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In 1978, the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines declared every second Sunday of October as Tribal Filipino Sunday. This was in recognition of the historical injustice against the indigenous peoples of the Philippines and the socio-economic conditions these people were made to live in. The celebration of mass on this day has helped in opening the eyes of non-tribal Filipinos, Catholics and non-catholics, to the plight of indigenous peoples. Furthermore, it helped push for the realization of justice for indigenous peoples themselves by building support for their demand to protect the ancestral domains and preserving the indigenous cultural heritage. As once stated, this is the Church’s means of “relating Gospel to the situation of indigenous brethren, respectful of their cultural practices.”

This yearly celebration became a venue to bringing light to the true identity of a proud and freedom-loving people; a forum to recognize the diversities and similarities of the peoples and cultures that bound a nation of Filipinos. It still is a venue and a forum that continues to sharpen the identification of class differences, common resources, biodiversity and environment, indigenous peoples practices of sharing, conservation, defense, respect and humanity.

Tribal Filipino Sunday was also instrumental for the recognition of the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, human rights and support the right to self-determination and the Philippines’ Indigenous Peoples Rights Act (IPRA). It was a venue to ventilate and condemn violations against the indigenous peoples rights to the ancestral lands and domains as well as the right to build, to give or take back the peoples’ free, prior informed consent (FPIC) on any development made in these ancestral domains.

Even with the recognition of the rights of indigenous peoples as stated in IPRA and in the United Nations charter, the government continues to sacrifice the indigenous peoples in the name of national development. Multi-million corporations that bring “large scale development projects” in ancestral lands have continually been favored even if indigenous peoples have not given their consent. And to add insult to injury, these “development projects” not only displace indigenous peoples but bring large scale evironmental problems.

Furthermore, discrimation of indigenous peoples continue. They have been ridiculed, called ignorant or uneducated or unschooled and refused certification as legitimate indigenous communities.

Besides, there is the prevailing state of poverty in the country that greatly tips the balance in the negotiation for a free prior informed consent against the indigenous peoples. On top of which are the mispriorities of government programs, unbridled use of military force, graft and corruption that increases depravity.

One prayer for this Tribal Filipino Sunday is for strength and courage for the indigenous peoples to resist the temptation of selling their ancestral lands and their collective culture. Strength to also continue to practice their culture and traditions that have historically been proven to be environmentally sound. And an earnest prayer that their common aspirations and options for the use and development of their ancestral domain the way they collectively want to and when they want to, be recognized and respected. Amen. # nordis.net