Muni-muni ng Isang Gala

Mamamayang binaon sa limot Sila na ang buhay ay karugtong ng lupa Nagsumikap buhay ay mapaunlad Kahit kinalimutan ng estadong Siyang nararapat mangangalaga Maraming beses na inalispusta Sa lipunan itinatwa Sila daw ay mangmang at walang alam Kaya't lupain kinamkam At buhay man kinitilan Sila na ang buhay ay karugtong ng lupa Pilit bumabangon At namuhay ng payak at may dignidad Kahit sa limot pilit binabaon Sa loob ng kanilang mga kumunidad Na ilang henerasyon  Minana sa kanilang mga ninuno Kultura, tradisyon, panininwala At sariling pagpapasya ay nilagom Subalit, Sila na ang buhay ay karugtong ng lupa Pilit hinihiwalay Ng mga armado at militar Maging ng mga batas na nagtatanggal Sa kanilang pagkakakilanlan at karapatan Sa kanilang lupaing ninuno. Darating ang araw Sila na ang buhay ay karugtong ng lupa Ay babalikawas sa kinalugmukan Kamao ay itaas At lalaban Sa mapang- api at mangangamkam. *Ang tulan...

The Bal'ian leading the agong players and the delegates for the closing ritual. Six (6) T’duray women, one of the more than twenty groups of Indigenous Peoples in Mindanao, with their colorful traditional dress shook my hand vigorously and a couple embraced me tightly as they arrived at the Upi Agricultural School, the venue of the 6 th Mindanao Peoples’ Peace Summit. Tired from the long habal-habal (motorcycle vehicles) travel and some trekking from the interior communities of South Upi, these women were still all smiles as they proudly showed off their agong (an indigenous musical instrument) to me. They were part of the one hundred twenty-five (125) women delegates out of the three hundred ninety-three (393) total participants to the sixth Mindanao Peoples’ Peace Summit last December 12-16,2010 in Upi,Maguindanao, Mindanao,Philippines. They were the agong players that accompany the Bal’ian (spiritual leader) in the opening and closing rituals. Now on its 10 th year,...

The Mindanao Peoples’ Peace Movement (MPPM) considers the struggle of the Bangsamoro and the Katawhang Lumad (Indigenous Peoples) one of its primary concerns. This is evident in the many venues it provided for the sharing, discussions, fora and summits on the understanding of the right to self-determination of peoples. Exposure programs and exchanges in the tri-people communities were also a constant event to foster further this understanding. Ever since its inception in 2000, MPPM has been consistent in its support of the peoples struggle for their Right to Self-Determination. This manifests in its long running advocacy on the Referendum on the Political Options for Peace in Mindanao. For the tri-people peace movement, the advocacy on the REFERENDUM is its humble contribution in resolving the seeming never-ending conflict in Mindanao in a peaceful and democratic manner. While this mechanism may not yet be too popular in the Philippine context, however, other countries with multi-nati...

The November 23 Maguindanao massacre have shaken many of us. I was in a place with the only access to the outside world is through a 2-channel television when the news of the carnage broke out. Thus, the magnitude of the incident only sinks in the next day when I read it on the papers. A colleague had to make a trip to the City to buy the papers. Scanning the news, a victim’s name from the media caught my attention. A chill ran through me, it was one of our Council of Peoples’ Representatives from the Bagobo tribe, Mr. Napoleon Salaysay, from a local community paper in Cotabato City. I did not have the chance to get to know him fully, but I feel a deep sadness, not only for him but also for the rest of the massacre victims and their grieving families. Like other ordinary citizen, I also felt outraged with the callousness and impunity shown by the perpetrators. When the call from Atty. Harry Roque of CenterLaw Philippines came that his organization is planning to bring in forensic ...

A year ago, I had the chance to be at  site of the infamous Ampatuan massacre. It was a few days after the bodies of the victims have been cleared, yet, the stench of death still clung to the air and the general area as observed by the foreign forensic experts whom we were assisting. I don't have to see the littered bodies of the dead journalists, lawyers, the women of the Mangudadatu family and those other civilians who just happened to be in the convoy on that fateful day of November 23,2009 to not be able to imagine the terror and fear that the victims felt as they rode through the narrow road leading to the hill of Masalay to their deaths. Standing at that hill, I can almost hear the terrified cries and pleas of the victims as they beg for their life as it feel on deaf ears. The barbarism and atrocity were beyond comprehension, yet, the massacre happened. That all too painful day happened. The crime was beyond our wild imaginings and it jerk us to a very harsh re...