Eastern Ysagadas call on PNoy to save Kiltepan peak

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By ALDWIN QUITASOL
www.nordis.net

SAGADA, Mountain Province — “Wada nan kankananda en man-ag-agaw isna” (People are saying that someone is grabbing this from us) said elder Limmayog Balabag of Tetep-an Norte.

Residents of Sagada Eastern Barangays of Kilong, Tetep-an Sur and Norte, and Antadao or KILTEPAN is asking the intervention and appropriate moves from President Benigno Aquino III and National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP) Chairperson Leonor Quintayo on what they call intended privatization of an “individual” of the Kiltepan mountain peak being called as “Tekeng”.

In a “daw-es” ritual held at the contested area led by the elders and barangay officials of Kiltepan barangays in reiteration that the peak is part of their ancestral domain, the residents collectively signed the request letter addressed to Aquino and Quintayo hoping that the issue will reach Malacañang and be able to get a favorable response.

In the letter, the Kiltepan villagers stressed that the Tekeng is part of their domain that is also being utilized as their communal area. They stated that they use it as an indigenous spiritual or ritual ground called ay-ayagan or ap-apuyan where they hold prayers to Kabunian to heal the sick. They added that the place is an indigenous forest called batangan or tayan, a communal pasture area called pastulan and other communal usage for the collective interests of the villagers. The villagers said they used it as is since time immemorial.

Elder Salio Bilog also of Tetep-an Norte said that “Wada san masakit ed Tetep-an, Kilong weno Antadao, umali das na ay men-ayag sapay gumin-awa san masakit, ed kasin di ulay edwani” (The people of Tetep-an, Kilong and Antadao will come here and pray so that their sick villagemates will get well, this practice has been done for so long and is still being done until now).

He said that how can the people now continue that practice when the area will be privatized.

The Kiltepan villagers butchered a pig and sacrificed a dog. Balabag said that the butchering of the pig is to make the spirits living at the peak happy and to express that it belongs to the people of Kiltepan.

The Kiltepan Peak is being claimed by Wilson Capuyan.

Capuyan in an interview said that the people of Kiltepan sold the area to his uncle Alfredo Lam-en on January 22, 1962 up to April 1976. According to him, their uncle bought 31 hectares all-in-all. He said that they bought one hectare from Lam-en and another two hectares from a certain Wilfredo Sumedka.

He said they are claiming five hectares of the peak. He disclosed that they have an agreement with the Lam-en two years ago that another hectare will be added to their said claim.

Capuyan said he is planning to develop the area for tourism purposes.

The villagers through the letter requested Aquino for an investigation on the move of individuals to privatize their ancestral domain and to order the cancellation of Capuyan’s claims. They also requested for an investigation and punishment of officials and employees of local government agencies particularly the NCIP Mountain Province and the regional office whom the villagers alleged were involved in the privatization of the peak. # nordis.net