Hundreds of tribal folk troop to Davao for Katribu partylist convention

Davao City —- Hundreds of Lumad leaders representing various ethnolinguistic tribes from Davao, Cotabato and Agusan provinces gathered here yesterday for the convention of KATRIBU PARTYLIST, a sectoral partylist group aiming to represent the rights and welfare of indigenous groups in the lower house for the 2010 elections.
“This is a historical event wherein indigenous peoples from various tribes in the tri-boundaries have forged their strengths to advance their quest for rights to land and self determination in Congress as one people,” said Kerlan Fanagel, KATRIBU Coordinator for Southern Mindanao.
The B’laan leader added, “Marginalized as we are, we aim to take actual involvement in the crafting of laws and policies that have direct impact on the social, political and economic life of indigenous peoples.”
Gathered at the Brokenshire Ampitheater for the two-day convention are Mindanao lumads from the Ata-Manobo, Matigsalug, D’bbawon, Bagobo, Obo-Klata/Giuangan, B’laan, Mandaya, Mansaka tribes as well as Maguindanaons from the Bangsamoro.
Datus from the said tribes led the “panubad-tubad” or prayer ritual that signaled the start of the convention.
Offering a prayer for the mighty Creator, whom they call as Magbabaya in Bagobo, Pamulak in Manobo, Male or Diwata in B’laan, the datus slaughtered eight (8) chickens, one for each of the provinces represented in the convention – Davao City, Davao Del Norte, Davao Del Sur, North Cotobato, Compostela Valley, Davao Oriental, Agusan Del Sur and Bukidnon.

The datus prayed for the guidance of their ancestors as they “embark on a new journey”.
According to Fanagel, they and the coming generations of lumads face the threats of ethnocide – the actual annihilation of indigenous peoples as development aggression and militarization hit ancestral lands.
After the convention, the delegates dressed in their traditional attire, marched from Rizal Park to Freedom Park to mark their unity and solidarity.
KATRIBU counts as organic members from different IP groups in Luzon and Visayas such as the 6 ethnolinguistic groups of Igorots in Northern Luzon, the 7 Mandaya tribes of Mindoro, the Agta, Remontado, Dumagat tribes of Sierra Madre in Southern Tagalog, the Aetas of Central Luzon plains, and the Tumanduk of Visayas. It is set to hold a national convention on November 12.#