Today, we congratulate the 454 Aeta families in Floridablanca, Pampanga for receiving their Certificates of Ancestral Domain Title (CADT).  Finally, they now have a legal instrument that should effectively protect and safeguard their ancestral land.

The awarding of the CADT in Pampanga looks very nice in picture and sounds very good in the news.

Reality check

This has long been overdue and ironic at the same time.  Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo (GMA) in her State of the Nation Address in 2001, promised to issue one hundred (100) ancestral domain titles by that year.  Nearing the end of her term, it is very disheartening for the indigenous peoples that there is a total of only 29 CADTs issued since then, and the last to be issued was the first one to be registered.   

What about the Aetas from Zambales, Bataan and Tarlac and the other indigenous peoples from all over the country waiting and struggling to get the same Ancestral Domain Titles?  What distinguishes the awarding of the 4 CADTs to the Aetas in Central Luzon from the others?  What happened to GMA’s promise to issue 100 ancestral domain titles in 2001?

“The single photo-ops in Pampanga cannot conceal the glaring fact that the Arroyo administration dismally failed to recognise the rights and aspirations of the indigenous peoples for their ancestral domains and lands”, said Mr. Ronald A. Gregorio, Campaigns-paralegal of the Legal Rights and Natural Resources-Kasama sa Kalikasan/Friends of the Earth Phils. (LRC-KsK/FoE Phils).  The 4 CADTs when finally registered only represents 25,764 hectares (of land and waters) corresponding to only 2 percent of the government target of 1.4 million hectares to be issued to the indigenous peoples as CADT.  Expect GMA to make use of these event as part of the gimmick in her coming SONA.

Military interest over IPs rightful claim for CADT

Labay Ku, the Aeta Mag-Antsi of Capaz, Tarlac applied for CADT in 2004 but until now they are deprived of their rightful claim to their ancestral land.  The Philippine Air Force based in Tarlac denied in 2006 the conduct of a perimeter survey being done by Labay Ku which apparently overlaps with the military reservation in a proclamation by President Ramos during his term.

Labay Ku engaged in a series of dialogue with the AFP to resolve the issue and made the appeal to be allowed to continue with the perimeter survey which is only a step through to establish the locations of the lands and therefore determine the possible overlaps.

Bayani Somaong, one of the leaders of Labay Ku expressed sadness and disappointment over Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro’s statement that he was ‘after the protection of the military’ in an interview in May 6 in Clark Freeport, Pampanga.  Bayani added “we do not understand the Secretary in protecting the military when in fact we are only asserting our legitimate claim to our ancestral land that has long been deprived from us since the various foreign occupations that passed in this country, most specially the US military base.”

Labay Ku was only asking to let them continue with the perimeter survey so that both of them will identify and concretely determine the possible land overlaps.  Consequently, they will have a more factual basis to discuss the overlaps and conflicts in their claims.  The continued denial of the perimeter survey shows the military’s unwillingness to recognise a rightful and necessary process for a fruitful dialogue.  Labay Ku in 2008 even brought their issue to the Office of the President that until now rendered no valuable response.

Mining over IPs rights

In contrast, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) was very quick to issue mining permits and the unfortunate situation is that most of these permits involves or includes the ancestral lands being claimed by the indigenous peoples without their free, prior and informed consent.  In a brief span of only 7 years since 2001, DENR has issued mining permits and concessions covering 184,175.6585 or 34 percent out of the total 545,467.28 hectares issued since 1990 (Source: MGB-DENR, as of December 2008).

These mining operations as indigenous peoples have long maintained are affecting their way of life; they now face a great battle defending their territories, source of livelihood and culture from the aggression of foreign large scale mining corporations.  Peter Duyapat, leader of Didipio Earth Saver Multi-Purpose Association (DESAMA) based in Didipio, Kasibu, Nueva Vizcaya said, “Mining means destruction of our farmlands, our water systems and demolition of our houses.  We usually equate the entry of mining in our community as a threat to our displacement, a bad omen that has become real as what happened in 2008 when OceanaGold demolished more than 180 houses of our indigenous Ifugao brothers and sisters coupled with the shooting of one of our member in the community and the harassment of the others including myself.”

For more information please contact: Ronald A. Gregorio, Campaigns-paralegal, Luzon Regional Office, (02) 926 4409; (02) 434 4079, ronald.gregorio@lrcksk.org; luzon.lrc@gmail.com.