The killing of two activists in Ilocos and Abra has brought to 150 the total number of politically-motivated executions this year. Kim Quitasol and A.T. Bengwayan NORTHERN DISPATCH BAGUIO CITY—The city’s militant organizations, joined by others from nearby Ilocos Sur and Abra provinces, held an indignation rally here Nov. 30 to condemn the “political assassination”…
Category: Indigenous Peoples
12 years after death: Justice Still Eludes Human Rights Leader
The frustrating quest for justice for Christopher Batan’s death reflects the justice system in the country: It works at a snail’s pace and you don’t even know if it is headed to the right direction. Twelve years since his death, Chris’ family, friends and tribe mates are still waiting for full justice. BY ARTHUR L.…
Igorots Picket AsPac Mining Meet, Condemn Arroyo’s Mining Agenda
Wearing tapis (wrap-around skirt) and baag (G-string), Igorots (general term to describe the indigenous peoples from the Cordillera mountain ranges) picketed the Asia Pacific Mining Conference and 2005 Exhibit at the Shangri-La Hotel in Makati on Oct. 11. By AT Bengwayan Northern Dispatch Wearing tapis (wrap-around skirt) and baag (G-string), Igorots (general term to describe…
Corporate Mining: Assault on IP Lands
First of two parts The assault of massive corporate mining will surely be met with strong resistance by indigenous communities who have continued to nurture and protect their territory. The people will not simply allow the devastation of their land and resources in the name of profit which has no value in their life. By…
Learning the Indigenous Way of Forest Management
A fourth year student of Easter College Inc. in Baguio City discovered, during a school immersion program, how an indigenous group in Ilocos Sur called the I-Lamag implements its own forest utilization, management, protection and ownership system. BY NARCISO ADDAMO Northern Dispatch Posted by Bulatlat.com I witnessed during our immersion with fellow students from the…
Cordillera’s Woman Peace Pact Holder
Nanang (mother) Irene Baawa, 64, not only makes a mean native coffee but also serves as the de facto peace pact holder of an Abra tribe. Arthur L. Allad-iw Northern Dispatch Bulatlat.com Malibcong, Abra — Nanang (mother) Irene Baawa, 64, wakes up early in the morning. She boils native coffee in their dalikan (native stove).…
Kalingas Forge Peace the Bodong Way
How are the rules of bodong (traditional peace pact) and state laws used to settle conflicts between two tribes? This question elicited a thousand and one responses from Kalinga tribes who, in an assembly here last week, moved for the holding of a bodong congress soon. By Lyn V. Ramo and Marlon Gomarcho Northern Dispatch…
Church Leaders, Lumads Gear for Anti-Mining Protests in Mindanao
The Supreme Court has upheld with finality the constitutionality of the Mining Act of 1995 but the struggle against this law that allows transnational corporations to engage in destructive mining activities continues, especially in Mindanao. By TYRONE VELEZ Bulatlat.com DAVAO CITY – With the Supreme Court (SC) deciding with finality on the constitutionality of the…
IP, Environment, Church Groups Picket International Mining Confab
“We have had enough of big foreign and local companies that compromise environmental protection and respect for indigenous peoples and their ancestral domain in their pursuit for maximum profits.” – Rev. Fr. Allan Jose Arcebuche, OFM BY NOEL GODINEZ Northern Dispatch Posted by Bulatlat BAGUIO CITY —Some 200 protesters, many of whom traveled all the…
Ibalois Face Eviction from Ancestral Lands in Camp John Hay
“I pleaded before her, saying ‘God gave this land for people to stay’ but she answered in English which I didn’t understand,” related Martha Dayog. Dayog is an Ibaloi, one of the residents of Happy Hollow and Liwanag, villages in Camp John Hay whose residents are being evicted. “Her” was Lyssa GS Pagano-Calde, legal counsel…
The Bee Hunters of Lamag
Aside from hunting in the forest, the Ilamag gather honey from wild bees called in their native Kankanaey language as iyokan, alig, lukutan. By Belinda P. Ngiwas Northern Dispatch Posted by Bulatlat.com QUIRINO, Ilocos Sur – The Ilamag – indigenous people of Lamag in the tri-boundary of Ilocos Sur, Abra, and Mt. Province, northern Philippines…