STATEMENT OF FROILYN MENDOZA, LUMAD REPRESENTATIVE TO THE TRANSITION COMMISSION, ON THE ANNEX ON REVENUE GENERATION AND WEALTH SHARING

18 July 2013

My Beloved Indigenous Community within and outside the core area of Bangsamoro, I attended a forum yesterday organized by IAG where the Annex on Wealth Sharing was discussed. This is part of the Framework Agreement on the Bangsamoro (FAB) that would serve as guide for the Transition Commission members in drafting the Bangsamoro Basic Laws (BBL). Just like the earlier contents of the FAB, there is no involvement of the Indigenous Peoples in the Wealth Sharing. It was never mentioned in the annex signed by the Government of the Philippines (GPH) and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF). Clearly, the FAB and the Annex on Wealth Sharing is silent on the Indigenous Communities.

While the division, partition and tax imposition on the natural resources of the Bangsamoro has been discussed as guidance for the Annex, I still look for the principles of the Indigenous Communities – principles that has been transferred and shared by my Ancestors. I am an indigenous person and I remain true to the perspective as IP; this is why I looked at every page of the Annex on Wealth Sharing and looked for words that tell about protecting Mother Earth. There is no such statement in the stipulated partition and tax imposition that mentioned about it. It is sad and alarming if this would be the basis of the Bangsamoro Economic package. Would this mean to say that we will be opening the Bangsamoro to a comprehensive and wide-scale mining that would consequently destroy our Mother Nature? We have depended on Nature for the longest time, now it is our Nature who depends on us; And now, “Mother Earth is in great pain and agony.”

Maintaining a good relationship between people with their environmental space is important in our principles – something that may be simple but it is noble, a proof that the Indigenous communities continuously put into practice their “felindagan” or cosmos, “ke etew” or identity.

There was a consultation conducted together with the different tribal leaders within and outside the core areas of the Bangsamoro to get their initial understanding pertaining the Bangsamoro Basic Law. They looked into the basic principles and policies, rights of the Indigenous peoples, scope of power for institutions to be installed within and outside the core areas, relationship of the Bangsamoro to the National Government, revenue generation and wealth sharing, ancestral domain, and the administration of justice. There is a continuous process of consultations, getting and accommodating suggestions on these important matters.

There is a strong call from the Indigenous Communities to: Recognize the distinct identity of the Indigenous Communities within and outside the core areas, including the recognition of one important component and that is the Ancestral Domain and their inherent rights. These are the important components that has been left silent in FAB and the Annexes. If this would be granted with clarity, then the Indigenous Communities will have a clear understanding on the system of partition of the natural resources.

Meanwhile, there are important questions that need to be answered:

• How will the Indigenous Communities view the different development projects that will enter within their Ancestral Domain?

• How will the native title be treated as well as the rights of the Indigenous Communities pertaining to this? It is clear as stated in the Framework Agreement on the Bangsamoro (FAB) that the drafting of the Bangsamoro Basic Law shall agree on the International guidelines such of that stipulated on the United Nation Declaration on the Rights of the Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) and the International Labor Organization (ILO) 169. These laws are implemented or observed in the Philippines through the Indigenous Peoples’ Rights Act (IPRA). According to the law, the Indigenous Communities has royalty share and priority rights including the free and prior informed consent on any development projects that will enter especially to their Ancestral Domains.

I want to end this silence. I want to search for answers to the questions and apprehensions relating to this very important discussion because the future of the Indigenous Communities will not be far different from what they have experienced under R.A 9054, if this will not be given clarity in the Bangsamoro Basic Law.

Respectfully yours,
FROILYN TENORIO MENDOZA
INDIGENOUS PEOPLE REPRESENTATIVE IN THE BANGSAMORO TRANSITION COMMISSION

TAGALOG ORIGINAL VERSION

18 July 2013

Mga Minamahal kong Katutubong pamayanan sa loob at labas ng core area,

Dumalo ako sa isang forum kahapon na inorganisa ng IAG at pinag-usapan ang Annex on Wealth Sharing o paraan ng hatian ng yaman sa loob ng Bangsamoro. Ito ay bahagi ng Framework Agreement on the Bangsamoro (FAB) at magsisilbing gabay ng mga komisyoner ng Bangsamoro Transition Commission sa pagsulat ng panukalang Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL). Tulad ng dati, kung sa FAB hindi malinaw ang ugnayan ng Katutubong pamayanan sa napakahalagang usapin ng Wealth Sharing ay mas lalong walang nabanggit sa annex na pinirmahan ng Government of the Philippines (GPH) at Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF). Bagamat buo na ang FAB at Annex on Wealth Sharing, walang nasabi tungkol sa Katutubong pamayanan. Ito ang malinaw.

Habang pinag uusapan ang hatian at pagbubuwis sa likas na yaman ng Bangsamoro, nanatili akong nakakapit ng mahigpit sa mga prinsipyong pinanghahawakan ng mga Katutubong pamayanan: mga prinsipyong isinalin at ikinuwento sa akin na iniwan ng aking mga ninuno. Marahil dahil katutubo ako ay iba ang aking pananaw. Hinahanap ko sa bawat pahina ng Annex on Wealth Sharing kung may mga titik ba na nagsasabi sa pagpapahalaga sa Inang Kalikasan. Subalit wala: wala sa lahat ng nakasulat tungkol sa hatian, pagbubuwis at kita na mababasa dito. Nakakalungkot at nakakapangangamba kung ito ang magiging pamantayan ng magiging economic package ng Bangsamoro. Ibig ba sabihin nito, bubuksan na natin ang Bangsamoro sa malawakang pagmimina at kalaunan pagkasira ng Inang Kalikasan? Kung noon, umaasa tayo sa kalikasan. Ngayon, ang kalikasan ang umaasa sa atin. “Mother earth is now in great pain and agony”.

Ganun pa man, ang tanging natitira na lamang ay buhay pa ang mga prinsipyo at paniniwalang sa simple ngunit marangal na buhay ay mahalaga ang pagpanatili sa maayos na relasyon ng tao sa kanyang kapaligiran hangang sa kalawakan. Patunay dito ang patuloy na pagsasabuhay ng Katutubong pamayanan ng kanilang “felindagan” o cosmos, “ke etew” o pagkatao at identity.

Nagdaos ng konsultasyon kasama ang mga lider katutubo sa loob at labas ng core areas ng Bangsamoro upang makuha ang mga paunang pag iisip tungkol sa Bangsamoro Basic Law. Sinilip ang mga usapin tungkol sa mga batayang prinsipyo at polisiya, karapatan ng mga katutubo, kapangyarihan ng mabubuong pamahalaan sa loob at labas ng core areas, relasyon ng Bangsamoro sa National Government, revenue generation at wealth sharing, ancestral domain, at administration of justice. Patuloy ang proseso ng pagkuha at pagtanggap ng mga panukalang probiso at pagdaos ng mga konsultasyon upang pag usapan ang mga ito.

Malakas ang panawagan ng Katutubong pamayanan na dapat:

Kilalanin ang natatanging pagkatao o identity ng mga katutubo sa loob at labas ng core areas, kasama sa pagkilalang ito ang pinaka-mahalangang usapin tungkol sa lupaing ninuno, at ang kanilang inherent rights. Ito ang mga usapin na nanatiling tahimik sa FAB at annexes. Kapag ito ay nabigyang linaw, magiging malinaw din sa katutubo ang sistema ng hatian ng yaman.

Mga tanong na naghihingi ng kasagutan:

Paano ba tinitingnan ng katutubo ang mga pumapasok na development projects sa kanyang lupaing ninuno?

Paano ba tinitingnan ang usapin ng “native title” at ang mga batas na meron na at ang karapatan ng katutubo hinggil dito? Malinaw na sinasabi sa FAB na ang pagbalangkas ng Bangsamoro Basic Law ay dapat umayon sa mga pandaigdigang pamantayan katulad ng United Nation Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) at ILO 169. Makikita ang pagpapatupad nito sa Pilipinas sa pamamagitan ng IPRA. Sinasabi ng batas na ang katutubo ay mayrong royalty share at priority rights kasama ang free and prior informed consent sa kung ano mang pumapasok na mga developement projects lalo na sa konteksto ng lupaing ninuno ng mga katutubo.

Gusto ko basagin ang katahimikang ito. Gusto ko hanapan ng kasagutan ang mga tanong at pag-aalinlangan sa napakahalangang usapin na ito dahil hindi nalalayo ang kapalaran ng Katutubong pamayanan sa RA9054 kung hindi ito mabibigyan ng linaw sa Bangsamoro Basic Law.

Gumagalang,

FROILYN TENORIO MENDOZA
KINATAWAN NG KATUTUBONG PAMAYANAN SA BINUONG BANGSAMORO TRANSITION COMMISSION