[Press Release] IP women to PNoy; Bagsak (FAILED) – LRC-KSK-FOE

Koronadal City – 45 Indigenous women leaders coming from 19 tribes and sub-tribes around the country gave the 1st year of PNoy administration a “BAGSAK” for failing to deliver promises made during campaign period and those he made during his first state of the nation address (SONA). The high expectations by the people including Indigenous…

Human Rights Online Philippines

July 25, 2011

4–6 minutes

Benigno Aquino III, Etta Rosales, Hacienda Luisita, Human Right, Indigenous People, Koronadal, Philippine, Press Release

Koronadal City – 45 Indigenous women leaders coming from 19 tribes and sub-tribes around the country gave the 1st year of PNoy administration a “BAGSAK” for failing to deliver promises made during campaign period and those he made during his first state of the nation address (SONA).

The high expectations by the people including Indigenous women stems from the fact that PNoy rose to power with high popularity and support hoping that he could deliver positive steps towards fundamental changes from the nine years of hated and corrupt GMA administration.

The anti corruption efforts of PNoy and appointing to cabinet positions leaders from civil society groups didn’t help maintain his high ratings as latest surveys show. In October 2010 his popularity acceptance was 79%. It drastically went down to 64% in November and much lower this March at 51% (a sharp drop of 13% points).

In a National Gathering of Indigenous Peoples Women held at Christ the King Retreat Center in Koronadal City on 23-24 July 2011, women community leaders reflected and shared their thoughts of their specific conditions under the PNoy administration and agreed that the one year regime failed them of their expectations.

“In his speech in 2010, PNOY said ‘Ngayon, pwede na tayong mangarap.’ (We can now dream.) As women who are in the forefront of struggles, we have always kept our dreams. The more critical question is – do we have an ally in PNOY in moving closer to the fulfilment of our dreams?” asked Judy A. Pasimio of Legal Rights and Natural Resources Center (LRC-Ksk/Friends of the Earth-Phils.), organizer of the gathering in behalf of the indigenous women.

Same fundamental issues

“Bagsak kay wala nya napugngan ang padayon nga pagtaas sa presyo sa mga palaliton, gasolina, bugas kag iban pa namon nga mga inadlaw-adlaw nga panginahanglan,” said T’boli women Amihan Ambag in her local dialect. (He failed to stop the continuing increase of prices of goods, oil, rice and our other daily needs).

“Hanggang ngayon, hindi pa rin kinikilala ang aming mga karapatan sa aming mga lupang ninuno at wala pa ring tulong mula sa pamahalaan upang mapaunlad ang aming mga lupain,” reported one workshop group during the gathering, adding that PNoy failed to stop the encroachment of large scale mining, logging, hydro dam projects and other extractive industries in their ancestral lands. (Until now, our right to our ancestral domains is not yet recognized and there is no help yet from the government so that we can develop our lands).

PNoy also failed to stop militarization in the country sides which resulted in various cases of human rights violations, according the group.

Keynote speaker Beverly Longid of Katribu Partylist explained “food on the table and other basic needs are among the main concerns of most indigenous women, and PNoy failed to address these basic problems one year after his assumption to power”.

“Even PNoy’s 4Ps (Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program), supposedly to address extreme poverty, perpetuate discrimination of indigenous women aside from becoming another source of corruption among officials,” said Longid adding that until now, PNoy hasn’t issued a clear cut policy on Indigenous People’s concerns, much more on women.

Windows of hope

Judith Maranes of the Ibaloi-Kalunguya tribe from Baguio City expressed hope that the National Commission for Indigenous Peoples (NCIP) will deliver this time with the appointment of a progressive Chairperson. Bridgettte Hamada, or Manang Briggs among her peers in the indigenous communities, is an Ifugao who has been part of the struggle for the protection of IP rights.

The women leaders lauded the current leadership of the Commission on Human Rights, in the person of Ms. Etta Rosales, who is expected to act on issues raised by indigenous communities, especially of women who are discriminated and threatened both as an indigenous people and as woman.

It is also envisioned that the peace talks and discussions will open a venue where indigenous women groups can participate and be involved.

“We hope that the peace talks will not just solve these political problems but also address the very issue of the lack of basic social services provided in far-flung areas. We reaffirmed in the sessions that basic needs such as food, education and health needs are not delivered in the poorest of the poor communities,” said.

With the theme “IP women weaving desires together, forging collective strength towards solidarity and genuine changes”, the two-day discussion-workshop’s expected outcome will be formulated into an IP women agenda, to be given to relevant agencies both at the national and local level.###