Hope in a sea of hopelessness

Amid rampant corruption, a telenovela impeachment trial, the peso’s spiraling devaluation, high prices of gas and food and Filipinos’ continued loss of hope for change, there is reason for hope in South Upi, Maguindanao del Sur: our Teduray and Lambangian brothers have finally secured a historic title to their ancestral lands.

Last week, as secretary general of the Philippine Association for Intercultural Development (PAFID), I joined NCIP Chair Nancy Catamco and BARMM Minister for Indigenous Peoples Affairs Guiamal Abdulrahman at the Tulak Kegeforor (ritual), marking the awarding of a Certificate of Ancestral Domain Title (CADT) for the Teduray and Lambangian, before a cheering crowd of hundreds of lumads.

This event is historic for several reasons: 1) the CADT covers 117,000 hectares, the largest area ever granted to an IP group; 2) it was issued in BARMM’s heartland; 3) it capped more than 20 years of struggle that began before the landmark Indigenous Peoples’ Rights Act (IPRA) and 4) it was achieved against odds many considered impossible.

Like most IP communities, their ancestral domain claim predates RA 8371. The law overturned the colonial concept of land tenure, which held that all untitled land belongs to the State. IPRA recognized IPs’ land rights based on their historical occupation, possession and customary ownership of ancestral territories.

This landmark legislation established the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP) and created a process for IP communities to secure communal titles by defining their territories and demonstrating historical occupation and customary ownership.

According to Teduray and Lambangian Ancestral Domain Claim (TLADC) chairman Alim Bandara, the original claim was filed in 2005 with the OSCC-ARMM, with assistance from the late human rights lawyer Rep. Greg Andolana. It used maps from Dr. Rey Ileto’s master’s thesis at Cornell University, which was published as a book entitled “Maguindanao 1860-1888.”

The long road to success was perilous given competing claims from other groups in the area, the ongoing peace process and the emerging consensus to grant autonomy to the Bangsamoro. There was a perception, even among IP groups, that ancestral domain rights would not be respected in the formulation of the BARMM law.

But they persevered and continued solidarity and peacebuilding efforts with the OSCC-ARMM, OPAPP, MILF, AFP, local governments and civil society organizations. Through their continued efforts, support was eventually secured from ARMM Gov. Mujiv Hataman, Rep. Nancy Catamco and MILF Peace Panel Chief Negotiator Mohaghel Iqbal.

The most challenging part of the ancestral domain claim was producing maps to delineate the extent of the proposed native title.

PAFID, a civil society organization specializing in GIS mapping, provided technical assistance through its Davao office to construct a three-dimensional model identifying the extent of the ancestral domain, train selected local survey teams in GPS instrumentation and conduct ground surveys of the identified ancestral domain territories.

PAFID has assisted numerous communities in securing their CADT, including the Ikalahans in Imugan, Nueva Vizcaya and the Tagbanuas in Coron, Palawan.

The 3D map was completed right after the 2005 filing, but NCIP did not issue the survey authority until a decade later. GPS instrumentation training and delineation followed in 2016, mapping 206,068 hectares.

Their efforts nearly came to naught when the newly established Bangsamoro Transition Authority (BTA) passed BTA Reso 38 in 2019, urging the NCIP to cease and desist from the delineation process and from issuing CADTs. This was one of the transition period’s growing pains, as powers, programs and personnel were transferred from the national government to the newly created BARMM.

The issue was finally resolved when MIPA-BARMM and NCIP signed a memorandum of agreement in early 2025 to collaborate in assisting IP communities in the autonomous region.

The success of our Teduray and Lambangian brothers in securing their 117,000-hectare “lupang ninuno” (ancestral lands) shows that miracles can happen when a well-organized community asserts its rights and works with civil society organizations in an environment where local and national government agencies, along with the BARMM, believe in justice and respect the law.

Getting the CADT is only the first step in their efforts to improve their people’s lives. But as Chairman Alim Bandara said, “Marami pa kaming agam-agam. Una, sa pulitika, masyadong hati ngayon ang pamunuan ng BARMM at maaari pa ring kuwestiyunin ang paggawad. Ikalawa, hindi pa nalulutas ang isyu ng mga kampo ng MILF na ngayon ay nasa loob ng CADT. Ikatlo, maraming may titulong lupa sa loob nito, at dapat na matukoy at ma mapa ang mga ito sa para sa mga programang pagpapaunlad sa loob ng CADT. Ganun pa man, ang mahalaga sa ngayon ay hawak na namin ang titulo.”

(We still have many fears. First, the leadership of BARMM is divided, and some may question the awarding of the CADT. Second, there are MILF camps inside the CADT, and this issue has to be resolved. Third, there are many titled properties within the CADT, and these should be identified and mapped as we develop the area. But what is important is that we now have the title.)

The struggle continues, but yes, there is hope in a sea of hopelessness.

*      *      *

PAFID was recently awarded by the QC government in the 24th Manuel L. Quezon Gawad Parangal Awards for being a “driving force for indigenous rights and cultural integrity and for assisting communities in securing legal recognition and sustainable control over their ancestral domains.”