The Dumagats of Aurora

Some sectors of media have recently trained the spotlight on tribal groups in Aurora province called Dumagats who are said to be of the same origin as the Aetas from Northern Luzon. The Internet says “they are believed to have resulted from a fusion of Austronesian and Melanesian ancestries.”

The Dumagats belong to the ethnic minority and now live in the uplands of Bulacan, Rizal, Laguna, Aurora and Quezon. They used to be semi-nomadic, putting up temporary homes wherever they could find sustenance from hunting, fishing and from crops, fruits and other products from the forest.

Most of them eventually learned to settle permanently in certain areas due to the efforts of missionaries and as a result of their contacts with lowlanders from whom they get occasional jobs, mostly agriculture-related.

The Internet also says there are three types of this ethnic group in Aurora — the Umiray, the Palanan and the Casiguran Dumagat. It is the latter which recently attracted media attention, principally due to the creation of the Aurora Pacific Economic Zone and Freeport Authority (Apeco).

From the very start, Apeco had to contend with severe criticisms that its officials say are largely unfounded. One main accusation is that Apeco has grabbed the ancestral lands of the Dumagats and its establishment has “led to the seizure of large tracts of prime agricultural land.” Allegedly the ecozone would eliminate the livelihood of residents and displace some 3,000 families.

These charges have been categorically denied by Apeco president and CEO Malcolm Sarmiento Jr. who said these are rehashed charges that come up whenever Apeco’s budget is the subject of deliberation in Congress.

Said Sarmiento: “We recognize and respect the Dumagats’ right to their land. We even support their demand for the issuance of Certificates of Ancestral Domain Titles or CADT. We even prioritize them in our projects and they have shown their appreciation in this regard. In the launching last Nov. 22 of some livelihood projects for them and in the groundbreaking for a hotel and several other facilities, some 2,500 Casiguran residents attended these events. They include 181 Dumagat families consisting of some 800 persons.”

Apeco deputy administrator Kent Avestruz also said that an earlier consultation held last March also drew around 3,000 residents from settlements of indigenous people and from various barangays in the town. The consultation included the symbolic signing of a covenant for peace and development in Casiguran.

“Compare this with the reported 120 odd people who are making a supposed anti-Apeco protest march from Casiguran to Metro Manila. The marchers claim they represent 3,000 families. On the average, a family consists of at least five persons, Yet the 2010 census puts the Casiguran population at only 23,865. Hence 3,000 families would mean 15,000 people or some 63 percent of the population, which is incredible,” said Avestruz.

Apeco appears to have won solid backing from the Dumagats. Tuesday last week, four Dumagat chieftains, four tribal leaders, two officers of ethnic groups and four barangay officials went to the Senate in support of Apeco. The chieftains are Joel “Katol” Guerra of Dumagipo settlement who is head of the Council of Dumagat chieftains of Casiguran; Hempok Prado of the Depontian settlement; Tersing Bitagan of Dalugan settlement; and Gemma Florez of Calabigan settlement. Apeco appears to have won solid backing from the Dumagats.

The tribal leaders are Ordilong Angidew, Willy Mendoza and Regina Eneria of Casapsapan, Disigisaw and Depontian settlements, respectively. Another tribal leader, Ely de Pablo, was also with the group.

Also voicing their support for Apeco are Renato Prado, president of Agta, Inc. and Nora Gutierrez, president of the Casiguran Federation of Igorot, Dujmagat and Ilongot residents. They were joined by barangay chairperson Madrona Corbadura and secretary Leony Estevez, both of Barangay Esteves, and Captain Binavidez and Merly Curitana, officials of Barangay Culat and Barangay Cozo, respectively.

The group told members of the Senate media that they would distribute signed affidavits and an open letter to the senators attesting to the real situation in Casiguran.           

There is evidently a battle of credibility between Apeco and its critics. Whichever side can provide concrete benefits to the Dumagats and the other residents, is sure to emerge victorious. 

Apeco offers hundreds of job opportunities in various tourism, commercial, industrial, banking and business process outsourcing establishments in the ecozone, as well as livelihood projects in its agri and aqua techno parks. It has even built a 496-unit Nayong Kalikasan housing project for families affected by development work. It appears therefore, that Apeco holds the upper hand in this regard.

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Is humankind alone in the universe? Hermaneli M. Torrevillas, M.D., author of A Mystical Connection and the Eleventh Hour Before Midnight — sheds new light on this age-old question in his compelling new book, Benevolent Extraterrestrial Guides.

According to the book publisher, Torrevillas’ latest work is “ based on his many personal experiences with extraterrestrials, a number of which coincide with events leading up to the end time prophecies in the Bible. These encounters, according to him, raised many questions and ultimately inspired him to pursue studies of intuitive feelings as well as the psychic phenomena that relate to the mystifying world of the unknown.”

“The voice that talked to me when I was 20 years old, the possession by a spirit when I was 30, the appearance of Jesus Christ in the cloud when I was 48—were these done by extraterrestrial beings? At 75 years, it was clear that benevolent extraterrestrials had guided me through the years. Now I am called to write this book,” the author says.

 Writes the publisher: “Incisive and truly extraordinary, Benevolent Extraterrestrial Guides is both a gripping chronicle of one man’s quest to unlock some of life’s greatest mysteries and a fascinating glimpse into a world that is closed to most people.”

Born on September 19, 1937, H. Torrevillas, M.D. is a retired medical practitioner. He is a Fellow of the Australian Medical Acupuncture College. After graduation from the University of the East Ramon Magsaysay Medical Center in the Philippines in 1966, he worked in the hinterlands in Northern Luzon. His family migrated to Australia in 1976. He worked at hospitals for three years before establishing his private clinic in 1979 until 2010.

For more information on the book, interested parties can log on to www.Xlibris.com.au.

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My e-mail:[email protected]