THE TALAANDIG, a subtribe of the Banwaon tribe, are among 110 groups of indigenous peoples in the Philippines. The Talaandig (approximate population: 100,000) are mostly concentrated in the northern and western part of Bukidnon province.

The ancestral domain of the Talaandig is marked by the Mt. Kitanglad range whose highest peak of 2,938 meters above sea level is found in Dulangdulang Mountain. The Mt. Kitanglad range covers some 47,270 hectares and the Talaandig consider the area their "remaining marker" from which their history emanates.

The peak of Dulangdulang was where Apu Agbilin, the ancestor of the Talaandig people, took refuge during a great flood thousands of years ago, said Datu Victorino Migketay Saway, citing oral history.

To the Talaandig, the Mt. Kitanglad range is also an important watershed where many rivers begin.

"If there's no Mt. Kitanglad, there's no Talaandig," Saway told ECO, a newsletter of an alliance of environmental groups monitoring developments under the UN Convention on Biological Diversity.

The Talaandig used to practice a traditional rotation method of farming. But this changed after logging was introduced in the community in the 1970s. Although some still practice rotational upland farming, others have embarked on high-value crop production for the market.

Some also still hunt wild game and gather honey, which they sell to lowlanders. They also sell or barter woven handicrafts with other communities.

All resource activities before such as hunting and gathering were regulated by laws that came from religious beliefs, and extended to everything, including economic and political life, according to Saway.

These customary laws governed and regulated the cultural practices and traditions of the Talaandig community. But these customary laws weakened after foreign concepts of law and government were imposed, Saway said.

He said the "foreign" laws permitted massive logging and the collection of forest products for business.

"Under the new laws, many of our activities became illegal and destructive activities became legal," he said. "For example, the environment office legally gives licenses to cut trees and issues logging permits. It is very ironic, as the institution that is supposed to protect the environment actually destroys it. They 'legally' destroy millions of trees. But when one of our community members destroys only one tree, he is sent to court. It is 'illegal' for us to use even abandoned logs," he said.

The Talaandig are among the indigenous peoples in the Philippines who are asserting that their customary laws apply to local governance. They are also asserting the right of indigenous peoples to free and prior informed consent before any development or undertaking is done in their communities.