Documenti di Didattica
Documenti di Professioni
Documenti di Cultura
CASE BACKGROUND
D I L E M M AO F T H E I N D I G E N O U S
(Excerptfrom the WoundedEarthpublishedin the book entitledSavingthe Earthby the
PCIJ-Article by: SheilaS. Coronel)
Ansa CattleRanchwas once the landof the T'bolis, an indigenoustribein South
Cotabato.They callthe land, Lakag, and claimit as theirown sincetheirforefathers
have livedand died there. They have huntedand tilledand madethe treesbearfruit.
The ownerof the ranchis Chinesebusrnessman AntonioNocum. He initially
investedin gasolinestationsand hotels. About30 yearsago, he set up a cattleranch
in the very landwherethe T'bolisbuilttheirhuts and continuedtheirlegacy.
The battleof Lakagstartedthe very day Nocumsnatchedthe land from the
T'boliswithoutproperacknowledgement of the tribes'authority.lt has ragedin the
courtsand backwoodsof SouthCotabato,whereover the years, the T'bolishavetried
to returnto the land.
Tuan Simfal,a T'bolielder, remembershow armedmen burntT'bolihutsand
bulldozedcommunalfarms. Eachtirnethis incidentoccurred,they wouldrebuilttheir
hutsand sowedtheirfieldsbut soldiersagainwouldrousethemfrom restlesssleep,
dousetheirhomeswith gasolineand evenbid themat gunpoint.
In January1992, 326 T'bolifamiliestrekkedbackto Lakagto renewtheirclaim
on the land sincethe governmenthas been seriouslyconsidering theirplightas
indigenous people. With confidence,they againbuilthousesfrom bambooand cogon
and plantedvegetablesin t'niba(swiddenplots). Justthe plantswere beginningto
sprout, soldierswho had set up a detachmenton the ranchfired mortarson the T'boli
camp. Afterthat terrifyingincident,T'boliswere so afraidthat once againtheyfled
Lakag. They settledat the sidewalkof the provincialcapitoland Koronadal.Therethey
remain untilthey are assuredof theirsafetyin Lakag, they wouldn'treturn. To earn a
living, they hiredthemselvesout as farm laborersto Visayansettlersand even as
cowboysin the ranchthat was once theirhome.
SouthCotabatohas been increasinggreatlyin profitthroughthe emergenceof
new profitablecropssuch as pineappleand asparagusovertraditionalcropslike rice
and corn. The improvementof the city is evidentthroughshoppingmallsand
restaurantsbuiltin the capital, Koronadal.GovernorlsmaelSuenois assuredthatthe
samesuccessformulawouldalso applyto the T'bolis. He wouldwant themto be
contract-growers for Dole Philippines
and it wouldearnthem higherincomethan usual.
The company,but then, backedoff as the landdisputeheatedup.
However,T'bolisnevergraspthe importancethat the lowlandersgiveto money.
As Alex Cuyanexpressedthat moneywill be spentbut the landwill neverbe when they
are old and our grandchildren bornechildren,the landwouldstillremain.
It all happenedwhen threeof the T'bolielderswere broughtto Manilato meet
businessmanNocum. They were givenfood and plentyof alcoholto drink. One of the
membersgot drunkand they were madeto put theirthumbmarkson a pieceof paper
that, theywere told, wheretitlesto the land. lt is a storyof deceitand fraud. T'bolis,
at first, did not considerlegalassistance.Becauseof illiteracyand lackof school
training,T'boliswere unawareof the lowlander'slaw and did not graspthe valueof
havinglegaldocumentssuch as landtitles. Accordingto T'bolileaderAlex Cuyan, they
do not havetitlesneitherdid theirancestors.Sincethey do not know how to read, land
titlesdoes not have any meaningto them. Meanwhrle,Nocumdefendedhis claimthat
he has legaldocumentsto provehis acquisitionof the landand it was duly approvedby
variousgovernmentagencies.However,governmentdocumentspertainingto the land
revealedthat Nocum disregardgovernmentlaws in acquiringhis vast holdings.
Questionable documentshave ansefrom the acquisitionof the land. Nearlya
thirdof this area is coveredby a pastureleaseagreementand the rematningtwo-thirds
is titledto variousmembersof the Nocumfamily. But the DENRhas foundout that the
land coveredby the leasewas part of a watershedforest reservationand it shouldnot
be given out to privatelandownersas the law stated. The leasewas then cancelled.
One portionof the hotlycontestedland is the PLS-555(1,200hectares)wherethe
Ansa administrative compoundis locatedand it is alsothe mostsacredpart of the land
for the T'bolis. Accordingto the lawyersof the tribe, the documentsshouldbe
consideredas null and void sinceit is fraudulently acquiredand they even gavetitlesto
members of the Nocum familyeven if therewere T'boliclaimants.
Severalaffidavitswere presentedby Nocumthat statedthe T'boliclaimants
transferredtheirownershipof the landto the Nocumfamilyfor heftyamounts.
Although,severalof theseaffidavitswere unsigned,Nocum was stillgiventitlesto the
land. Otherquestionable papersinvolvedthe 1,200hectaresPSU. Also, Nocum
childrenhave been issuedfree patentsto severalparcelsof land even if patentsare
only givento thosewho themselvesor whoseancestorshave continuously occupiedor
cultivatedan area since 1926.
Soon, Ansa Cattleand Crop Farmfiled a case of forcibleentryagainst174
T'bolisbut the tribespeoplerefusedto leave. Someof themwere arrestedfor
squatting,prompting300 otherT'bolisto marchto the municipalhallin Surallah,
demandingthatthey, too, be jailed.
The courtruledthat T'boliswere illegalentrantsto the landand issueda
demolitionorderbut the governmentofficialsand churchbeganto intervene.Nocum
agreedto settleby offeringthe PSU portionof the cattleranchto the governement's
land reformagendaprogram.
Althoughhe had agreedto settle, T'bolihousesagainwere razedby fire when
they returnedin 1990and blamedby Nocumand said they themselvesset the frrebut
the NGOsfoundout that 271T'bolihomeswere burntby "menin fatigueuniforms."
Afterreturningagainin early 1992, the militarybombedtheircamp but Nocum
disclaimsany knowledgeof the attack.
The Comprehensive AgrarranReformLaw (CARL)seemsto be the only hopefor
the T'boliswhich is an optionbasedon what they have resistedall theseyears: the
recognitionof Nocum'slegalownershipof the land. Nocumrnsistedon sellingthe land
for P 26,000per hectarewhilethe Departmentof AgrarianReformhas valuedthe land
at only aboutP 6,000 per hectare. Nocum, of course,did not acceptthe priceand
refuseto negotiateunlesshe gets his price. WhileT'bolifamilieshavebeen resrdingat
the provincialcapitolin Koronadalfor the lasttwo monthsand refusingto leaveuntil
Nocumand the militaryallowthem back, safely, to the land
IN.DEPTHANALYSIS