CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY, March 3, 2011—The government peace negotiating panel yesterday welcomed the decision of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) to conduct consultations with various constituencies in Mindanao, saying such moves is in keeping with both parties’ desire to maintain transparency in the negotiations.
“The Government Negotiating Panel for talks with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front congratulates and welcomes the decision of the MILF Negotiating Panel to conduct consultations with various constituencies in
Mindanao, especially indigenous peoples, civil society and business groups. This is certainly in keeping with the desire of both panels to maintain transparency in the negotiations enough to encourage public discussions on the substantive issues,” said Dean Marvic Leonen, chair of the government peace panel, in a statement emailed to TIGABLITA.
The MILF recently reported that it will be conducting a series of consultations with leaders of the indigenous peoples within the territory of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) to update them about the negotiations.
Jun Mantawil, head of the MILF Secretariat, said that the consultation will be a venue for an “in-depth discussion of issues to concretize their understanding of the process and how they fit in to support it” as the
peace process also affects the lives and future of the lumads.
However, only about five percent of the total IP population in Mindanao is in the ARMM. Also, only two IP groups are in the ARMM—the Tiduray and Lambangian. Majority of the lumads are in Bukidnon, Surigao, Agusan, Zamboanga and Davao provinces.
One of the member of the government peace panel is of Tiduray stock from North Upi, Maguindanao province—Dr. Ronald Adamat, who is also a commissioner in the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP).
While originally animists when Islam arrived in the Philippines through Sarip Kabungsuwan and Rajah Baginda in 1475 and Christianity in 1521 through Ferdinand Magellan, some lumads were converted to Islam while others to Christianity.
“Of all the IP tribes, the Tiduray has the number biggest number of converts to Islam, followed by Subanen, then by B’laan, and Tiboli. Many of those Moros in South Cotabato, Sarangani, and Sultan Kudarat have B’laan blood in their veins,” a report in the MILF website said.
Like other Filipinos, the lumads also want the talks will continue and succeed.
“We are hoping that the talks will continue so that will continue discussing how to solve our problems,” said Jomorito “Datu Inbanwag” Goaynon, a Higaonon chairperson of the Kalumbay Regional Lumad Organization
based in Bukidnon.
Kalumbay counts as members hundreds of lumad peoples irregardless of tribe from the provinces of Misamis Oriental, Bukidnon, Agusan del Sur and Agusan del Norte and even from the Davao provinces. (Bong D. Fabe)
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