Page 13 - THEGOLDENLAND 2019-2020

w e r e Mindanao Lumads were forced out
c l o s e of their ancestral fields and 144
n e i g h - extrajudicial murders occurred.
bors.. They have been driven over dec-
B y ades to physically protect them-
1 9 6 0 , selves from plunder and militariza-
Lumad tion.
l a n d s They have established
w e r e schools in their communities to
dominat- enable them to understand modern
ed by bull- land tenure, providing young adults
d o z e r s , and youth with insight into how
cranes and their rights, property, and cultural
gi- ant trucks. Thus, during protection can be safeguarded.
the modern times, concerns about However, while these
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Lumads were focused on the devel- schools always represented a
Who are the Lumad? rights of indigenous cultural com- opment projects, which threaten to threat, President Duterte has taken
In 1982, August 9 marks the municates within the framework of remove them from their homelands. the unprecedented step by leading
first meeting of the UN Working national unity and development. To protect this, Indigenous People’s the Education Department to close
Group on Indigenous Populations Furthermore, R.A. 8371 or The In- Rights Act (IPRA) of 1997 was leg- them, encouraging the killing and
of the Sub-Commission on the Pro- digenous People’s Rights further islated to protect the ancestral arrest of Lumad teachers, which
motion and Protection of Human extends their rights to their ances- lands by the cultural communities. still go unpunished.
Rights to dedicate this special day tral domains. There are thousands of
to all indigenous peoples (IP), their The two principal ethnic On the face of violence and dis- Lumad activists arrested and tor-
human rights, languages, ancient groups comprise several indige- crimination tured in the history of violence and
histories, and rich cultures, and the nous tribes from uplands and low- They remain discriminated the unjustified extrajudicial murders
Philippines is no exemption. lands who live in the Philippines – against to date and are considered by the military, paramilitaries and
It's no wonder that the coun- from the north to the south. The private security forces. In the Min-
try contains a number of indige- natives in the northern part of the one of the world's poorest minority danao region, 56% of the Philippine
groups. They have no access to
nous people or ethnic groups, with nation are known as the Igorots, adequate and suitable forms of military was deployed.
over 7,600 islands and three large while the native non-Muslims in the social services such as health and Nowadays, many of the
island groups. There are indige- south are called the Lumads. education. According to the United Lumad have found protection and
nous tribes among the present The Lumad are the largest Nations, the Philippines is one of shelter in evacuation centers where
communities of the archipelago, IP in the Philippines. It means the countries which has facilitated they and other war victims are
consisting of various cultural prac- “native” or “indigenous” in Bisaya. the mass mining of foreign compa- crowded into small areas without
tices, traditions and groups, that Lumad was adopted to distinguish nies and other destructive projects sufficient sanitation and food and
have succeeded, despite non- them from the other Mindanaons, that displaced many Lumad com- are being abused and threatened,
recognition and marginalization, in Moro or Christian. Its usage was munities from their ancestral lands. including by local police forces.
maintaining their cultural identity. accepted during the Cory Admin- Other violations on their human In this celebration of the
IP settlements are remote istration when R.A. 6734, the word World's Indigenous People, may the
and deprived of basic facilities, Lumad was used in Art. XIII sec. 8 rights include the destruction and Lumad be a great example for the
burning down of schools, areal
with a high rate of morbidity, mor- (2) to distinguish these ethnic com- fellow Filipinos to know their worth
tality and malnutrition. They are munities from the Bangsa Moro. bombings, and use of school facili- and contribution to both history and
ties for military operations.
still some of society's poorest, The Lumad people was doc- The Lumad killings in Minda- progress of our country. They do
least privileged and impeded. Their umented as early as the 11th cen- nao in 2015 is one of the most re- not deserve the violence and treat-
residency usually are the moun- tury by the anthropologist, F. Landa cent examples. More than 40,000 ment, which their ancestors have
tains, and thus they have not been Jocano. During the Spanish Re- fought against foreign invaders.
affected by Spanish or American gime, they were called as “infieles.”
colonization. They are one of the Then, Lumads were equally im-
poorest and least favored social portant as that of the Muslims.
groups in the world. Illiteracy, un- Lumads practiced swidden
nybody who arrives in the employment and poverty are far agriculture, depending on land
town at the foot of Mount higher than the rest of the popula- productivity. Communal resource
Isarog can easily recognize tion. sharing, based on the conviction
the
A lonely, white pedestal Nearly 14% of the popula- that land and nature are sacred as
church, located close to the busy tion of the country are indigenous divine doctrines, defines their rela-
market of the city. people. The Philippines has 110 tionship with their environment.
Surprisingly the first and oldest major indigenous communities. They varied in their socio-political
church in Ocampo, built in 1922, is Most of them rely on traditional structures.
the St. Bernard Abbot Parish swidden farming using upland re- They were also led by the
Church. It is in memory of the Abbot gions. Most of this traditional farm- Datus and even joined the Spanish
and Doctor of the Monastery, St. ing sites and fallow areas, however, revolution in the city of Marawi.
Bernard. Raised in the Castle of have now been degraded as the They wandered around the Misamis
Fontaines near Dijon in Burgundy, inflow of migrant farmers is threat- area, harassing and raging the busi-
France, from the noble house. He ened by unsustainable lowland nesses in China and Spain.
had been sent to Chatillon College businesses. However, most indige- Furthermore, the Lumads
at an early age, under the guidance nous inhabitants have no legal resisted the US colonization in Min-
of his devout parents, where he was recognition in their traditional danao. The Lumad landscape
noteworthy for his modesty and countries and are thus denied ac- changed during the American re-
spirit of reminder. cess to other natural resources in gime and later throughout the Com-
He studied theology and the their territories and their right to monwealth. The Blaan Lumads
Sacred Scripture at the same place. carry on their lives freely. gave way to the Dole Pineapple
After his mother died, he decided to These IPs of the Philippines Plantations in the Plains of Tupi
embrace the newly established, very are protected by the Philippine and Polomoloc, for example, in
austere Cistercian institute, which Constitution. Specifically, Section South Cotabato, and the Higaonons
he was destined to be the greatest 22 of Article 2 states that “The and Talaandigs, who prospered 6RXUFH 5DSSOHU
ornament, fearing the snares and State recognizes and promotes the through the plains of Bukidnon,
tentations of the world.
His brothers and several of his
friends also persuaded him to follow
his example. The Holy Abbot, St.
Stephen, was presented at Citeaux
in 1113 with thirty young nobles. He (LG DO-$GKD
made his profession in the following
year after a novitiate spent with
great fervor. His Superior soon after- n August 12. special prayers in various Prophet Abraham to sac- Sacrifice Day was the pending on how the
wards sent him with twelve monks 2019, Monday, large mosques and Is- rifice his son Ishmail, in culmination of the Hajj or moon is apparent, that
to found a new convent which was the President lamic centers around the the form of a dream vi- the Fifth Pillar of Islam, Eid al-Adha will be
then known as the famous Abbey of O r o c l a i m e d world. sion. But God sent Angel Eid al-Adha has particu- opened at various times.
p
Clairavaux, after seeing the great
progress he had made in spiritual throughout The Country Muslims usually Gabriel with an enor- lar significance. This It usually lasts for four
life. the Observance of Eid’l wearing new cloths and mous ram while he was annual pilgrimage to days, although a public
Saint Bernard was immediately Adha (Feast Of Sacrifice) exchanging donations, sacrificing his son. Abra- Makkah and Madinah in holiday lasts for nines
appointed Abbot and the active life as a Regular Holiday by while children, including ham was told by Gabriel Saudi Arabia is only an days in some Arab coun-
which made him the most remarka- virtue of the Proclama- college students, have that the vision of his obligation for men and tries. More than 6 billion
ble figure in 12th century history
began. He founded many other con- tion No. 789. The Philip- fun and take a day off dream had come true, women who can carry people are praying for
vents, composed a number of works pines though known as from school. There are and he instructed his son out this pilgrimage once holy festivals throughout
and made numerous journeys to the only Christian nation still many Muslims that to sacrifice the ram for a a year physically a n d the world during hours of
God's honor. He was offered several all over Asia, also recog- day who don't work. ransom. Chapter 37 financially. daylight.
bishoprics, but he rejected all of nizes the chief presence The Prophet of Islam, of the Holy Qur'an The event A special prayer,
them. and value of the Islamic Muhammad, is claimed contains the narra- starts on 11 Au- called the Salat al-Eid,
St. Bernard 's reputation spread
far and wide. His advice was even community in the history to have told us that when tive. gust and ends on 1 5 and a Dhuhr prayer at
applied to the Popes. He was or- and culture of country. asked about the origins Owing to the fact August in four midday are recited in the
dered to preach the second crucifix- Eid al-Adha, or the of Eid al-Adha, "It's a that the days. morning. Families and
ion by Papal Eugene III. He passed feast of sacrifice, is ob- tradition coming down to The Islamic friends often meet for
through France and Germany in obe- served for three or four us from Abraham." calendar is l u - parties, celebrate and
dience to the Sovereign Pontiff and days by Muslims around The feast of sacrifice nar, which arrange meals for com-
ignited among people the greatest
interest in the Holy War. The expedi- the world as a major dates from the his- m e a n s , de- munity groups and
tion's failure caused a great uproar h o l i d a y . Many Mus- toric event t h a t mosques.
against the saint, but it was due to lims will engage in God or- dered
Crusaders' sins.
The gift of miracles was espe-
cially bestowed upon St. Bernard.
On 20 August 1153 he died. It is
August 20, its festival day.