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The decaying of a country in the Cordillera perspective

BAGUIO CITY ( Aug. 23 ) — Baguio City’s People’s Park served as a melting pot for the people of the Cordillera, when various non-government organizations, students and visitors representing each of the provinces in Cordillera gathered in the said arena to celebrate the National Minority Month here.

The event started of with a march from the Baguio Post Office. As the march pushed through, calls for Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo (GMA) to step down from her position were truly manifested. Flags, banners and streamers were all conveying the same message. Though the rally was attended by people from all walks of life, their voices united in expressing anguish on the injustice that the Filipinos are suffering from its own government. No scorching heat of the sun or feet blisters could have prevented this message from being delivered to the people surrounding the rally.

After a long walk, the rally finally ended in People’s Park. There, a program was held to give the visitors more chances to speak. The program warmly opened with some elders playing the gongs accompanied by women dancing in circles. Prayers from two elders finished off with the traditional drinking of “basi”. One elder prayed for economic stability to enable people to acquire even just the basic needs of their people and to be able to send their children to good schools. He also wished strength for those who were weakened by the ongoing crisis of the country. This showed the simplicity of hopes that the people have in their hearts.

The program went on to welcome the statements of the representatives of different Cordillera provinces as well as organizations. Although this was a celebration for the month dedicated to the indigenous peoples of the country, the program was likely to lean towards the decaying of the country. Listening to the speeches delivered, all problems are seen to be rooted with the dysfunctional government we have and the unjust laws that wraps it.

Militarization

Most people might not be aware that the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) are sending numbers of legions in the different provinces in the Philippines. The government disguises these operations as activities meant to protect civilians from the abuse or possible attacks of Filipino guerillas belonging to groups like the New People’s Army (NPA). But the truth is that the army is responsible for most cases of human right violations in these areas. In the past four and a half years that GMA was seated in the highest position of the government, the Cordillera Human Rights Alliance (CHRA) has already recorded eight killings perpetrated by the military and police troops. The most recent casualty was in Baay Licuan, Abra, where a soldier killed a farmer. The government is using militarization in rural areas to set dominance in these areas. This fear inculcated in the people’s mind, which in turn benefits the government as this gives them the opportunity to manipulate the lands of the people without any arguments. Pastor Maricar Delton of Innabuyog Abra said that due to the militarization in Abra, the fields were neglected because most of the farmers were afraid to tend their rice fields for fear of an encounter between the military and the rebels.

Agricultural depletion

Farming is one of the major sources of livelihood in the Cordillera. For years, the vegetable farms of Cordillera catered vegetables to different parts of the country. Recently, this business has been dwindling. Due to agricultural liberalization, the vegetables produced by the farmers in Cordillera were devalued. The growing importation of vegetables as well as rice from countries such as China and Korea replaced the Cordillera products in the market. The governments of the countries where these imported products originate subsidize agriculture that these are cheaper than local produce. Consumers then tend to buy the cheaper products, resulting in unfair competition and eventual bankruptcy of the Cordillera farmers.

Mining

Most of the speakers stressed the destruction that the mining companies are bringing to the people of Cordillera. The growing invasion in the tribal domain continues to threaten the natural resources as well as indigenous peoples of the Cordillera. With New Mineral Policy, which gives investors opportunity for easy access at a very low cost, the lands in indigenous people’s territory are like sitting ducks. The IPs of these lands are being robbed off the right to defend their land.

Maria Galong of Save Apayao Peoples Organization (SAPO) claims that the Free Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC) provision of both IPRA and the Mining Act of 1995 was useless because it was not implemented in Apayao. Ambino Padawi of MAQUITACDEG strongly opposes the expansion of Lepanto or the Victoria Gold Project because a pit will bring more destruction in Lepanto as well as its neighboring provinces. This will leave the area with no water, no land and no fields. The expansion, he said, would kill the livelihood of thousands of peasant families. The government has also taken for granted the miners of Lepanto Consolidated Mining Corporation (LCMCo). For almost three months, the government has ignored the workers’ plea for a wage increase and a grant of some just benefits. The PNP sent in Lepanto has also been involved in several unjust dispersals resulting to violations even for women.

The problems of mining do not just end with the corporate-civilian feud. Even the people within the vicinity of these mining corporations can be deeply affected. At times, tribal wars can be attributed to the expansion of the mining corporations. One of the causes of tribal wars is the issue of boundaries. Territories are usually unmarked or determined only by negotiations made between several neighboring tribes. The expansion of the mines could sometimes lead to encroachment into these territories because the mines operate beyond boundaries. Other times, ideologies about mining also clash. Some members of tribes see the mines as a source of livelihood; others oppose it for environmental and other reasons. Feuds fire up as one tribe strives to preserve its environment but is eventually affected by mine-generated pollution.

Lakay Mariano Datol, chairperson of Metro Baguio Tribal Elders Assembly also delivered a message of solidarity. He said that Baguio City is a peace zone because all tribes in the Cordillera come to the city. Tribal elders in the city, he said could help in conflict resolution.

All these problems lead the mishandling of the government by GMA. The different IP groups said that they were here not only to rise to the occasion but also to give their support in the Philippine struggle to unseat GMA. Within the program came several incidents of people trying to distract the people’s attention from the program. Some people were convinced that the program was useless and time consuming. Others even tried to scare to the people by threatening the program with a bomb. But all these commotions only brought more unity in the program.

The program showed that the whole Cordillera is thinking as one in pursuing the battle to oust GMA. It is also evident that problems do not revolve around urban areas alone. The IPs is also deeply affected by the laws that the government create. The laws, which are supposed to protect the rights of the national minority often, leave the group sensitive and vulnerable to more harm. It also showed the persistent struggle to preserve the lands of Cordillera both for the protection of the environment and for the heritage God has given for the several generations yet to come. # Ge-Ann Malicdem for NORDIS

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