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NORDIS
WEEKLY April 10, 2005 |
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Abra town is this year’s Cordi Day site |
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BAGUIO CITY (Apr. 5) — This year’s Cordillera Day celebration is set at Malibcong town in Abra, specifically in Brgy. Buanao of the Bangilo district. Malibcong folk volunteered to host the annual activity through the efforts of Malibcong-wide people’s alliance TADEK (Takderan ken Aywanan ti Daga, Ekolohiya ken Kultura) and the local government unit. Cordillera Peoples Alliance (CPA) Secretary General Windel Bolinget said that Bangilo’s three barangays (villages), Buanao, Lat-ey, and Umnap authored resolutions in support of the said activity through their respective barangay councils. The Cordillera Day celebration is held yearly to commemorate martyrs of the Cordillera militant mass movement, such as Ama Macli-ing Dulag, Ama Mangatam, and Pedro Dungoc. The celebration also commemorates the Cordillera peoples’ struggles for the defense of land, life, and resources. In Abra for instance, the Tingguian indigenous peoples in Tayum fought fiercely against the logging concessionaire Cellophil Resources Corporation (CRC) in the 1970s, until eventually, through sustained opposition, the firm closed. The CRC was owned by the Herdis Group of Companies which was then owned by former President Ferdinand Marcos and one of his closest business associates, Herminio Disini. Ama Macli-ing was a Kalinga tribal leader who was assassinated by government troops also in the 1970s. Macli-ing was one of the tribe leaders heading the opposition against the Chico Dam Project of the government. This year’s theme is “Fight Destructive Mining and Intensified Militarization”. Community profile Bangilo lies in the eastern Cordillera ranges. It is bound in the north by the Mataragan district to the Lacub municipality; the south by the Banao district to the Daguioman and Baay-Licuan towns. Kalinga province lies on its eastern side. Bangilo is about 80 kilometers (km) from the provincial capital, Bangued. Districts Bangilo, Malibcong, and Mataragan comprise the municipality of Malibcong until they were merged in 1959. Mataragan is inhabited by the Mabaka tribe, the Banao tribe in Malibcong, and the Gubang tribe in Bangilo. Like the other two districts, the Gubang tribe’s ancestors originated from Kalinga province, particularly the Igubang warrior tribe. The Gubang dialect is said to be similar to the dialect of indigenous peoples in Balbalan, Kalinga. The CPA reports that 90% of the Bangilo population rely on subsistence agriculture for livelihood. Here, traditional farming is observed such that high-yielding varieties and chemical inputs are not used. Some residents were able to put up sari-sari stores through the years. The indigenous system of peacekeeping in the Cordillera, the bodong, is still upheld in this community. The elders’ role in settling disputes, decision making and counseling is practiced. Despite the presence of mainstream politics and its looming domination over traditional governance, the elders’ role is still sought in important commmunity issues. The Bangilo community also resisted against the CRC in the 1970s. Bangilo then was heavily militarized, especially during Martial Law. Currently, the 41st Infantry Brigade (IB) encamped in Bangilo and have set up dwellings in residents’ homes. The CPA reports that the military is responsible for mounting incidents of human rights violations in the area since March 22. (See related article) Bangilo had its share of people’s issues, especially as an indigenous community. Due to government’s decision to revitalize the mining industry and the Supreme Court’s decision reversal on the constitutionality of the Mining Act of 1995, mining transnationals Newmont and Newcrest reportedly resumed operations in southern and northern Abra, respectively. The Abra River too remains polluted, affecting local residents, marine life, and agriculture. The source of pollution originates from the mine tailings of the Lepanto Consolidated Mining Company (LCMCo) based in Mankayan, Benguet. The said mining firm continues to inflict social, environmental, and economic difficulty to Mankayan residents, especially peasants. Mine effluents too have silted ricefields downstream. # ATB for NORDIS |
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