Indigenous Tribes of the Philippines

[Ate buang]

Hi everyone,
I'm new here and I want to know if anyone knows anything about indigenous tribes in Central Luzon and their migration patterns. My family is from Pagbilao, Quezon and I was born in Manila. I've been trying to research my roots but I cannot find any info about the people that used to live there. If anyone has any bit of info that will help me please let it all out.
SALAMAT!!!

[Mercato]

Originally Posted by athan

I thought SriVijaya really covered the Philippine archipelago. Cos it's from them that the Visayas islands were named; and where we got our influences of Sanskrit in our language and old literature, not to mention Hindu practices and old Java customs.

I always held the belief, I could be wrong, that the Sri Vijaya covered most of present day Visayas, hence our name.

I also want to learn more about my Pintado ancestors, the tattooed warriors or the ancestors of Lapulapu et al. What were they like and so on. What manner of Alibata did they use, if at all? Was there only one standard Alibata or did it have variants scattered across 7,100 islands?

The only clue I have is that there is a shrinking tribe in Brunei who also goes by the name Bisaya...

[Animo]

Scholar says Negritos are the ‘original Filipinos’

By Vincent Cabreza
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 23:11:00 02/12/2008

Filed Under: indigenous people, Regional authorities

BAGUIO CITY – All these years, school teachers have taught Filipino children that Filipinos belong to the Malay stock.

Now comes a language scholar, who has authored influential studies about Cordillera and other Philippine languages for almost 50 years, who says that linguistic, archaeological and anthropological findings collected through the years prove that this assertion may have been wrong.

Based on a comprehensive study of Philippine languages and dialects, Dr. Lawrence Reid, a New Zealand-born researcher emeritus of the University of Hawaii, dates the indigenous and mainstream Filipino to Taiwan about 4,500 years ago.

Reid says the people Filipinos call “indigenous” today are themselves immigrants to the country and have become a minority that has been marginalized by the state.

He says the “original Filipinos” everyone refers to are actually the Negritos who are all but extinct in the country of their birth.

Reid has developed an influential body of work on Philippine languages – with the Ivatan language in the 1960s, a contribution to the Tasaday debate in the 1980s, and recently, with online dictionaries of a Mt. Province dialect that he speaks fluently.

In 2006, he was honored at the 10th International Conference on Austronesian Linguistics in Palawan.

Uninformed

In a paper, entitled “Who are the Indigenous? Origins and Transformations,” he presented to the First International Conference on Cordillera Studies held last week at the University of the Philippines Baguio, Reid asked the government to correct websites that contain “uninformed and grossly amateurish statements about the cultural minorities.”

The most prominent site Reid poked fun at belongs to the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP), the agency tasked to administer, supervise and grant ancestral land titles to indigenous Filipinos.

“There we find materials that have apparently been taken from popular descriptions and old, long outdated history books that refer to the multiple migration hypotheses of Dr. H. Otley Beyer, the leading Philippine ethnologist of his day, and which I am told is commonly taught in Philippine schools today,” he says.

He says the NCIP profiles the Ifugao as “descendants of the first wave of Malay immigrants to the country.” The Kalinga are said to be descendants of the second group of Malays who came to the islands.

“The Ibaloi are described as ‘peaceful, hardworking, and hospitable tribesmen. They are generally fair in complexion and have well-developed bodies, usually standing four to five feet above in height, have medium and narrow noses and some have broad flat noses,’” he says.

“Attention to the shape of the nose is also mentioned for the Kallahan (or Ikalahan),” he says, as well as the Bugkalot, the Yogad of Isabela and the Ivatan of Batanes.

“Absurd and completely unscientific descriptions such as these are internationally read, and not only give completely erroneous descriptions of Philippine indigenous groups, but cast a very poor light on the level of Philippine scholarship,” he says.

Who does the indigenous Filipino take after?

Reid says: “It is simply not true that the ancestors of Ifugaos or any Cordilleran peoples or of the Tagalogs or other lowland groups are descendants of the original inhabitants of the Philippines.”

“When your ancestors first arrived in these islands, they were not unoccupied. They were occupied by maybe hundreds of groups of Negritos, most of who have been completely assimilated or have died out,” he says.

He says scientists have located 25 present-day groups of Negrito stock who still thrive, although they are on the brink of extinction themselves.

Reid says the latest United Nations policy subscribes to the definition that indigenous peoples are “original inhabitants of a country, who inhabited the present territory of a country, at a time when persons of a different culture or ethnic origin arrived there.”

Negritos are “the true first Filipinos” who date back to 50,000 years, he says, while the Ifugao ancestors who reputedly built the world heritage enshrined rice terraces appeared to have arrived only 4,000 years ago “as their first colonizers.”

“It is these first Filipinos who are the most downtrodden and socially marginalized of all Filipinos, and most in need of urgent action to enable them to survive in this society,” he says.

The Cordillera no longer hosts Negrito tribes, although Reid says anthropologists have found evidence that Alta Negritos of the Sierra Madre used to thrive in the Ifugao mountains.

Citing the discovery of ancient pottery shards in a cave in Itbayat, Batanes by archaeologist Peter Bellwood of the Australian National University, Reid says strong evidence “marks [the first colonizers] as being part of a Neolithic culture that existed in southwest Taiwan and [who] spread south from there into the Batanes islands and Northern Luzon.”

He says the artifact supports irrefutable linguistic evidence debunking the “pre-scientific myth that Philippine languages are somehow corrupted versions of Malay, as a result of multiple migrations from the south.”

[manila_eye]

Originally Posted by limbay

The above picture was taken from my website, without giving appropriate credit...
Not a decent way to deal with the intellectual property of other people...

Worse than that, the picture is used in a wrong context, as it does not show
Arumanen-Manuvu but Tigwa Manobo from San Fernando, Bukidnon. The Tigwa Manobo would
not like it at all to be sold as Arumanen Manobo...

More accuracy, please...

Here is the link of my website, which is, first of all,
dealing with Mindanao tribal music and culture:

http://brandeis.home.pages.de
http://aedv.cs.tu-berlin.de/~brandei...stracts-e.html

::

Wow... and still up to date wala pa ring credit sayo.

[Mercato]

credits to mitchlastima

[Mercato]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1OzQZ...e=channel_page

credits to 3rdworldvoice

[renell]

^ I haven't watched the full video, but take no notice of Mr. Quinto's skin, he looks and sounds like every other probinsyano in Central Luzon.

Of course that may be a bad thing if you want to preserve a unique culture. Then again these people need to live life like normal Filipinos so they have to act like such

[hecky12]

Originally Posted by Louman

The ones I know off...

Laguna Copperplate reveals people have lived in the area as early as 900 AD.

yup. napanood ko ito.. ito ang magpapatunay na may pilipino na nuon pa!

[hecky12]

http://www.tingguian.com/

tribe in Abra.

[mwg12a]

Question: Are the tasadays and mangyans are still surviving? I mean they are still around?

[kiretoce]

Go look in the mirror, you'll see one.




Just kidding! Peace to all mankind!

[kiretoce]

Muslims up in arms against discrimination

During her junior year at the Universidad de Zamboanga (UZ), nursing student Mirza Guldam was asked to wear a short-sleeved white frock and nurses' cap as she prepared for hands-on training at the hospital owned by her school in Zamboanga City.

This was all seemingly standard procedure, except for what turned out to be a much deeper problem.

Guldam, along with half of her batchmates, were Muslim women and by being asked to wear something "standard", they were in fact being forced to violate the teachings of Islam by exposing more skin than was allowed under their religion. Worse, they were not allowed to wear their sacred veils, the "hijab."

"It is very painful. On my part, it was the first time I removed my veil and every time I go to duty, I feel a burden in my heart, there is also fear, like we are being deprived of our right to use our veil. We cannot perform our skills very well in nursing because we are not used to remove our veils and interact with those patients, so there’s a lot of pain in our hearts," Guldam said, recalling the incident last year.

Now a graduating nursing student, Guldam said the trauma of being forced to take off her hijab is still fresh in her mind.

There are reportedly no mechanisms to penalize discriminatory practices against religious and ethnic groups, and incident reports or complaints are few. "[As for] official documents, we have not received any formal complaints, but there might be some cases that these are not documented," said Datu Tahir Sinsuat Lidasan, Jr., Director of the Bureau of External Relations of the Office of Muslim Affairs (OMA).

He added that the closest body monitoring instances of discrimination is the Commission on Human Rights (CHR), which takes formal complaints such as warrantless arrests of Muslims who are automatically suspected to being behind bombings or kidnappings. The OMA, meanwhile, provides legal assistance to Muslims who were victims of human rights violations.

Congress

AMIN Party List Rep. Mujiv Hataman along with his colleagues Algamar Latiph and Raissa Jajurie, drafted the Anti-Discrimination Bill (House Bill No. 3012), which penalizes discriminatory acts such refusing to provide employment, education, delivery of goods and services, as well as accommodation based on religious or ethnic biases.

Should the bill be passed into law, the CHR, OMA and the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP), will be tasked to prevent or deter acts of discrimination and "to provide the procedures for resolution, settlement, or prosecution of acts of discrimination." It also calls for the creation of an Equal Opportunity Committee to be established in every agency.

The bill punishes those found guilty with jail terms of 30 days to up to six months and fines of P10,000 to P100,000 depending on the gravity of the offense.

House Bill 3012 passed the third reading in Congress on November 17 last year. Sen. Manuel Villar (Senate Bill 2888) and Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV (Senate Bill 2001) filed these with the Senate Cultural Communities Committee headed by Sen. Jamby Madrigal, who said that a public hearing will be conducted on the three bills "at the soonest possible time" and that the bills will be consolidated.

"There is a need for a policy that will define and criminalize discrimination of persons based on religious belief and ethnic origin. I support the bill. However, as committee chairperson, we will have to hear the opinion of those who oppose the bill as part of the legislative process," she said.

According to Madrigal, strong provisions of the bill include the fact that it defines, specifies, and penalizes discrimination, and that it provides equal opportunities for all, whether Moro, Muslim, or indigenous people.

Jukuy pointed out that the struggle to remove prejudice, a product of ignorance and misinformation, cannot be cured by the Anti-Discrimination Bill alone. "It cannot be done overnight, it cannot be cured by a simple Anti-Discrimination Bill," she said. "But then, if we don't start with [the bill], where will we start?"

Understanding Islam

Warina Jukuy, a peace advocate and member of the Philippine Alliance of Human Rights Advocates (PAHRA), explains that the hijab is an integral part of a Muslim woman's life.

"For Muslims, excepting the face, and the hands, all are considered private. If you compel us to take off our hijab, and expose our hair, it is tantamount to exposing our private parts. To put it bluntly, you are asking us to take off our unmentionables, our panties. That is how grave it is, with the hijab, so I think any reasonable person would really understand if it can only be explained that way, the impact of taking off their veil," she said.

Upon reaching puberty, Muslim women wear veils and clothing that cover all body parts except the face, hands, and feet as an act of virtue and modesty, especially in the presence of other males beyond family members. Islam teachings pervade all aspects of a Muslim's life, and in the case of women, conforming to the Islamic dress code is one of the ways that they can follow Allah's teachings.

However, some of the hospitals reasoned that the veil was dirty and could become a vehicle to transmit microorganisms to patients. It would also not conform to the standard nurse's cap and uniform.

Further, Guldam said that, mostly out of ignorance about their religion than anything else, Clinical Instructors (CI) discouraged the wearing of hijab because patients would allegedly become scared or traumatized when they see some of the nurses wearing veils since they would instantly think of terrorists.

Fearing for their grades or being too shy to question the policy, some Muslim students took to bringing along spare hijabs, just to prove it was clean. Some even dropped out from nursing duty in hospitals that disallowed them from wearing their veils. Gamson Quiano, Vice President of the Muslim Students Association (MSA) and a senior Radiologic Technology student, said even Muslim students taking up dentistry, hotel and restaurant management, and medical technology were affected by the no-hijab policy.

Campaign

The MSA, as well as a group of lawyers led by Jukuy, set up a "Hijab Forum" in April 2008 to dispel myths about the hijab like its alleged dirtiness or the idea that patients would be traumatized when seeing the hijab-wearing nurses.

"In fact, Florence Nightingale also wore a veil, and long sleeves, and [a gown] right up to the soles of her feet. So the principle here of nursing is not about the dress code, it is about nurturing. If you can work as efficiently as you can with the hijab, then why take it off?" Jukuy argued.

The forum was attended by various students from the city's schools like Ateneo de Zamboanga, but only a handful of hospital administrators and school officials came. The group made a resolution upholding the right to wear hijab and submitted it to Zamboanga 1st District Rep. Maria Isabelle Climaco, who has yet to respond.

In July last year, the group wrote a flurry of letters to Zamboanga City hospitals and schools decrying fallacies about the hijab and questioning the no-hijab policy. The group feverishly worked to enlighten hospital and school administrations, as well as Muslim students, that the hijab was not simply a fashion choice, but an "inalienable and substantive right" to practice their religion.

On August 26, 2008, Commission on Higher Education (CHED) Officer-in-Charge Dr. Nona S. Ricafort issued a memorandum directing all higher education institutions (HEIs) to give "utmost respect and consideration" to concerned Muslim nursing students on wearing the hijab "provided that infection control and aseptic techniques are observed." The memo was circulated by CHED Region 9 (Zamboanga Peninsula) on September 9, 2008.

Universidad de Zamboanga, whose president is a Muslim, immediately allowed nursing students to wear their veils at the school-owned University de Zamboanga Hospital. The Zamboanga City Medical Center (formerly the Zamboanga General Hospital), meanwhile, allowed nurses to wear hijab in certain areas except in the Operating Room and Delivery Room.

However, despite the CHED Memo and pressure from student organizations and concerned groups, most other schools and hospitals in the city still do not allow the wearing of hijab, including the Western Mindanao State University, the Ciudad Medical Center, Camp Navarro General Hospital, Brent Hospital and Colleges, and the Southern Command hospital, among others.

As a small concession, some of these schools allowed nursing students to go on community duty instead of hospital duty, where they are not allowed to wear their veils.

Other forms of discrimination

Professionals like Samira Gutoc, a freelance journalist and co-founder of the Young Moro Professionals Network (YMPN), attest that the hijab prejudice and other biases are not confined to schools, but to the workplace and normal daily routines.

"After college, I wanted to apply for a broadcasting career, so I was wearing my veil, and I applied to all broadcasting companies and other major companies in Metro Manila. Most of them asked if I could remove my veil," Gutoc said.

Even in taking cabs, "Sometimes it takes you longer and I have to ask friends to wave a taxi for me," she continued.

The YMPN, a network of professionals around the world, monitors and collects incident reports of discrimination against members of the Muslim community.

"Most of the incidents that are shared to us are from job applicants in Metro Manila. The incidents are students who cannot get into a dormitory because they are Muslims, and then job applicants who have to change their names.

She added that some Muslims are constrained from practicing their religion in the workplace because they sometimes cannot observe religious holidays and they do not have access to public prayer areas or they cannot pray five times a day, an Islamic practice. They also do not have access to restaurants or places serving halal meals, which consist of meat that should have been cut by a Muslim person invoking the name of God using a knife that should not have touched pork.

Gutoc also said that the slow-moving proposal to construct a mosque in UP Diliman, a center for academic and religious freedom, is another instance where Muslims are alienated.

UP student regent Shahana Abdulwahid, however, clarified that the mosque construction at the Diliman campus was delayed mainly because of the lack of funds and the need to comply with certain legal requirements ordered by the Department of Justice (DOJ), which had issued a document saying that the University cannot prohibit the construction of a mosque since other churches are present in the campus.

She admitted, however, that one of the "incidental concerns" of the university was that "suspicious elements" would enter the campus should the mosque be constructed. Abdulwahid said, however, that the UP Diliman Muslim Students Association is working hard to obtain future funding for the mosque.

Some Muslims also find finding homes difficult at times. Tarhata Sumayan-Mapandi, Technical Education and Skills Development Authority Director in Lanao del Sur, tried to buy a house in a Cagayan de Oro subdivision on October 6, 2006, but was turned away by a real estate agent from Gran Europa La Buena Vida II allegedly because she was a Muslim. The real estate agent reportedly told her to ask another person, a Christian, to buy the house for her instead. Mapandi asked the management to explain this policy, but was not entertained.

Two years later, on October 23, 2008, Mapandi and her sister, upon inquiring about available Johndorf Ventures units, were told by a sales agent at a housing fair at Limketkai Mall in Cagayan de Oro that units were closed. However, when the two asked their brother-in-law to inquire about the same housing units, he was readily accommodated.

Stereotypes

Media organizations are partly to blame for these prejudices. A telling instance was when a tabloid, Bulgar ran a story in its August 1, 1992 issue implying that Muslims worshipped pigs as their god, the reason why they refused to eat pork and other animals especially during Ramadan.

The issue reached the Supreme Court (SC), but was dismissed in an SC decision dated January 28, 2003, which stated that the report did not constitute libel because it did not name specific persons, clearing publishers of all criminal liability.

However, in his dissenting opinion, SC Justice Antonio Carpio argued that the issue was not libel but rather what constitutes protected speech. The Bulgar report, Carpio said, was humiliating, and disrespected the dignity and constitutionally-protected human rights of the Muslims.

Carpio supported the claim of the private respondents that the newspaper article "which asserts that Muslims worship the pig as their god, was published with intent to humiliate and disparage Muslims and cast insult on Islam as a religion in this country."

The Anak Mindanao Party-List (AMIN) cited a 2005 Pulse Asia survey which showed that 55% of respondents think that Muslims "are more prone to run amok", 47% think that they are terrorists or extremists. The study concluded that "a considerable percentage of Filipinos (33% to 39%) are biased against Muslims."

[kiretoce]

Four outstanding Filipino Muslims

Abobacar Tocalo, Musa Sanguila, Dr. Macapado Muslim, and Sultan Ashary Maongco are four men who might not have much else in common except that they are Muslims and Minda-nawans. They are individuals who have excelled not because of power and influence, but due to diligence, discipline, faith and passion, and the support and encouragement of family and friends.

Abobacar Tocalo of Kalilangan, Bukidnon, is the first Muslim student to head the Supreme Student Council of Central Mindanao University (CMU) in Maramag, Bukidnon. Abobacar, taking up civil engineering, was the president of the Young Muslim Student Union and sat in the Supreme Student Council representing his fellow Muslim students. There are only 19 of them at CMU, but the organization has a chapter at the Bukidnon State University in Malaybalay City as well. Petros Bojo, the outgoing president, encouraged Abobakar to seek the position. Neither Petros nor Abobacar were the favorites of the CMU administration, but Abobacar beat his opponents—on a simple platform of student empowerment.

Musa Sanguila of the interfaith non-government organization (NGO) Pakigdait, recently awarded as Outstanding NGO by the Philippine Army for its being a guide and partner of the Armed Forces of the Philippines in peace-building efforts in Lanao del Norte, puts to shame whatever stereotypes one might have of Muslims—and NGO workers for that matter: Passionate about breaking barriers built on prejudice and fear, and a man in a way that makes even battle-tested army officers treat him as a brother rather than simply a partner in Civil-Military Operations. And like most smokers, nagged by his wife to quit this unhealthy habit.

Dr. Macapado Muslim and Sultan Ashary Maongco, both of whom I met during a too brief visit to Marawi City, are heading two of the most important institutions in the area: Dr. Muslim is the acting president of the Mindanao State University (MSU), while Sultan Ashary Maongco is the general manager of the Lanao del Sur Electric Cooperative (Lasureco).

During a recent Cabinet meeting held in Mindanao, allegations against Dr. Muslim were presented to President Gloria Arroyo. However, only on March 10, 2009, Commissioner Hadja Luningning Misuarez-Umar of the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) expressed the opinion that the seven specific allegations that she, together with two other CHED officials, had looked into “were made simply to harass and discredit the incumbent President. To put stability in the Office of the President of MSU and considering the excellent performance of Dr. Muslim as Acting President of MSU . . . the undersigned is strongly endorsing him to be appointed as a regular President of Mindanao State University with a fixed term.”

While Dr. Muslim had topped the search for president of the university his appointment was downgraded to OIC reportedly to mollify those who were against his appointment.

Dr. Muslim’s parents barely made it to elementary school so the MSU president’s academic and professional accomplishments are little miracles in themselves, especially in Muslim Mindanao where scarcity of opportunities for young people make joining an armed group one of the few career options available.

Low income, low level of education, lack of job and income generating opportunities, settling of conflicts through violent means, and failure of government to address the basic needs of the population are some of the problems plaguing the region.

For Lasureco this means consumers not paying their bills, others making illegal connections, Lasureco personnel being threatened when they try to disconnect, and a P3.8-billion debt that has made it close to impossible to upgrade dilapidated equipment. Yet, GM Maongco—who left a good job in Napocor to join Lasureco—is not deterred. He believes that Lasureco can be turned around and become one of the best performing electric cooperatives in the country—and that Lanao del Sur can become a showcase of Muslim Mindanao.

Stable power supply will improve business opportunities and thus spur economic development. Lasureco’s rehabilitation requires upgrading of human and physical infrastructure, and everybody’s faith in the vision. Professionalism and performance are recognized and rewarded. This is the way ahead not just for Lasureco but for Muslim Min-danao and the entire country.

Abobacar Tocalo, Musa San-guila, Dr. Macapado Muslim and GM Ashary Maongco not only break barriers of prejudice that Christians might have for Muslims, they tell us that Muslim Mindanao can overtake the rest of the country in terms of economic and social development once its people and leaders decide to do so.

[kiretoce]

Eid al-Adhu national observance boosts Muslim identity in mainstream RP society

Untainted obedience to Allah and supreme sacrifice that beget abundance and enlightenment by undertaking the Islamic pillar of faith –the Hajj (pilgrimage to Mecca).

That is the essence of celebrating "Eid al-Adhu," which brings to completion the difficulty-strewn rites of Hajji, known in Indonesia and Malaysia as "Hari Raya Hajj" or the "Feast of Sacrifice."

For the first time in the Philippines, Eid al-Adhu will be commemorated this year by the whole nation with two non-working holidays in November 27 and 28.

This idea of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo was conceived in consultation with ambassador Ameen Wali of Saudi Arabia, which is the custodian of Mecca and the Kaaba center around which millions of supplicants perform the 5th pillar of Islamic faith in the annual journey called Hajj.

Saudi Arabia’s Religious Council calculates the dates of observance of all Islamic feasts based on the lunar calendar and translated to the Gregorian. In 2010, the dates for the Feast of Sacrifice are November 16 to 19.

Muslims know by heart that Eid al-Adhu signifies God’s command for the Prophet Abraham/Ibrahim to sacrifice his firstborn son, Ismael, and how his solemn obedience would soon turn the dry deserts of Mecca into oases of prosperity. (Was it oil that spewed out of the sandy soil of Makka into which Ismail thrust his foot while bewailing his fate after his father Abraham left him and his mother Hagar on a mission from God?)

The addition of the Eid al-Adhu to Islamic celebrations in the Philippines strengthens the intention of Republic Act 9177 of 2002 which originally directed only that the now-familiar Feast of Ramadan or "Eidul Fitr" be observed in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM), and was later updated so that all Philippines would go on holiday and break bread with their Muslim compatriots, even if only in thought, when the fasting month is over.

The President’s latest move reflects her sensitivity to the religious and spiritual concerns of Muslims, and now asks that non-Muslims as well share the act of piety in the spirit of interfaith dialogues that government has been espousing.

With a nationwide observance, the Philippines honors its Islamic heritage and its estimated 10 million Muslims citizens, among the world’s two billion Muslim population.

Ramadan or "sawm", the fourth Islamic pillar of faith, celebrates the time when the Qur’an was revealed to the Prophet Mohamed, a season for sacrifice, humility and patience for Muslims.

Centuries later, Abraham’s descendants would gather at the Kaaba, Islam’s spiritual center in Mecca, for the rites of Hajj that all Muslims fulfill at least once in their lifetime unless prevented by health or finances.

Through the Office of Muslim Affairs (OMA) funds are appropriated to help finance the Hajj pilgrimage of poor Filipino Muslims, which culminates in a sumptuous Feast of Sacrifice.

About 5,000 Filipino Muslims undertake the Hajj each year, some of them sponsored by the Saudi Arabian government.

The story of Abraham’s sacrifice of Ismael, later to be acknowledged as Islam’s forefather, is both in the Qur’an and the Bible, so Christians must also be familiar with this story in the Old Testament.

Like all spiritual journeys, Eid al-Adhu in the Philippines is observed with regular praying as separated family members reunite for the occasion.

One of the sacrifices to be made by adherents, said "balik-Islam" Cecille Kiram, is to eat just one-third of their meals during the reunions and apportion two-thirds to the poor — which is at the same time an expression of "zakat" or alms-giving, still another pillar of the faith.

A visit to the Maharlika Village in nearby Taguig City during Islamic festivals would show an outsider that Filipino Muslims celebrate Eid al-Adhu a bit differently from their counterparts in fundamentalist Iran or conservative Saudi Arabia and Indonesia, or even modern Malaysia.

Kiram, wife of former senatorial candidate W. Kiram of the Sulu Sultanate, said among Muslims in Mindanao, the men and women can pray together though they must do so in separate corners of the mosque or the house.

Praying or "salat" and "shahada" (profession of the faith) complete the five pillars of Islam.

During the Feast of Sacrifice, Muslims pray for forgiveness as they forgive others and release any feelings of enmity and hatred for others.

To be sure, there are no big differences between Muslims and non-Muslims in the standards and practice of their religion and spirituality, said Kiram.

But the Muslims in Mindanao, she claimed, have not been as articulate as other Filipinos in making themselves understood.

President Macapagal-Arroyo’s desire to put Islamic celebrations in the mainstream of Philippine society is "a good sign," said Kiram, who embraced Islam when she married.

[kiretoce]

Filipino Muslims in Libya Establish Consultative Council Aiming at Bringing Filipinos Together

The Filipino Muslim Consultative Council (FMCC) held its induction ceremony for its second set of officers on 17 April 2009 at the Al-Sharq Hall, Tripoli.

This occasion marked another important event in the history of Filipinos in this oil-rich and friendly country, the Great Socialist People's Arab Jamahiriyya (GSPLAJ).

Its first induction of officers was on 16 July 2006 by no less than the President of the Republic of the Philippines, H.E. Gloria Macapagal Arroyo during her state visit to Libya.

The affair was attended by the Ambassadors of some ASEAN countries in Libya, members of the diplomatic corps, businessmen, World Islamic Call Society (WICS) representatives, Libyan friends, other expatriates, and leaders of the Filipino community in Libya.

Hon. Nasser S. Mustafa, Philippine Labor Attaché was designated representative of the Philippine Ambassador to Libya, H.E. Alejandrino Agustin Vicente, who was then in Morocco to present his credentials as non-resident Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary (AEP) to Morocco.

In his message read by Labatt Mustafa, the Ambassador said that "Mindanao is a land of peace-loving people - just like the rest of the Philippines - whose one desire is unity, harmony, peace and progress." He exhorted the officers and members to do their part in helping achieve these ends.

The event showcased the colorful, artistic and diversified culture of Muslims in Mindanao. The attendees were in a festive mood throughout the program, mostly during the cultural presentations. They enjoyed the Filipino delicacies as well.

The new set of officers are: Atty. Haznor L. Mangondaya (Chairman), Dr. Abdelmunir H. Sarail (Vice Chairman), Ustadj Abdul Aziz Ating (Secretary General), Hadja Aisah "Ricon" M. Ampuan (Treasurer) and Mr. Mohammad Tahir Jamail (Auditor).

The tribes' representatives are: Mr. Mohaimen B. Paniorotan, Mr. Abdulkader Dalama, Mr. Ali Diahing, Mr. Sahraman Abdullah, Mr. Numar Usman, Mr. Ammar Abdussalam, Mr. Abdulmubin Dalun and Ms. Maria Alethea R. Nabo.

The advisers are: Mr. Samalio D. Ayaon, Ms. Nadjefah A. Mangondaya, Mr. Hakim Jajimin, Ustadj Awal Ajanti, Mr. Ali Mariwa, Mr. Salongga Ombra and Mr. Mabussin Mariwa. The over-all adviser is Hon. Nasser S. Mustafa.

FMCC was organized by Labatt Mustafa, on instructions from the former Philippine Ambassador to Libya, H.E. Bayani V. Mangibin, who dreamed of putting Mindanao on the world map through a strong and honest Muslim Mindanao monitoring group who will assist in the development of Mindanao and will also help, in case the Libyan government will need support and assistance from the Mindanaoans who are residing in Libya.

The project was dubbed as Multi-Action Program (MAP) for Mindanao, under the slogan "Development through Mutual Consultation."

The council is composed of nine (9) Muslim Filipino tribes and the Balik Islam or new Filipino Muslims. There are thirteen (13) ethno-linguist Muslim tribes in Mindanao, but only nine (9) are represented here in Libya.

Its objectives are: to integrate and unify the Filipino Muslims in Libya regardless of tribal identity; to assist in fostering good relations between the citizens and the government of host country and of the Republic of the Philippines; to promote and foster better relations, mutual understanding, spirit of camaraderie and fellowship among Filipino Muslims and all Filipinos in Libya regardless of tribal identity and religious affiliation; to contribute to the growth and development of Mindanao and the Filipino Muslims residing in Libya; to provide instruments for the career advancement of the Filipino Muslims, especially the graduates of the universities and colleges in Libya; to provide training programs for the Filipino Muslims employed in Libya and their dependents; and to propagate Islamic teachings and Arabic language for Filipino Muslims in Libya and their dependents.

[kiretoce]

Lessons to end Muslim stereotyping

Granada, the last Moorish capital in Spain, was taken by the Catholic monarchs in 1492, the most glorious year of the Reconquista when Granada’s last Muslim ruler, Boabdil, surrendered his kingdom to the Catholic monarchs, Ferdinand II of Aragon and Isabella I of Castile (supposedly the potent union of the pious Isabel and the Machiavellian Ferdinand). Thus ended seven centuries of Muslim rule over virtually the entire Iberian peninsula, which they called Al-Andalus, with cities that boasted of palaces, mosques, gardens, universities, public baths and bustling markets. Historians have spoken of their “courts of justice, central administration, respect for citizens’ private life” that placed Al-Andalus centuries ahead of the rest of Europe of that time. In 1212, the reigning emir built a palace complex called the Alhambra, “al-kalat al-Hamrá” (or “the castle built of red earth,” after the reddish clay found in the Granada valley), which today stands as a fitting reminder of the sophisticated civilization that thrived in Moorish Spain.

The Alhambra was a government center, fortress, and royal residence combined. Built atop a hill, its walled garden, the Generalife, was intended to be a preview of paradise. Its palaces have been described as “ennobled with sublimity and splendor,” the walls and ceilings covered with Islamic verses and adorned with the most intricate ornamentation. Indeed some modern scientists detect a mathematical complexity in the symmetry of the ceramic tile-work, and it is said that the Dutch artist Maurits Escher’s strange geometric drawings were inspired by the Alhambra’s designs. The columns that lined its courtyards were positioned to serve as markers on a sundial, and the rooms were aligned to make the most of the sun in winter and of the shade in summer.

The most distinctive element in the Alhambra is its use of water in reflective pools and fountains, where it is said, even the sound of falling water was intended to be part of the design. It had baths with hot and cold water. It coursed the cold waters flowing from the mountains underneath the floors for “ambient” cooling. And it had lavatories flushed with water, with separate wash basins and ventilation.

I have just left Granada as I write this and I am still awestruck by what I have seen. The past days have been disorienting. Watching Spanish TV, I saw an advertisement for Agujeros de Filipinos, some sort of a chocolate biscuit. The movies showing in town are “Angeles y Demonios” and “Noche en el Museo 2.” It makes me regret that I don’t remember anything from my 12 units of Spanish in college—and I will definitely watch those movies in their English-language original.

And now I understand better why our Spanish colonizers really had this thing about the Moros in Mindanao. I can imagine them, having triumphed at Granada in 1492 and then colonizing our islands in the mid-1500s. They sailed to the outer edge of the known universe, and who do they find? The local comrades of their Moorish protagonists back home! I suppose, for them, this was no local insurgency. It was not as if they had to subdue merely some troublesome natives. They were replaying the centuries-long Reconquista, and securing their triumph from fresh threats in the New World. Thus the urge not just to put down the recalcitrant Moros but to put down their religion as well. And that latter urge is even more compelling, because the conquistadores were up against a religion, nay an Islamic civilization, that had put much of Europe to shame for all of seven centuries.

But historical perspective can teach us yet other lessons. The triumph of the Reconquista, after the initial flush of magnanimity to Muslims and Jews, actually heightened the Inquisition. At around 1492 and soon after, the Grand Inquisitor Tomas de Torquemada expelled 200,000 Jews and persecuted the Muslims through forced baptisms, the burning of Islamic books and a ban on the Arabic language—all this from a faith that taught us to love others as God loved us.

I am convinced that religious wars, deep down, are never really about faith and spirituality. They are about power, plain and simple. Religious causes are merely proxies for the truer, more earthly causes of human strife, and religion just provides the ideological cover and the inspiring call to arms. The sooner we separate the true issues from the false, the better for us all. We could have had a fuller debate on the aborted peace pact with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, which was struck down as unconstitutional. Sadly, in doing so, we merely replaced the obscurantism of religious debate with the self-righteousness of the local brand of constitutionalism. Either way, we never really cut to the real issues: health, shelter, and education for Mindanao’s youth, by securing for them their just share of Mindanao’s wealth.

Conversely, this should also chastise Muslims here and abroad. Take the Alhambra and what it says about the lofty achievements of Islamic culture. Then contrast that to the dominant news that we encounter today. The worldwide death warrant against the writer Salman Rushdie. The Talibans and their bizarre practices. The terrorist attacks in New York, Madrid, and Bali. And, of late, the Abu Sayyaf as nothing but a kidnap-for-ransom gang. Filipino Muslims, especially, should dissociate themselves publicly and categorically from wayward elements that bring dishonor to an enduring religion that deserves better champions.

[kiretoce]

First Muslim Filipino named ambassador to Bahrain

Corazon Yap-Bahjin, the first Muslim Filipino to be appointed ambassador, was confirmed as her coun-try’s head of diplomatic mission in Bahrain after her nomination breezed through the Commission on Appoint-ments in Manila. She will succeed former ambassador Eduardo Pablo M. Maglaya, who held the post from May 2003 until March 2009.

Bahjin’s confirmation on Wednesday makes her the fourth woman to lead a diplomatic mission in Bahrain. Tur-key’s Hilal Baskal made history twice in May 2001 by becoming the first woman ambassador in Bahrain and the first Turkish woman appointed as a diplomatic representative to an Arab country. She was followed in July 2001 by France’s Anita Limido, the first Western female ambassador in Manama, who was replaced, three years later, by another woman, Malika Berak.

Bahjin was born to a small and frugal family in Jolo and graduated cum laude from the University of Santo Tomas in 1967, majoring in English and theology. She obtained her Master of Arts from the University of the Philippines in 1974. After a short career in education, she became acting director of the Cultural Division of the Office of Islamic Af-fairs (now the Office on Muslim Affairs) in 1982 and had her first assignment abroad as vice consul in Jeddah in 1986. She went back to Manila in 1998 and in 1990 she served as second secretary and consul in Amman.

In 1991 she moved to Cairo, where a year later she became the chargé d’affaires. She also served in Bangkok and Beijing. She became the first Muslim woman to be appointed ambassador in 2007 and later foreign affairs under-secretary. According to her biography, published by the Manila Times, Bahjin has a strong work ethic and finds it unsettling when Muslims expect special treatment because of their faith. She says that Muslims must prove that prejudice against them is unwarranted. “We must disabuse non-Muslims of their pre-judgments about us and Muslims have to fight negative stereotypes,” she is quoted as saying. Around 45,000 Filipinos work in Bahrain out of a total expatriate population of 570,000 people.

[kiretoce]

9th ray to RP flag’s sun proposed

Senator Richard J. Gordon wants to add a ninth ray to the sun in the Philippine flag to symbolize the Muslims who fought against foreign invaders.

“Our national flag not only represents principles of sovereignty and solidarity of the Philippine nation, but also embodies the ideals and traditions of the Filipino people developed over the course of national history,” he said in a statement.

Gordon said the Philippine flag symbolizes the nation’s struggle for independence and victory against foreign colonizers.

The three stars in the flag represent the three major geographical divisions of the country: Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao; while the eight rays of the sun represent the eight provinces that revolted against the Spanish regime: Batangas, Bulacan, Cavite, Laguna, Manila, Nueva Ecija, Pampanga, and Tarlac.

Gordon said that behind the stories of the most celebrated names of national heroes who fought for our independence lie the stories of our mostly-forgotten Muslim heroes, including Lapu-Lapu, Sultan Kudarat, and Rajah Sulayman, who displayed courage and integrity.

The senator explained that this is the reason he proposed to add a ninth ray to the sun in the Philippine flag—to acknowledge the courage and integrity of Muslim Filipinos who fought for the nation’s independence.

“Our Muslim heroes left an imprint on national history that, at the very least, must be given due recognition in the most heraldic item of national importance—the Philippine flag,” he said.

Gordon authored Senate Bill 2590, which proposes that the rays of the sun on the Philippine flag be increased from eight to nine, to symbolize the community of Muslim leaders who defended the country from foreign invasion.

“By adding a ninth ray in the sun to represent our Muslim brothers, I think we make ourselves one with them. They are the Filipinos who were very successful in thwarting colonialism in our country,” Gordon said.

[kiretoce]

Aetas in Pampanga awarded first clean title of ancestral domain

Some 454 Aeta families in Pampanga are now the owners of a Certificate of Ancestral Domain Title (CADT) to 7,440.10 hectares of land around Mount Pinatubo.

President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo awarded the title on Wednesday in Floridablanca, Pampanga, together with the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP) in partnership with the Project Development Institute (PDI).

The CADT No. RO3-FLO-1206-057 for the Aetas’ ancestral land comes 12 years after the establishment of the NCIP.

NCIP Region III Director Salong Sunggod said it is the first clean title distributed by the commission.

“All encumbrances on the title have been eliminated and all other claims to the ancestral domain have been segregated and settled. The 454 Aeta families who will benefit will not face any counterclaims after the title is issued to them," he explained.

PDI Executive Director Aurea Miclat-Teves said the approved and declared net land area of 7,440.10 hectares cover the barangays of Mawakat and Nabuklod in Floridablanca, Pampanga, plus a portion of of San Marcelino, Zambales, and a portion of Barangay Batiawan in Subic, Zambales.

Survey work for the CADT started following its approval for processing in December 2006 by the NCIP.

The Project Development Institute, an NGO that has been helping landless farmers and Aeta communities displaced by the 1991 Mount Pinatubo eruption, has been extending full assistance to the Aetas as they underwent the process of securing their entitlement to their ancestral domain.

“Aside from their oral tradition, their actual labor on the land is the enduring proof of the Aetas’ claim over their ancestral domain," said Teves in a press statement. “After acquiring their full rights to their land, the challenge facing the Aetas now is to develop and fully utilize it."

For the Aetas land is the root of their identity and the source of their livelihood. “For them land is life," she added.

The Aetas appreciate the conventional concept of legitimate ownership, which a land title represents. They believe that the most important function of land titles is in providing them security and protection. The recognition of the Floridablanca Aetas’ ancestral domain is a major achievement for indigenous Filipinos.

[baguiowriter]

Lifted from these LINKS:
http://jackcarino.multiply.com/journ...f Native Title
http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/n...8925639&ref=mf


Two of my sisters, Joji and Jill, are presently in New York attending a United Nations conference on Indigenous Peoples. Jill just presented an intervention on behalf of the Ibaloi residents of Baguio City. Here is a copy of her presention...

Eighth Session of the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues

Intervention: On the Marginalization of Indigenous Peoples in Urban Areas and the Cariño Doctrine of Native Title

I would like to draw attention to the plight of indigenous peoples whose ancestral lands have been transformed into cities or urban areas, and in particular, my people, the Ibaloy in Baguio City, Philippines.

This year marks 100 years since the charter / designation of our lands into Baguio City, a hill station for the colonial American government, as well as rest and recreation site for colonial soldiers.One mile radius from Mateo Cariño’s house was expropriated to form the city centre, while his pasturelands were transformed into the John Hay Air Base and recreation centre. Vast tracts of lands were declared as government reservations and rapid urbanization displaced the Ibaloy from our ancestral lands and opened the gates for migrant settlers. Today, the Ibaloy are a marginalized minority in Baguio City. The case of the Ibaloy people of Baguio is internationally significant. Mateo Cariño, my great grandfather asserted his ownership over the land taken by the the American colonial administration and filed a case that reached the US Supreme Court. In a landmark decision penned by Oliver Wendell Jones, the US Supreme Court ruled that “Whatever may have been the technical position of Spain, it does not follow that in the view of the United States, he had lost all rights and was a mere trespasser when the present government seized his lands. The argument to that effect seems to amount to a denial of native titles, throughout an important part of the island of Luzon.

It concludes:

“when as far back as testimony or memory goes, that land has been held by individuals under a claim of private ownership, it will be presumed to have been held in the same way from before the Spanish conquest, and never to have been public land.”

The Cariño decision on native title, established a legal doctrine which is in fact, the foundation of the Philippine Indigenous People’s Rights Act (IPRA), passed in 1997.The law recognizes “ancestral domain,” or ownership of land established through collective memories and custom law, and that for indigenous peoples, land ownership is not given by formal titles, but is claimed by use and inheritance since time immemorial.

Sadly, in Baguio City itself, the Cariño doctrine has never been implemented. Camp John Hay Recreation Base is in the hands of private developers, while many Ibaloi lands remain classified as government reservations.

Worse, there are conspicuous irregularities and anomalies in the processing of ancestral land and domain claims by the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP) in the Philippines. One clear example is the recent issuance by the NCIP of a Certificate of Ancestral Land Title over a 69 hectare lot in Baguio City to bogus claimants over the long-standing claim of the Cariño family. This act of the NCIP is a shame and grave injustice to the Ibaloy of Baguio, a serious violation of native title, a sacrilege to the memory of Mateo Cariño, a mockery of the IPRA and of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.

On behalf of the Ibaloy of Baguio City, – I appeal to the Special Rapporteur on Fundamental Freedoms and Rights of Indigenous Peoples, Atty. James Anaya, to look into this serious violation of human rights, by the very government agency assigned to protect us. As a follow-up to the earlier visit of the Mr. Rudolfo Stavenhagen, who gave cognizance of the special situation or urban indigenous peoples in the Philippines, we call on the UNSR to investigate and recommend corrective measures to uphold the rights of the indigenous Ibaloy people. We direct the same appeal to the Philippine members of the august body. .

Thank you for your kind attention.


Submitted by: Jacqueline K. Cariño, Cordillera Peoples Alliance
Endorsed by: Asia Pacific Indigenous Youth Network
Asia Indigenous Peoples Pact
Others




The 69 hectar lot Jill is referring to above is of course part of the Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI) compound in Santo Tomas. It was and still is referred to as Chuyo by the native Ibalois. Chuyo means a bowl to eat from in Nabaloi. How symbolic if Chuyo is transformed into a garbage dump...