While their reality seemed gloomy at the evacuation site, it was also where Salika Maguindanao co-founded the Maranao Collectible Service Cooperative, which has helped them preserve their tradition and provide a livelihood to those who lost their homes and livelihood to the Marawi Siege.
While it remains a seasonal livelihood, having a honey processing facility has helped honey hunters of Rizal a lot. Such development, however, is threatened by mega-projects like the Kaliwa Dam,
The dam projects in Apayao threaten to displace thousands of indigenous peoples, farmers and fisherfolk.
These three short documentaries show how the New Clark City, touted as the first green city in the country, has wreaked havoc on the livelihood of Ayta Hung-ey and on the environment. Their collective rights, particularly the right to their ancestral domain, have been deliberately violated.
“If given the chance, I would like to speak with the Asian Development Bank, investors, and corporations to ask them why are they supporting the New Clark City project that brazenly violates our rights,” Chieftain Pet stated.
The Aytas in sitio Sapang Kawayan, barangay Ayanguren in Capas, Tarlac are defending their ancestral domain against the incursion of government agency and large corporations.
“We in UP hold Bai and all Lumad leaders in very high esteem – for her incredible strength and leadership, for standing for her advocacy and for defending her tribe. She’s very strong and vocal. There is no way we could silence Bai.”
A local court said that two Aeta farmers charged with terrorism were just running at the moment of their arrest, and thus, their warrantless arrest was unlawful.
The last four years for Lumad students like Inday and Toper seemed like a tug-of-war struggling for their right to learn, and fighting for their return to their ancestral lands.
“It hurts to see our school built on our unity as a community being shut down. It hurts that they are not respecting our rights.”
“They told me we wouldn’t be released unless we admit to being rebels.” — Lumad teacher