The Evolution of the Center of Teduray Governance In A Capsule

By: Timuay Labi Sannie Bello

Supreme Chief

Timuay Justice and Governance (TJG)

PC Hill as we know it does not mean Philippine Constabulary but Pedro Colina Hill.  Pedro Colina was how the Spaniards baptized a man known as Mokolina.  In those days it was difficult to pronounce the name of the man, but he had a son named Kolina.  This man was referred to as Mo Kolina, meaning the father of Kolina.  Mo is the equivalent of Mac or Fitz which means son of.  The Spaniards always have a first name and a surname so they must have thought that Pedro is a good choice for a name.

Pedro Colina is a direct descendant of Mamalu who lived in Banobo (near crossing Simuay).  Mamalu is one of three siblings named Ado, Amil and Salabanun.  Amil and Salabanun converted to Islam when Shariff Kabunsuan came; Ado did not convert and sidestepped to Tawan-tawan.  Tawan-tawan is PC Hill.

When Shariff Kabunsuan asked Amil and Salabanun where Ado is, they told him he is in Tawan-tawan.  Shariff Kabunsuan instructed Amil and Salabanun to bring Ado the Quran and some cooked rice to conduct a kanduli (prayer).  Amil and Salabanun did not tell Ado what the rice was for; because they believed that once Ado will eat the rice he will already become a Muslim.  They told Ado that the rice was their baon (packed meal).

Ado received the Quran, separated the pages and tossed it to the wind.  Immediately the pages became wild doves (Teduray – lamugén;  Visayan – alimukon).  Ado declared that the lamugén will be his Quran or Bible, some sort of reference for spiritual messages. 

Generations after, to this day every time the lamugén will make a sound, we believe there is a message.  There are eight (8) sounds that bring bad news; and four (4) that bring good news.  They also see what direction the sound comes from; and the best news is when the sound comes from directly over one’s head.

Along with the Quran and the rice, Amil and Salabanun also gave Ado a pencil.  Ado broke the pencil into several parts and threw it to the ground.  Immediately when it touched the soil it became térékték (lizards).  The térékték are also messengers, so that if they make a sound before you leave for somewhere, better reschedule or something will happen along the way.

Amil and Salabanun called Ado Mamalu, because he was not baptized into Islam; and that he was uncircumcised.  Malo-malo in Maguindanao means not full-fledged.

Being a descendant of Mamalu, Mokolina oversaw the sulagad of the tribe.  The sulagad is the communal farm.  It stretches from Tawan-tawan, south to Kroon Slongon (now Gov Guttierez Avenue; same call it old airport) and west to térbér (now Esteros).

It was a time when the Teduray were flourishing in numbers.  They already had many fagarí (suki or constant customers).  The first tabú (exchange of goods) was done in Daobab (original name of Tamontaka.  It is at the lower stream from what is now the Datu Odin municipal sub-office beside the bridge).  Many boats docked at Daobab.

The first Catholic Church was built at the time of Roales, a retired Spanish soldier who planted more coconuts.  He originally docked in Bongo Island; but when he saw Kusiong (it was not yet named such then), he thought it was a better place to settle in.

Roales also brought with him his nephews, Martinez and Blanco.  He also brought with him workers from Luzon, most of whom were prisoners of the Spanish government.  Roales also traded at Daobab.  Life was harmonious in those times among the Tedurays, the Maguindanaon and the Chinese.

The Teduray continued to flourish.  The tribal governance was established in Awang by Diwan as Timuay.  Bandara was his Titay Bleyen (deputy) while Tumanggung was the fagilidan (justice officer).  The installation of the Baglalan (Council of Elders) was also done in Awang.

Olubalang was in charge of defense.  The fénguléntifén took care of the coastal area; while the féngimbururén took care of the banks of Pulangi.

When the Americans came, they made Diwan the President of the Cotabato Empire.  He was the Tribal Leader, whom the Maguindanaons also have a deep respect.  The Maguindanaons in those times respected the Teduray.  The title of the datu only came later.  ‘Presidente’ Diwan settled many conflicts.

An American by the name of Irving Edwards married a Teduray lady from the Tenorio family.  Upi was not the center before.  Edwards established a settlement school in 1919, what is now known as Upi Agricultural School (UAS).  Tedurays were paid ten centavos per day to cut through mountain rock using chisels, picks and shovels.  So you now have a road from Awang, Labungan, Kibleg.

* * * * * *

As told to Aveen Acuña-Gulo, IPDEV

Nuro, Upi, Maguindanao

21 November 2014

(This story is the property and ownership of the Teduray People.  Kindly cite proper reference when quoting.  Fiyo Bagi).

So It's Only The First? How the 1st IP Cultural Festival Came To Be

1^ST IP CULTURAL FESTIVAL

Notre Dame University, Cotabato City

29 October 2014

Background:

(Deliver in Filipino)

Fiyo Teresang!

(Greet VIPs: Atty Benny Bacani-IAG, Miriam Fischer-KAS, Yvonne Brynner-GIZ, Datu Antonio Kinoc-MILF, Col Dickson Hermoso-6ID, Comm Froilyn Mendoza-BTC, Titay Bleyen Santos Unsad-TJG, Atty Rasol Mitmug-DES-ARMM, Lt Col Arthur Biyo-1MBde)

The idea of having an IP Cultural Festival came only in the last year of IPDEV operations.  Meaning, it was not part of the original project design; but an offshoot of so many small activities that highlighted the indigenous skills, systems and practices of the IPs in Mainland ARMM.

It would be nice to talk of the Cultural Festival by talking first about the IP Communications Group or IPComm for short.  The IPComm is a small group of representatives from the Teduray, Lambangian, Dulangan Manobo and Higaonon who serve as messengers of crucial information to their respective communities. 

The IPComm was a communication strategy that was built on the constraints of conducting the conventional media campaigns using radio, television, print and the internet which normally entails substantial expense.  This realization came when IPDEV supported a Tribal Solidarity March to Mt Firis in October 2012, where the first major Kanduli (Prayer Ritual) was held on their Sacred Place after armed men who occupied it since the year 2000 have already left. 

Invitations were circulated through email, radio announcements and text messages; knowing fully well that many of the 80-IPDEV covered barangays do not have access to radio and cellular phones. 

When at least seven hundred people – men, women, children, babies -- came to join the Kanduli in a place where most non-IPs find difficult to climb, this lighted a bulb in our minds that there must be an indigenous way of spreading messages across the ancestral domains.

The Framework Agreement on the Bangsamoro (FAB) had just been signed that time and the translation that reached the IP communities was for them to vacate their lands because non-IPs are reclaiming it for themselves; that IPs could no longer raise pigs as it is not allowed under the Bangsamoro; that leaders down to the barangay level should all be Bangsamoro, among other misleading messages that clearly are not in the agreement.

What if tables were turned around?  If others are not listening to what the IPs are saying, then maybe can the IPs can listen to what everybody else is saying and relay that to the community?

Thus the IPComm Group was born.  It did not have a proper name at first; but the objective was clear.  There are important messages and information that the community needs to know as objectively and as timely as possible without being tied up to whether they have radio and cellphones or not.

IPComm members have had earlier para-legal training on the different legal framework for Indigenous Peoples i.e. UNDRIP, IPRA, MMA 241, DILG MC on IPMR, FPIC among others. 

The unwritten rule was to share the message to one’s immediate circle of influence:  And this is no other than the family – spouses, children, brothers, sisters, uncles, aunties, grandparents.  Being so eloquent in sharing information to PTAs, sanggunians, associations, organizations that one is affiliated with can only be effective if members of the family also know what one is talking about, especially if the issue at hand is self-determination and assertion.  This is building on what the IP communities already have: themselves. 

Communicating the issues affecting the IPs cannot be solely the burden of the few who are working on the Certificate of Ancestral Domain Title (CADT).  The rest have to continue rebuilding the forests, reviving the soil, reclaiming the land and redeeming cultural pride.

The IPComm Group thought that showcasing this work can start small with a cultural festival; one that they can call their own even without the presence of IPDEV and other external movers.  After thorough examination, there was a realization that there hasn’t been one like this in recent history, where indigenous knowledge, systems and practices of four tribes are showcased in one occasion in Cotabato City or even Maguindanao. 

So they tasked it upon themselves to organize, mobilize, and finally have the very 1^st-Ever IP Cultural Festival conducted.  The four IP tribes Teduray, Lambangian, Dulangan Manobo & Higaonon are represented in seven (7) clusters, bringing with them treasures of their domains like houses, household and farm implements, ways of preparing food, hunting, games, conflict settlements, chanting, clothing, musical instruments, farm products, and more. 

You will notice that the chairs [here in the gym] are arranged in a circular manner.  This is a glimpse of an IP community, where people are gathered, but nobody is seated higher than the rest.  Life goes on altogether – merrymaking, settling conflict, exchanging goods.  On the sides are the elders, observing and waiting to be consulted with their gifts of wisdom and providing guidance.

Whether the same content will be repeated in a year or two, only time – which is a friend of Indigenous Wisdom – will tell.

We thank all the generous hearts and kindred spirits that made this festival possible: to Fr Charlie Inzon OMI NDU President for providing such a spacious venue; to Gov Hataman for the prizes for the Best Paratech and Best Farm Lot awardees; to DSWD AsecO Rahima Alba and Datu Abdullah Sangki Mayor Miriam Mangudadatu for more prizes; to Upi Mayor Ramon Piang for Rayray Band; to South Upi Mayor Abdullah Campong and Wao Mayor Balicao for the dumptrucks.  

Documenting this occasion in photos and videos are dynamic Teduray young men Ricky Batitao and Frederic Lorenzo who were trained by no less than iWatch Producer Fr Ponpon Vasquez OMI; and our very own IPDEV in-house walking library of indigenous knowledge Thata Cornelio Martin.

So while we are here, let’s have an eye for mystery for whatever unique thing we see.  Each tribe has his own language, calling for example one household item entirely different names.  Each house has its own design, using distinct construction materials.  Each tribe has its own stories of suffering and joy, of lessons and dreams.  Let us listen with our hearts.

May this 1^st-Ever IP Cultural Festival be an enriching experience to all of us.

Meuyag!

Aveen Acuña-Gulo

Project Manager, IPDEV

###

Indigenous Peoples in the ARMM in A Prism

I got a request from Al-Qalam Institute of the Ateneo de Davao University to write an article for an upcoming book that is a "special publication on matters concerning the Bangsamoro and the peace process.  It is primarily designed to complement the mission of ADDU by disseminating its advocacies for peace in Mindanao."

* * * * *

(This article will try to translate existing information into everyday language, keeping technical terms to a minimum.  It is hoped that the general public will have in their consciousness the Indigenous Peoples in the ARMM; and through time, enable all of us to have better understanding on the issue.  Consequently, those who will become duty holders in the long run, will make more appropriate responses, far better than my generation did).

Background:

The story of the Indigenous Peoples in the ARMM deserves a second and third look – and better yet, a thorough scrutiny. 

First, not much is known about them: who they are, how many are they, where they live, how they live, what are their needs, beliefs and aspirations.  Conflicting accounts of their numbers during, say for example, disaster-induced displacement, lead to humanitarian aid for individuals who are nowhere to be found; thus landing on unscrupulous hands.  

The same is true for development interventions where decision-makers generally create market-driven needs instead of finding out the actual needs of the IPs.  Projects end up functioning only for six months, one year for a lot of reasons – could be low literacy coupled with local government units who are concerned mainly with high-visibility-low-impact (HVLI) projects, among others.

Oral accounts on the lives of the IPs are abundant as it is colourful; and the need to have their indigenous skills, system and practices (IKSPs) written down becomes imperative as their ancestral domains are continuously reduced due to unabated encroachment – encroachment that is sometimes sponsored or tolerated by the duty-holder itself: the state at all levels.

As is its nature, oral accounts come in different versions.  The most telling of which is the story of Mamalu and Tabunaway[1], siblings who could either be brothers, brother and/or sister, older or younger, Islamized or non-Islamized, depending on which tribe is telling the story.  The story of the siblinghood is often invoked so that the aggrieved party will just keep quiet and wait for his rightful shares which have yet to materialize despite assurances[2].

Researches on several aspects of their societies are also rare and relatively unknown, if available. 

Information Gaps

These are some of the questions that the IPDEV[3] Project wanted to answer.  Survey[4] findings showed that there four major IP groups in Mainland ARMM (Maguindanao and Lanao del Sur).  These are the Teduray, Lambangian, Dulangan Manobo and Higaonon.  There 117,189 IP Individuals[5] in 80 barangays within the ancestral domain claim (self-delineated) of 309,720[6] hectares which includes coastal waters. 

A proper delineation of boundaries that only the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP) can conduct will only mean two things: that the claim will be increased or reduced.  In indigenous wisdom, boundaries are points of cooperation. Since government has yet to join their acts together to recognize these boundaries, it is in effect the main factor that cooperation cannot materialize.

While the Teduray, Lambangian, Dulangan Manobo are indigenous to the area, the Higaonon are migrant IP workers to Wao, Lanao del Sur along with 17 other IP groups.

To the IPs, land is life.  It is the same land that is connected to the air and the forests which in turn nurture the plants, the animals and everything else that sustains life.  It is their source of food, their school, their pharmacy, their place of worship[7].  Take away the land from the IP and you take away their life.  To the IP, land is owned by the tribe and cannot be owned by individuals or groups of individuals, and that the only time one measures land is when he will be buried in it[8].

Recommendations

The points that I put here are based on experiences while implementing the IPDEV Project.  Some of it are reflections of my own; and I know time will prove or disprove what I have written here. I take sole responsibility for whatever inaccuracies that are in here.

I have also observed that one thing is missing in many of the dialogues: time.  Most of us have the tendency to mix the past, the present and the future altogether.  What was applicable during immemorial times may not be the case today or in the future.  Maybe it would be good to factor in time as we talk about recommendations; along with values of compassion, sharing, respect for nature which transcend time.

IPRA is a Peace Agreement.  Let us not forget that Republic Act 8371 is the peace agreement of the Philippine Government with the Indigenous Peoples.  It is a peace agreement that was forged after 11 years not through a united armed confrontation with government but on the battleground of congress.  Passed in 1997, it was hoped to address the historical injustices committed against the indigenous peoples, to address violations against their four bundles of rights[9].

Political Will.  If there’s a will, there’s a way.  IPRA as a national law applies to all regions in the Philippines, including the ARMM.  While it was applied in Basilan, it was not applied in Maguindanao.  What made it possible in Basilan that was not made possible in Maguindanao is also an issue that needs political will to resolve.  And even if IPRA has defects, all peoples in the ARMM regardless of tribe and religious affiliation are citizens of the Republic of the Philippines thus should be given the same basic services such as education and health accorded to other, more dominant societies.

Governance, Transparency & Accountability.  Governance can only be effective when there is wide participation among peoples and not confined to a few families.  Those who are already in power can leave a legacy by making this crucial piece of information known to and understood by its constituents with the best peace-building strategy known: education.   

As governance cannot be separated from transparency and accountability, transparency can only mean anything if the greater majority know what to look for; and in the same breadth, accountability can also mean anything if the greater majority also know how to count.  In simple terms, those who are in government should focus all their energies on making their people know how to read, write and count.  Preventing their people to learn how to read, write and count is a sure-fire way of propagating confusion and consequently produce more self-induced problems.

Government as duty holders.  Government need not go around in circles trying to solve problems if it is mindful of its duties.  Relegating its duties to non-government organizations, civil society organizations, churches and donors is tantamount to abandonment of duty.  “The key thing to remember is that donors need [government] more that [government] needs them.  That is a reality and once government realizes that, it can start to get the best from them.  Donors will never coordinate themselves.  It is like asking a group of poachers to arrange a set of rules for hunting.  The referee has to be government; and once government understands that it really does have the power, and backs it up with a clear strategy, [it] will get the best out of the donors.  Actually, lo and behold, the donors will start to behave[10].” 

In the context of the ARMM, the proliferation of NGOs, CSOs, donors and faith-based organizations filling in the gaps on basic services is an indicator that government has not been in control, much less, fulfilling its duties for a long time.

Loyalty of Members of Government.  Apparently the loyalty of government has shifted from the common good (citizenry which include the IPs) towards his own good or that of his immediate family.  This lack of concern for collective good always translated to a turnover of government officials & public servants who will make personal use of resources that are not theirs in the first place.

Culture cannot be legislated.  Our country has a penchant for not implementing laws passed in previous administrations.  It is also notorious for implementing good laws badly; then pass more laws to address bad implementation.  In recent history[11], this is probably what happened to the Tripoli Agreement, then the law creating the ARMM, then the expanded ARMM, then the Final Peace Agreement, and now the Bangsamoro Basic Law. 

The case of the IPs in the ARMM is a case of both victims of war and victims of peace.  The distrust on whether government will be able to fulfill what it has written into law is not without basis.  IPs were the faceless recruits into both rebel groups and government troops who were sent to the frontlines and if they came back alive, did not get anything from the spoils of war. 

After 38,000 hectares of prime forests on IP ancestral lands was logged with the signing of the 1996 GRP-MNLF Peace Agreement, the IPs did not receive any protection from its own local government units or even from the Armed Forces of the Philippines – they were left to fend for themselves.  After IPs were driven out of their ancestral lands in all-out-wars, they had no place to go back to as these had already been converted to sugar, banana, rubber or african palm plantations.

The peace talks as an excuse not to implement existing laws.  It is public knowledge that Conflict-Affected Mindanao (CAM) is also a hotbed for crimes ranging from gun-running, drugs, smuggling, timber poaching, cattle rustling, land markets, human trafficking.  Many line agencies continue to exist waiting to function only once the new political entity will be in place.

With no major industry to boast of, Cotabato City is host to one of only three Central Banks in Mindanao.  Foreign aid is still to be accounted for and the lure of foreign investment on contested lands is already dividing fragmented communities some more.

Isolation as Insulation.  The non-implementation of IPRA in the ARMM in a way also insulated the IPs in the ARMM from the bad implementation in non-ARMM areas.  Bad implementation include issuance of permits for extractive industries such as logging, mining, monocrop plantations without the benefit of Free Prior Informed Consent (FPIC); non-IPs getting certificates that they are IPs so that they can avail of scholarships or enlistment to the military; IP leaders exchanging their lands for millions in royalties that are misspent due to lack of financial management skills; among others.  The opening up of ancestral lands belly up to foreign utilization may be an anti-thesis to self-determination.

The Philippines is a signatory to UNDRIP.  Again our country is an active member in the family of nations.  How this all translates to justice for all on the ground may not be seen in the next decade or two.  Will the duty-holders who made life difficult for lost generations be there to answer for their lack of wisdom?  Will a national apology suffice by the time the consciousness reaches the minds of policy makers and implementers? 

As only the strong can admit its weakness, I hope that we are brave enough to face these questions and prove that another law and another political entity is not another failed experiment; nor another lost opportunity.

Cotabato City

11 November 2014

_ _ _ _

Aveen Acuña-Gulo has worked with the United Nations under different programs since 1998 (IOM, UN-MDP, UN Volunteers, UN-World Food Programme).  When this was written, she was the Project Manager of IPDEV, a three-year EU-assisted project for the recognition and empowerment of indigenous peoples in the ARMM.  IPDEV is implemented by the consortium of Konrad Adenauer Stiftung, Institute for Autonomy and Governance and Development Consultants.  The views expressed here are the author’s and do not necessarily reflect the views of the EU, KAS, IAG and DEVCON. 

She wrote a column “The Voice” for the Mindanao Cross from 1991-2006; she also worked as a DJ on DXOL-FM and has a musical range from rock to classical. 

She likes to challenge stereotypes.  

“Don’t worry about my opinions,” she says.  “It won’t make a dent to the conventional." 

---

[1] Hilario, 2013.

[2] IPDEV, RTD 2013.

[3] Recognition of the Rights of the Indigenous Peoples in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao for their Empowerment and Sustainable Development, an three-year EU assisted capacity-building project implemented by a consortium of the Institute for Autonomy and Governance (IAG), Konrad Adenauer Stiftung (KAS) and Development Consultants (DEVCON)

[4] Conducted from August 2012 – February 2013.  See http://www.iag.org.ph/index.php/ipdevnews/538-read-the-indigenous-peoples-of-mainland-armm

[6] Broken down as follows: Teduray - 183,899 hectares, Lambangian - 25,967 hectares, and Dulangan - 6,075 hectares.  The Higaonon have no ancestral domain claim in Wao, Lanao del Sur having migrated from the province of Bukidnon.

[7] http://www.scribd.com/doc/228769417/To-Indigenous-Eyes-Forests-are-THE-Resource

[8] RTD, IPDEV, 2013

[9] Right to Ancestral Domains; Right to Cultural Right to Self-Governance; and Right to Social Justice & Human Rights

[10] "Beware of Donors" - Nigel Robert, Author, 2013 World Development Report (Topic: International Perspectives on the Economics of Post-Conflict Reconstruction); delivered during the High Summit on Security Sector Transformation at the Ateneo de Davao, Sept 25, 2013

[11] Minoritization of the IPs in the Philippines can be traced back to colonization. You may also want to see: http://www.scribd.com/doc/121775772/Rodil-1994-Minoritization-of-Indigenous-Communities-MindanaoSulu-pdf