In Dialogue and Communion: The Indigenous Peoples are not left behind

The Catholic Church in the Philippines celebrates today the Indigenous People’s Sunday with the theme “Dialogue, Communion and mission with the Indigenous Peoples.” The Church’s mission of bringing social action services to the Indigenous Communities may have been a challenge in this time of pandemic but it has not totally prevented IPA workers from doing this mandate to become even more closer to the communities they serve. The pandemic has led us to contemplate new ways of doing things considering all the health protocols that are put in place.

These two years proved to be difficult for the mission but the enabling support and collaboration of mission partners, government agencies and the IP Communities themselves it was still made possible. Surely the Indigenous Peoples and their communities were not left behind. Through convergence with the NCIP, PNP, DILG, DSWD, TESDA, DepEd, the City Government of Davao, and the Josefa Segovia Foundation, everyone unites in forging alliance to adjust and show resilience in this new normal. Instrumental in the convergence is Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Gonzaga, Parish Priest of Sacred Heart Obrero paving the way for the collaboration.

Through active engagement of the Josefa Segovia Foundation (JSF) headed by its Executive Director Josephine Estopil various pandemic projects were initiated such as food security for IP Women which help IP women to engage into vegetable production and raising free range chicken to ensure food for the table. Food aids were also distributed to Matigsalug-Mabobo, Ata, Bagobo-Tagabawa, Bagobo-Klata and Obu-Manobo identified poorest families. Aside from those, through linkage to the DSWD, health kits were given to some families of Ata, Bagobo-Klata, Matigsalug-Manobo, Bagobo-Tagabawa and Obu-Manobo. On the other hand sixty nine (69) IP Youths were given income opportunities in their barangays relative to the DOLE and Davao City PESO under the TUPAD Program.

Since the face to face interactive and group gatherings were prohibited early on the onset of the pandemic, the Josefa Segovia Foundation and the Indigenous Peoples Apostolate brought to the Kristohanong Kalambuan alang sa Kalinaw (KKK) Program of DxGN the supposedly IP Academy which serves as venue for supplementing Indigenous Knowledge, Systems, Practices and Spirituality and Capability Training ground for Indigenous Peoples Mandatory Representatives (IPMRs) and ushered every 4th Saturday of the month the IP Academy on Air with the active collaboration of the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP) as resource speakers of the program particularly Atty. Ronie Bolutano and Atty. Nicole Batingana explaining the provisions of the Indigenous Peoples Rights Act (IPRA) Law, and the Local Government Code. The purpose of the program is to capacitate IPMRs in the discharge of their deliverables intertwining with Indigenous customary laws.

The IPA also made a response to Pope Francis’ call for the Care of Creation, albeit the IPA has started this project way back in 2017 the agro-forestry program, the yearlong activity of reforestation of Ancestral Domain areas was launched in March 19 2021 in Brgy Sirib under the leadership of Pongoo Rosalito Anug, mobilizing the Bantay – Bukid volunteers, Sirib Elem School parents and teachers, the Barangay Officials of Sirib and the IP Youth of the Bagobo-Klata. A tree nurturing activity – riverbank planting was also held on July 24 2021 at the farm of Fr. Jun Acedo. The three areas planted where Upper Kibalang in Marilog, Sirib and Sitio Nursery and Pamantawan in Malabog targeting to plant native species of hard wood trees in the area.

Another huge challenge facing the IP communities is continuing education in the new normal. It was difficult for IP learners to adjust in the modular delivery mode in the basic education and the virtual classes for the College Students. Through the benevolence of IPA friends and benefactors the college scholars continue to attend their tertiary education and gladly there will be three graduating this school year. During the circle of discernment the JSF together with the Theresian Association an emergency response mechanism came up which is to conduct tutorial session with IP Learners alongside enrolling their parents and guardian in the Alternative Learning System of the Department of Education. Pilot area is in Barangay Tamayong with the participation of the IPMR, BLGU of Tamayong and the DepEd teachers. There are 130 IP Learners under this intervention program.

In the occasion of the Celebration of the Indigenous Peoples Sunday on 10th of October this year still under the pandemic, fixing the eyes of the faithful to the one source of light and wisdom can this battle will be won. This year’s theme encapsulates people’s life situation now calling for Dialogue of Life, and it means Christian witness in and trough living “an open and neighborly spirit, sharing their joys and sorrows, their human problems and preoccupations” (GS 1) because each one’s simple presence alleviate the sufferings and sorrows of others, and the Dialogue of Action, the Collaboration for Integral Human Development – a clarion call for a genuine and holistic intervention program during this time of health crisis inclusive of all walks and strata of life especially those at the margins of the society.

It is in Communion with the Indigenous Peoples that an expression of Solidarity is fostered, cemented and sealed. It would be the ultimate response to their cry of respect, self-preservation, socio economic and political promotion in the midst of their Ancestral domain claims.

The Church, in this particular mission journeys together with the Indigenous Peoples and their communities and in enabling them into integral transformation may all welcome them in every Basic Ecclesial Communities. (Genaro D. Guadalquiver, Jr. | IPA Coordinator)