR. Chair, Human Rights Committee House of Representatives Quezon City Rm. RVM-426 Phone: (632) ; local 7051, LEONOR T. ORALDE-QUINTAYO Chair, National Commission on Indigenous Peoples 2/F N. dela Merced Bldg. cor. West & Quezon Ave., Quezon City Tel: HON. JOSE MA. ZUBIRI, JR. Governor Province of Bukidnon Provincial Capitol, Malaybalay City Tel.: (088) ; (088) HON. MANOLITO G. GRACES Mayor, Municipality of Pangantucan Municipal Hall, Pangantucan, Bukidnon Copy furnish your letters to info@rmp-nmr.org Contact us at: HIGALA SA LUMAD NETWORK Room 01, Kalinaw Lanao Center for Interfaith Resources 0016 Bougainvilla Puti, Villaverde 9200 Iligan City, Philippines T/F: +63 (63) E: info@rmp-nmr.org HIGALA SA MGA LUMAD (Friends of the Lumad) Network, is a support group composed of a broad range of interfaith personalities / representatives of organizations synergizing relevant capacities and resources- legal services, medical and psychosocial support, sanctuaries, research and advocacy support, etcetera - for Lumad communities and Lumad victims of violence and other forms of human rights violations. Higala also serves as an informal monitoring network for Lumad human rights. Higala has been established with the support of the European Union. 22 Kidlap MAGAZINE Kidlap MAGAZINE 23

13 The first training I did was for a group from a Higaonon community in Misamis Oriental. When I entered the function room, they greeted me Madagway masolom (good morning). I responded Maayong buntag pod (Good morning too in Bisaya). Tawaga lang ko sa akong ngalan not mam (Just call me by my name, not maam). TRAINING LUMAD COMMUNITIES TO COLLECTIVELY PREPARE VS. ATTACKS THE HIGAONON LADY smiled and said Basta maka lipstick, mam na para sa akoa (Anyone wearing a lipstick is maam for me. And everybody, including me, was laughing. I had expected butterflies in my stomach during my first presentation but the light and happy atmosphere reassured me. Last September 2014, a month before I got my certificate of completion for my Professional Education, I got a call from a friend working in the Rural Missionaries in the Philippines. He offered me to work on a project under the organization. I was hesitant at first since my husband and I have already mapped out my so-called career plan. However, after my friend discussed to me the necessity of the project and its main objective, I eventually agreed. Our project on Healing the Hurt is about unleashing the power of interfaith action to combat discrimination, human rights violations and impunity against the Lumads of Mindanao. As a Project Officer, one of my responsibilities is to establish the Community-Based Emergency Fund for Lumad in nine clustered communities. In other words, I am expected to set up cooperatives in these communities. The main purpose of the cooperative is to provide for the BY CLARIN C. PASCO practical and urgent security and protection requirements of Lumad victims of human rights violations, including their families, if necessary. The proceeds of the cooperative will be used to respond to the legal, medical, psychosocial and sanctuary needs of a leader or member of the community experiencing violence or criminalization because of their effort to defend their people from aggressive industrialization and encroachment of their ancestral domains. This sounds romantic and very ideal. Before the establishment of the cooperative, I will have to give them first a training on cooperative development to capacitate them in starting up and managing their respective cooperatives. Here lies the catch for me. For me, giving a training is not an easy task much more to Lumad communities whose language I could not speak. I was afraid that I could not deliver the training effectively since public speaking never seemed to be my cup of tea. For the first 28 years of my life, I had avoided public speaking wherever possible. So I looked for the best alternative. The first two trainings last July was given by Wildon Barros of the Mindanao Farmers Resource Center and I was only the facilitator. But it was agreed that I will be the main speaker in the remaining seven trainings. And thanks to that Higaonon lady who greeted me that morning that was to be my test of fire, I have conquered my apprehensions. During the entire duration of the training, I saw in their eyes the happiness that at last a project like this will be implemented in their community. Sometimes, I could see their difficulties in digesting the technical and financial terms regarding a cooperative since some participants had very low literacy skills, but the eagerness to listen and learn were reflected in the their faces and made up for what they lacked. In the trainings, we discuss not only about cooperative but we also their situation in their communities. Everybody had a common story - they were exploited and had been - or known - victims of human rights violations. This was an opportunity for them to pursue their struggles without worrying their funds. I knew that they had walked miles for many hours, and some even days, just to attend the training and it s so fulfilling to hear from them in the end that their hardships had been worth it. The next trainings were then light and relaxed for me. I wore no lipstick anymore but they still called me Maam. HIGALA CONTINUED FROM PAGE 21 human rights violations they have been experiencing. Unfortunately, most academics, journalists, and filmmakers do not take the time to hear what these people have to say. They summarize their stories and often miss the point of what the Lumad are trying to say. The RMP sub-regional office in Northern Mindanao (or RMP- NMR) decided to help in the efforts to make indigenous voices be heard. On April 22, 2015, the core group of Higala sa mga Lumad [Friends of the Lumads] or Higala was established through the RMP- NMR-led project, Healing the Hurt. Higala is a support group composed of a broad range of interfaith personalities/ representatives of organizations synergizing relevant capacities and resources -- like legal services, GET TO KNOW CONTINUED FROM PAGE 21 Jennifer finished her undergraduate degree of Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) in Development Studies at the University of the Philippines, Manila. AUDREY DE JESUS has been a researcher at IBON Foundation since She was a member of the research teams for some of IBON s major researches: Viability of Organic Farming in the Philippines (2014), People s Disaster Response to Super Typhoon Haiyan in Eastern Visayas (2014), Implications of Large-scale Mining on Food Security (2014), and Privatization and the Right to Health (2014). She graduated with a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) in Asian American Studies and a minor in Women Studies at the University of California, Los Angeles. JARLEY SULAY-TRUGILLO is a lawyer, and the current director of the Xavier University Center for Legal Assistance. Prior to this, she worked as a legal consultant of the Legal Rights and Natural Resources Center / Kasama sa Kalikasan and handled cases against mining. Atty. Sulay-Trugillo also teaches at Xavier University-Ateneo de Cagayan. She is a member of the Union of Peoples Lawyers in Mindanao. medical and psychosocial support, sanctuaries, research and advocacy support, etcetera -- for Lumad communities and Lumad victims of violence and other forms of human rights violations. Higala will also serve as an informal indigenous peoples human rights monitoring network-alerting the public of any human rights emergency --that can play a strong protective role for a Lumad leader or community member, or even for an entire community under attack. We believe that if the indigenous communitie - support by a network of advocates --would not persevere in their struggle to own their rights, the Lumad of Mindanao will be subjected to a repeated cycle of oppression and exploitation. They will remain as they are -- easily intimidated, frightened, coerced or killed. Together with them, we envision a future where our indigenous brothers and sisters are freed from discrimination, where they can freely move in their ancestral land and enjoy its fruits, where their right to a selfdetermined development and practice of cultural traditions are respected. We are now in what Filipino call the Ber Months and the countdown to Christmas is already starting. The Season for charity is already kicking in, so to speak. We invite -- and perhaps challenge - the faith communities that have been declaring their love for God as the core of their lives to go to a Lumad community and reach out to them personally, to be a Higala sa mga Lumad! ANTONIO J. MONTALVAN II, PHD is an anthropologist and ethnohistorian who has curated different inter-cultural museums in Mindanao. Dr. Montalvan teaches at the History Department of Xavier University-Ateneo de Cagayan and has a monthly column at the Philippine Daily Inquirer. He is a Ford Foundation scholar for the doctorate in anthropology on Mindanao Studies with the Mindanao Anthropology Consortium. LINA SAGARAL-REYES is a freelance writer and an award-winning poet. She took courses in Journalism and Creative Writing in Silliman University between 1978 and She researched on the life stories of creative women in villages for the Writers Involved in Creative Cultural Alternatives (WICCA). Among her awards are the Palanca 1st prize in 1987 for (Instead of a Will These) For All the Loved Ones, with Merlinda C. Bobis, and 3rd, 1990, for Istorya, with Ma. Luisa B. Aguilar-Carino and Jose Neil Garcia. Her works include Honing Weapons, Lunhaw Book, 1987 and Storya, Babaylan Women s Publishing Collective, Institute of Women s Studies, St. Scholastica s College, As a journalist, she used to write articles for periodicals such as the Philippine Daily Inquirer and the Mindanao Gold Star Daily. 24 Kidlap MAGAZINE Kidlap MAGAZINE 25

14 PROJECT PARTNERS PROJECT ASSOCIATES MADAGWAYBABAEYON INC is a coalition of indigenous women's organizations in Northern Mindanao, Philippines asserting our right to ancestral lands, self-determination and indigenous culture. MORO-CHRISTIAN PEOPLES ALLIANCE-LANAO INC is an interfaith organization working for a peace-based on justice in the Moroland and in Mindanao. SAMAHAN NG MGA LINGKOD NA ARTISTA SA MINDANAO (SALAMIN) INC is an aggrupation of grassroots cultural artists advocating for a mass culture and human rights. KODAO PRODUCTIONS INC is an award-winning multimedia production outfit producing video documentaries on burning social issues in the Philippines such as environmental destruction, human rights, civil liberties, and many more. They also produce broadcasts for national radio networks and community radio stations throughout the country. 26 Kidlap MAGAZINE THE RURAL MISSIONARIES OF THE PHILIPPINES OR RMP Is a national organization, inter-diocesan and inter-congregational in character, of men and women religious, priests and lay people. We live and work with the rural poor. Founded by the Association of Major Women Religious Superiors of the Philippines (AMWRSP) in 1969, RMP members commit themselves to support the Filipino peasantry s quest for social justice, freedom, and genuine agrarian reform. KALUMBAY-NORTHERN MINDANAO REGION (KALUMBAY-NMR) INC Is a regional alliance of 13 Lumad organizations in Northern and Northeastern Mindanao. It works for the defense of ancestral lands, rights and culture through organizing, education and advocacy campaigns. IBON FOUNDATION is a non-stock non-profit development organization, serving the Filipino people through research and education since IBON seeks to promote an understanding of socioeconomics that serves the interests and aspirations of the Filipino people. UNION OF PEOPLE S LAWYERS IN MINDANAO (UPLM), INC Is a mass organization of lawyers as well as legal workers and law students in Mindanao committed to the promotion and defense of human rights, nationalism, democracy, peace, justice and truth. COMMUNITY-BASED HEALTH SERVICES-NORTHERN MINDANAO REGION (CBHS- NMR), INC is a network of health professionals and community health workers pushing the advancement of primary health care in Northern Mindanao communities long before the Alma Alta Declaration in About the European Instrument for Democracy and Human Rights What is EIDHR? The European Instrument for Democracy and Human Rights (EIDHR) is the concrete expression of the EU commitment to support and promote democracy and human rights in third countries. Following up on the EIDHR, it has been established in 2014 to contribute to achieving the EU s policies relating to human rights and democracy in non-eu countries, including the objectives outlined in the Strategic Framework on Human Rights and Democracy adopted by the Council on 25 June 2012 and its new Action Plan for It is mainly channelled through civil society organisations whose projects are selected following calls for proposals (Delegations or Headquarters). The EIDHR is complementary to the other EU external assistance instruments. What does it cover? The key objectives of the EIDHR are: supporting, developing and consolidating democracy in third countries, by enhancing participatory and representative democracy, strengthening the overall democratic cycle, in particular by reinforcing an active role for civil society within this cycle, and the rule of law, and improving the reliability of electoral processes, in particular by means of EU Electoral Observation Missions; enhancing respect for and observance of human rights and fundamental freedoms, as proclaimed in the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights and other international and regional human rights instruments, and strengthening their protection, promotion, implementation and monitoring, mainly through support to relevant civil society organisations, human rights defenders and victims of repression and abuse. The EIDHR represents a key added-value to the EU policy toolbox, thanks to its flexibility, its ability to provide assistance independently of the consent of the governments and public authorities of the third countries concerned, as well as its mixing of advocacy and field operations. Its interventions are being implemented under the EIDHR Multi-annual Indicative Programme and its consecutive annual and bi-annual actions plans, and fit within: the Human Rights Country Strategies elaborated by EU Delegations, which give useful orientations for the implementation of the EIDHR assistance at country level; the various EU Guidelines on human rights; the Tool-Box: a Rights-Based Approach, encompassing all Human Rights for EU development cooperation and its related Conclusions adopted by the Council on 19 May 2014; the coordination and consultation mechanisms taking place with major stakeholders (OHCHR and other UN family organisations, CSO active in the area of human rights and their networks). In the Philippines, more than 30 projects have been implemented that reflect the wide range of issues confronting Philippine society such as violations of political and economic rights of vulnerable groups, gender discrimination, violence against children and electoral monitoring. For more information, please visit the EIDHR website at and the EU Delegation website at

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