While they welcome GPH-MILF pact, IPs cannot yet rejoice until their rights are secured

MANILA, Philippines – While they welcome the framework agreement between the Philippine government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, Mindanao’s indigenous peoples (IP) cannot yet rejoice over the landmark peace pact.

Timuay Labi (Supreme Chieftain) Sannie Bello, who heads the Timuay Justice and Governance, said the signing of the pact should be followed by the drafting of the Bangsamoro basic law that should include the rights of IPs.

“Sa pananaw namin, hanggat hindi maipasok sa basic law di pa kami nakakasiguro. Pero kung maipasok sa isang dokumento o batas ang aming karapatan nangangahulugan na ito na ‘yong sinasabing lasting solution,” Bello told Interaksyon.com on Monday.

[In our view, we’re not yet assured until it’s included in the basic law. But if our rights will be included in a document or a law, this means that it will be the lasting solution.]

The Timuay Justice and Governance is the political structure of the Teduray and Lambangian tribes in Mindanao. Their ancestral domains will be included in the creation of a Bangsamoro state under the MILF’s framework agreement with the Philippine government.

The two tribes, as well as the Dulangan Manobo tribe, claim an ancestral domain of over 200,000 hectares in 10 municipalities in Maguindanao province.

The framework pact is only the first step in attaining lasting peace in conflict-torn Mindanao and much work is still to be done, according to Bello.

Bello said IPs want at least three major points to be included in the drafting of the Bangsamoro basic law: (1) recognition of their ancestral domain; (2) inclusion of customary laws and practices of the IPs; and (3) respect for the IP political structure.

Decades of war in Mindanao since Spanish colonization have affected the IPs. Constantly caught in the crossfire, most of them are often forced to flee their homes.

Bello said that with the signing of the framework agreement on Monday in Manila, IPs were hopeful that the war in Mindanao would finally come to an end.

“Ang aming kalagayan ay di panatag sapagkat itong nakaraang sagupaan, nagiging battlefield yung aming ancestral domain. So panay evacuations ang aming nararanasan. Nawalan kami ng mga magagandang hanapbuhay kahit man lang pagsasaka ang aming hanapbuhay,” Bello said.

[Our condition is unstable because in the last encounter, our ancestral domain became a battlefield. So there were many evacuees. We could not work, we could not engage in farming.]

Also, the IPs are wary of the possibility of some forces opposing the framework deal, which could lead to violence.

“Iyon din ang aming pangamba na kung sakaling may opposition pa na siyang dahilan na di pagkakasundo talagang nababahala rin kami sa ganoong sitwasyon,” said Bello.

[That is also our worry that opposing forces might cause disunity.]

Bello said IPs appreciate that the government and the MILF peace panels included their concerns in the drafting of the framework agreement.

He cited Paragraph 1, Number 5 of the framework pact, which states, “The freedom of choice of other Indigenous peoples shall be respected.”

Paragraph 3, Number 6 also recognizes the “customary rights and traditions” of indigenous peoples in the formation of the Bangsamoro’s justice system.

Bello said the IPs are now consulting legal experts on the matter. He said IP leaders would present to the government specific provisions they want included in the Bangsamoro basic law. –Abigail Kwok, InterAksyon.com