Category: Indigenous Peoples

William Claver was among those who attended the July 28 memorial mass that honored the late Alyce Omengan-Claver, a victim of extra-judicial killing in an ambush that originally intended to kill her husband, Dr. Constancio “Chandu” Claver, last year. He is esteemed throughout the Cordillera as a champion of indigenous peoples’ rights. BY LYN V.…

Indigenous communities in Benguet have recently decided to reject the mining operations of Philex, which they say have displaced natives and destroyed the local environment in the last 50 years. BY LYN V. RAMO Northern Dispatch Posted by Bulatlat Vol. VII, No. 23, July 15-21, 2007 ITOGON, Benguet – “Maymayat a sumardeng da laengen nga…

The indigenous inhabitants of Baguio City, the Ibalois, remain victims of historical injustice as a colonially-inspired land system continues to deprive them of their rights to their ancestral land despite the enactment of a state law to recognize land rights by native title. BY ARTHUR L. ALLAD-IW Northern Dispatch Posted by Bulatlat BAGUIO CITY (246…

Through a resolution, the seven commissioners of the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP) have formally granted to the Balatoc sub-tribe of Kalinga the priority right to develop and exploit the natural resources located in their ancestral domain at Balatoc, Pasil, Kalinga. The priority right covers the mineral land which was once covered by the…

Kalinga elders have disclosed that the food security of North Luzon and the Cordillera region will be threatened once the Batong Buhay Mines is reopened as a result of the reported sale of some 400 has.of the Balatoc ancestral domain. BY LYN V. RAMO Northern Dispatch Posted by Bulatlat BAGUIO CITY (246 kms. north of…

Due to community outrage and pressure, a foreign mining corporation promised through a corporate declaration that it is ready to execute an affidavit to facilitate the return of the said ancestral lands to the Balatoc tribe of Kalinga. BY ARTHUR L. ALLAD-IW Northern Dispatch Posted by Bulatlat Due to community outrage and pressure, a foreign…

The controversial Tasadays lost their identity as a group because of fallacious media projection and faulty research. BY PINK-JEAN FANGON MELEGRITO Dispatch Posted with other reports by Bulatlat BAGUIO CITY ­– The controversial Tasadays lost their identity as a group because of fallacious media projection and faulty research. This was the observation made by two…

Police fears that blood might spill between Kalinga and Maranao tribes in Baguio City after a Maranao vendor shot a Kalinga government official. BY ACE ALEGRE Bulatlat.com BAGUIO CITY – Bloodshed between Northern and Southern tribes – Kalingas and Maranaos – looms as an aftermath of the shooting of a Kalinga anti-illegal peddling official here…

As tribes denounce killings of 72 indigenous peoples What could be the reasons for the Philippine government’s refusal to vote for the adoption of the draft United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples last June? BY JHONG DELA CRUZ Bulatlat.com In an August 3 letter addressed to Foreign Affairs Secretary Alberto Romulo, the…

BY JOHANN ARPON Bulatlat.com They were able to protect their picket line but the vendors of the Tacloban City market knows that it was a temporary victory and that they are in for a long struggle. Meanwhile, they have reconstructed their picket line and candles continue to light their nightly vigil. They are convinced that…