Manobos protest cemetery desecration

I am the son of Datu Kitbadbad, aka Santiago Tiambong Jr., tribal leader of a Manobo tribe in the towns of Tubay and Santiago, province of Agusan del Norte. I requested a friend to write this letter for us, because I finished only Grade 3.

In December 2010, a mining firm bulldozed and desecrated the Manobo-Mamanwa ancestral “Kalasunahan cemetery” located in Barangay Tagmamarkay, Tubay, Agusan del Norte without prior clearance from our lumad in the area and from the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP). The law prohibits the “disturbance” of the “holy place” of indigenous peoples (IPs). We filed a complaint against ousted Caraga NCIP regional director Jake Tumagan, but until now we have not received any reply.

About 50 of our forefathers were buried in that cemetery (built in 1920). I learned later that the mining firm, in connivance with a barangay official, misled the “katutubo” into believing that the memorial ground was to be used for a barangay road.

We also would like to bring to the attention of the concerned authorities that this mining firm, which purchased the original Mineral Production Sharing Agreement (MPSA) from another company, was given a mining permit without consultation with and approval of our people. The permit disregarded the Certificate of Ancestral Domain Title (CADT) issued in the name of my father. Until now, we haven’t received any word about this firm’s CSR (corporate social responsibility) programs—about the law-mandated 2-percent or 5-percent share of the IPs and if there are jobs for us.

In 1970, a similar cemetery in Barangay Kasapa, La Paz, Agusan del Sur was likewise totally destroyed by a logging company (Celco). Fortunately for the relatives of those who were buried there, they were paid by the firm and the remains of their ancestors were transferred to a different place. In contrast, our cemetery is now a garage for the heavy machinery of the mining firm and no single centavo has been given to the affected tribe.

I pray that the government initiate moves to give justice to our forefathers whose remains have been desecrated and to make sure that the destroyed cemetery be replaced with a decent one, that we be given fair compensation for the damage, and that we be provided with decent employment.

—JULIUS TIAMBONG, Purok 2, Barangay San Isidro, Santiago, Agusan del Norte