NEWSFLASH

Malaybalay, Bukidnon, Aug. 10, 2000 - Tribal communities on Mt. Katinglad, Bukidnon, are establishing cultural monuments in areas declared under the National Integrated Protected Areas as ancestral domains. The move aims to stop bio-piracy in the areas; preserve the cultural tradition of the people; and, organize and institutionalize indigenous leadership.

Uldarico Javien, officer-in-charge of the anti-piracy program of the Kitanglad Integrated NGOs (KIN), said the tribes themselves have become more vigilant against intrusions into their areas after they saw botanical researchers gather herbal plants for medicine research.

"Bio-piracy occurs when outsiders threaten the intellectual properties of the tribes over their traditional medicinal plants they have used for generations," Javien said.

A report by Commissioner Victorino Saway of the National Commission of Indigenous People (NCIP) recalled one incident that prompted the tribal groups to be on their guard.

He said that a pharmaceutical firm once occupied a worship area for its research. The area was allegedly borrowed from the tribal groups with a promise to utilize the area only for experimentation of quanine trees. Later, they realized that the firm seemed to be staying for good.

The Talaandig community in Mt. Katinglad has come up with several strategies to prevent the same incident from happening again and to avoid rampant encroachment of outside dwellers.

One of these is the establishment of at least nine cultural monuments. Javien said that in the end, they expect to build around 200 cultural monuments to fortify Mt. Katinglad.

The monuments are called bangkasu, or altar. They look like tables where tribal folks put their offerings to their gods.

"What we do is to concretize them," Javien said.

The first of these monuments was built in a hidden spring at the foot of Mt. Apolang within Mt. Katinglad ranges. The altar of the gods who keep honey, bangkasu hu lalawag, marks the traditional worship area of the Talaandig community.

The second monument, the altar of the gods who keep wild animals, was built at the eastern side of Kiabansag mountain.

A third cultural monument was built at Kaatoan, Lantapan. This monument hopes to regain and strengthen a traditional worship area, which is now occupied by the Cinchona Reforestation project.

Javien said that in a wider context, cultural monuments represent the tribal communities struggle for self-governance and empowerment.

It is hoped that these initiatives would give the communities the dignity to live and enjoy the resources that rightfully belong to them. (Madelyn E. Narag, PIA Central, reprinted from Malaya)