The 13th Congress has used up almost a third of its term, reportedly spends millions a day for its legislative work and still has tons of work to do. It must now work double pace if it would like to compensate for lost time – as some of its members undoubtedly do. BY ALEXANDER MARTIN…
Category: Indigenous Peoples
Water War: Ayalas Pit Themselves against Calamba Villagers
One of the Philippines’ mega-rich families – the Ayalas – are finding themselves locked in a war over water in Calamba City. Calamba residents their water source could be contaminated and worse, depleted because of a world-class golf course the Ayalas are building. By DENNIS ESPADA Bulatlat.com CALAMBA CITY – Residents of this city, which…
Indigenous Groups Decry 7 Years of IPRA Law
Dumagat, Remontado and Mangyan indigenous peoples from Southern Tagalog picketed the office of the National Commission Indigenous Peoples (NCIP) in Quezon City where they held a traditional blood-letting ritual of a native chicken. The protest action was to condemn the enactment and seven-year implementation of the Indigenous Peoples Rights Act (IPRA) which they say is…
Canadian Mining Firm Driving Subanons Off Their Sacred Land: Siocon’s main water source damaged by erosion from open-pit gold mine
“TVI is not concerned about the spiritual aspect…or the ecological aspect. They are only concerned about the economic aspect. Do they intend to live alone and us to die?” – Gody Galos, Save the Siocon leader. By ALEXANDER MARTIN REMOLLINO Bulatlat.com Mt. Canatuan in Siocon, Zamboanga del Norte (390 kms. northwest of Davao in southern…
Joan Carling?s Journey to Damascus
As she herself admits, Joan Carling – chair of the Cordillera Peoples? Alliance – felt no pride in having been born of Cordillera?s indigenous peoples when she was younger. But she would reach a point from which there was no turning back, and now she is a prominent leader of the Cordillera peoples? movement against…