EXPLAINER | The plight of Southern Palawan indigenous people to reclaim ancestral land
Marc Nathaniel Servo
From father to son, the indigenous people (IP) on Southern Palawan continues to clamor for their ancestral land.
.png)
Led by the Samahan ng mga Katutubo at Maliit na Mangingisda sa Dulong Timog Palawan (SAMBILOG) - Balik Bugsuk Movement, the displaced communities has been calling for the return of their lands in what they describe as a “historic wrong” and a matter of “transitional justice.”
“The Sambilog-Balik Bugsuk Movement seeks not just the return of the land but the realization of transitional justice for the families who were wronged. These families and their heirs deserve the opportunity to return to their ancestral lands, rebuild their lives, and secure a future for their children,” the petition letter stated.
Proof of identity
Hailing from Borneo, the Molbogs were the early settlers of Balabac, Southern Palawan. Derived from the word “malubog,” meaning murky waters, the Molbogs are known fishermen and subsistence farmers. Due to active trading and inter-marriage with the Tausugs from Mindanao, they became an Islamic community.
The Bugsuk Palaw’an is a subtype of the Palaw’ans living in Southern Palawan. They belong to a larger Manobo-based linguistic group in the country, and is known to be an agrarian tribe.
Both tribes are known for their slash-and-burn style of farming (pagkakaingin), hunting (pangangaso), gathering fish and seashells during lowtide (pangangatihan), and fishing (pangangawil). The shallow waters across Bugsuk and Pandanan are their traditional fishing grounds.
In the 1940s, they began to share the islands of Bugsuk, Pandanan, and Mariahangin with other residents, like the Kagayanens from the island of Cagayancillo, and non-indigenous people from Visayas and othe parts of the country.
History of oppression
In 1974, former president Ferdinand Marcos Sr. granted the disputed lands to his crony, business tycoon Eduardo “Danding” Cojuangco Jr. to set up a seedling nursery of hybrid coconut trees under the premise of the government’s agrarian reform policy.
The policy led to the displacement of around 3,000 families, mostly Molbogs, Palaw’anese, and Kagayanens by force. The inhabitants were reportedly forced to sign blank pieces of paper and threatened to accept money for their remaining crops. With the aid of military, they had no choice but to leave their homes.
Five years later, Eduardo’s sibling Manuel Cojuangco partnered up with French businessman Jacques Branellec to establish the Jewelmer International Corporation—one of the world’s largest south sea pearl producers that led to the alleged committal of grave abuse to the IPs—from land grabbing, shrinking fishing grounds, and gun violence—which exhausted the natives’ livelihood and resources.
In 2000, the SAMBILOG - Balik Bugsuk Movement was established to defend against alleged violence and regain access to their fishing grounds and ancestral land.
Reclamation troubles
SAMBILOG - Balik Bugsuk Movement’s attempts to reclaim land include the filing for a Certificate of Ancestral Domain Title (CADT) by the Molbogs and Pala’wans in the National Commission of Indigenous People (NCIP), and a dialogue with the Balabac LGU and Jewelmer.
The registration for a CADT was approved by the NCIP in year 2000, after a tedious conversion process that involve a series of surveys, reviews, and validation of the land.
However, following the impeachment of President Joseph Estrada, then-vice president and interim head of state Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, by virtue of Executive Order No. 1, has called for the review of approved CADTs. Up to this date, the certification of the ancestral land remains to be pending.
Meanwhile, a dialogue between the IP communities, LGU, and Jewelmer was held in 2003 with no success. After which in 2005, the Balabac municipality has enacted an ordinance that makes the waters of Balabac a protected marine eco-region—preventing access to the fishing grounds and trade routes of the indigenous community. SAMBILOG - Balik Bugsuk Movement once again appealed with the NCIP-Palawan in the same year regarding the ancestral land recognition, but to no avail.
In 2014, the movement launched a protest to clamor for the distribution of Bugsuk lands under the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program Extension with Reforms (CARPER) which led the Department of Agriculture (DA) to put the area under a Notice of Coverage (NOC) in June.
The NOC restricts all ownership in the territory to allow investigations to push through in determining the validity of a CARPER petition. However, a field report on May 2023 revealed that Mariahangin’s soil type is unsuitable for crop production—which Jomly Callon, president of SAMBILOG - Balik Bugsuk Movement, refuted, stating that the group has been cultivating the area with vegetables and fruit trees. The notice was lifted later June 2023 and the registration under CARPER was rejected.
Eco-luxury tourism project?
The lifting of NOC enabled the passage of the proposed Bugsuk Island Eco-Tourism Development Project, a construction led by Bricktree Properties Inc. under San Miguel Corporation (SMC). The 5,567.54-hectare project involves the rehabilitation of an aerodome, airstrip construction, roads, hangars, water and power supply facilities.
DAR staff has reportedly visited the island earlier this year, June 27, stating that they will be demolishing the homes of the indigenous community to begin the construction of an eco-luxury tourism project at Barangay Bugsok, which include Mariahangin island. The construction began two days later.
According to Bricktree Properties’ Environmental Impact Statement (EIC), the company intends to mitigate impact to the locals by providing benefits to residents which include work opportunities and temporary housing.
However, these provisions might not include the indigenous community as they reported armed security personnels, allegedly from Bricktree Properties Inc., harassing them in a sworn testimony to the Commission on Human Rights from September 9-10.
“They harass us. We cannot even sleep because we were worried about what they are going to do with us,” Tarhata Pelayo, resident, said at a September 24 press conference, revealing the use of drones to allegedly surveil the inhabitants.
According to the appeal letter,16 armed masked men allegedly invaded Mariahangin island, firing shots that narrowly missed a child. In addition, 30 out of 158 families in the area reportedly opted to receive payment after experiencing intimidations from armed personnels.
Efforts at present
On August 28, 2024,the indigenous groups sent a letter addressed to President Marcos Jr., seeking his help on providing justice against the long overdue crisis of land ownership.
The message include four provisions to the benefit of the IP community. Firstly, the group urged the President to reverse DAR’s previous decision to lift the NOC, and recognize the validity of historical and ancestral claims of the families displaced.
Secondly, recognition of transitional justice via helping the farmers and their heirs rebuild their lives. Thirdly, suspension of ongoing development project of SMC until consultations and agreements regarding the welfare of the inhabitants were agreed. Lastly, the investigation of human rights violations that happened during the process of forcibly displacing the IPs from their land.
“The decision to remove this land from agrarian reform coverage is a betrayal of the people’s rights… We demand its reversal and the speedy distribution of the land to its rightful owners,” Christian Monsod, the legal counsel of the group stated.
As of writing, the appeal has already reached 1,583 signatories. However, the Malacañang has yet to respond on the letter.