Endangered virgin forests, threatened indigenous peoples in Mindanao

The Pantaron Mountain Range swathes the provinces of Bukidnon, Davao del Norte, Davao del Sur, Misamis Oriental, Agusan del Norte, and Agusan del Sur, covering 1.8 million hectares or 12.4% of the entire Mindanao region.

It is where one of the largest remaining virgin or primary forests in the Philippines is located, supplying the water of major rivers and their tributaries in Mindanao.

It is also where the Talaingod Manobos, the guardians and stewards of Pantaron, live, particularly in the town of Talaingod in Davao del Norte, where a humanitarian mission was conducted.

Talaingod alone has 6,000 hectares of primary forests of Pantaron, making it an important watershed.

It contains valuable dipterocarp forests with some of its hardwood species including Lamotan, Red Lawaan, Iron Wood, and Kamagong, among others.

Breeding site of Philippine eagle

There is high biodiversity and endemicity in Talaingod. The region’s forests link important breeding sites of the Philippine eagle at Mount Kitanglad and Mount Apo, a testament to the immense biodiversity it hosts.

Philippine warty pigs, Philippine deers, civets, Mindanao tarsiers, monkeys, and different hornbills were just some of the diverse wildlife that the locals shared to be living in the forests.

Mammals		Birds		Amphibians
Species	Local Name	Species	Local name	Species	Local name
Monkey	Unggoy	Hornbills species	Kalaw, Kayamutan, Talogkos	Monior lizard	Ibid
Tarsier	Tinokak	Doves	Alimokon	Crocodile	Buwaya
Warty Pig	Baboy ramo	Hawk	Kabogkol	Frogs	Bakbak
Dwarf Pig	Tungkulit	Wild chicken	Kalasmon
Civets	Milo
Forest rat	Umbaw
Deer	Binaw

 

Natural ‘pharmacy’

These forests also serve as the Talaingod Manobos’ natural pharmacy where they source their traditional medicinal and herbal plants.

Scenic spots yet to be commercially exploited, such as the Nabantalan Cave, Mt. Masimalon, the 60-meter Kalapatan Falls, and the seven-hectare Kilomayon Lake are located in these forests.

The Pantaron Range is arguably one of the most conserved and preserved forest ecosystems in the Philippines sustained through the self-governance and active resistance of the Talaingod Manobos.

Defending the ancestral land

In 1993, the Talaingod Manobo datus (leaders) established their indigenous people organization Salugpungan Ta Tanu Igkanugon (Salugpongan), which means “unity in defense of the ancestral domain.”

Datu Doloman Dawsay, tribal leader and spokesperson of Salugpongan, said their organization was established amidst their struggle against the encroaching logging operations of Alcantara and Sons (Alsons) through their Integrated Forest Management Agreement (IFMA).

Consequently, Datu Guibang Apoga, the Talaingod Manobo’s overall tribal chieftain, declared a pangayaw or tribal war against Alsons to protect their communities, ancestral land, and resources from their operations.

They declared that the Pantaron Range and Talaingod are off-limits to destructive projects like logging, mining, and corporate plantations.

Before the pangayaw, Alsons had already ravaged close to 19,000 hectares of centuries-old rainforests on other portions of Pantaron, and the Manobos were beginning to feel the negative effects of deforestation, mono-cropping, and the constant harassment from Alson’s goons.

Since then, large forest areas in Pantaron Range, along with the Manobos’ knowledge of its land and life, were preserved through the persistent and strong resistance and defence of the Talaingod Manobos.

Saving the indigenous community

Today, the indigenous peoples’ way of life in the area is being disrupted by military presence.   

Massive number of military troops were deployed in the Pantaron Range.

In March, a military campaign was conducted in the area by the 60^th Infantry Battalion from the 10^th Infantry Division of the Philippine Army entered Talaingod.

Datu Dawsay assessed that that the current “militarization” of their communities is part and parcel of the government’s efforts to open up Talaingod and the forest to commercial logging, large-scale mining, and agricultural plantation.

There are several mining applications covering tens of thousands of hectares in Pantaron Range.

Illegal logging also continues to plunder its forests, particularly in areas that are not yet under the protection of Salugpongan. 

Huge expanses of banana plantations are meanwhile creeping into the Bukidnon side of Pantaron.

In the face of despotic “development aggression” in the area, the Talaingod Manobos renewed their calls to defend Talaingod and Pantaron Range from the entry of destructive corporate projects, and to end the military operations. 

Datu Apoga vowed that his people will not allow the government and corporations to displace them and destroy their forest once again – a resolve that environmental activists share and support.  

“We are ready to sacrifice our lives, and if it is needed we are willing to call for another pangayaw just to save our communities and Pantaron,” Datu Apoga stressed. – Rappler.com

Clemente Bautista is the current national coordinator of the Kalikasan People’s Network for the Environment. He joined the national humanitarian and fact-finding mission that visited the town of Talaingod in the Southern Mindanao Region from May 11-17.