Bangsamoro IP leaders seek stronger voice in first parliament

COTABATO CITY — A tribal leader who will serve as a member of the regular Bangsamoro Parliament expressed optimism that the long-neglected concerns of indigenous peoples (IPs) in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) will finally be heard and addressed now that non-Moro indigenous peoples (NMIPs) have representation in the regional legislature.

“Our priority is the protection and development of our ancestral domain,” Timuay Leticio Datuwata of the Lambangian tribe in Maguindanao del Sur told the Inquirer in an interview on Friday.

“We are glad that we now have a voice in the halls of the regular Bangsamoro Parliament,” Datuwata said in Filipino.

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Datuwata and Jo Genna Jover of the Teduray tribe in Maguindanao del Norte were officially proclaimed members of the Parliament by the Commission on Elections at 2 a.m. on Tuesday.

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The two NMIP sectoral representatives were selected through customary and Indigenous processes rather than through direct voting in the Sept. 14 parliamentary elections.

The Teduray and Lambangian communities selected Jover and Datuwata, respectively, on Aug. 25, in accordance with their customary laws and Indigenous processes.

Peace, security

Datuwata said he and Jover would serve not only as the voices of the Teduray and Lambangian tribes but also of other indigenous political structures representing the Dulangan Menubu, Erumanen ne Menuvu, Blaan and Higaonon tribes.

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Datuwata said the protection and development of ancestral domains would be among his priority legislative measures once the regular Parliament convenes on Oct. 30.

He and Jover would also prioritize strengthening tribal self-governance and indigenous political structures with the support of the regional government.

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“Peace and security among IP communities across BARMM are also among our priorities, as well as promoting and protecting our human rights,” Datuwata said.

Since 2019, when the Bangsamoro Organic Law created the BARMM, IP communities in the region have faced harassment and armed attacks.

As of September this year, the Timuay Justice and Governance, the recognized indigenous political structure of the Teduray and Lambangian tribes in mainland Mindanao, had recorded 109 IP killings, mostly in Maguindanao del Sur and Maguindanao del Norte, according to Datuwata.

“That is a major challenge to us in the legislature—how to eliminate IP killings under the regular Bangsamoro government,” Datuwata said.

His legislative agenda also includes educational support for IP youth and students and the full delivery of basic social services to IP communities.

Asked whether social services were absent in IP villages under the interim BARMM government, Datuwata said: “There were services but not of the same scale as those in Bangsamoro and settler communities.”

Datuwata said he would also bring women’s issues to the Parliament. He said IP women have opposed the government’s policy discouraging home births.

“Our women would like to deliver their babies through traditional means and not to other areas like barangay health centers,” Datuwata said.

The Department of Health has denied banning home births but strongly promotes and encourages facility-based deliveries to reduce maternal and infant mortality.

The IP leader declined to say which regional political party he and Jover would align themselves with.

Civil society network MindanawOne, which has accompanied the Teduray and Lambangian tribes in their recent political journey, welcomed the incoming assumption of Datuwata and Jover as members of Parliament.

Khuzaimah Maranda of MindanawOne told the Inquirer that the institutionalization of the selection process, rather than election, was already a big win for the NMIPs, shielding them from the pressures of money and power politics.

“We are hopeful that respect for the customary process of leadership selection will result in NMIP representatives in Parliament who will truly champion the interests of the tribes,” she added.

Meanwhile, a conflict-monitoring group has identified six risks to peace and stability in the Bangsamoro following its first parliamentary elections, including possible post-election violence, renewed clan feuds, political divisions within the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, the growing influence of traditional politicians, unresolved peace-process grievances and perceived national government interference. 

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Conflict Alert, in its assessment of the Sept. 14 elections, also flagged 364 conflict incidents and 143 deaths from May 5 to Sept. 14, while calling for electoral fraud allegations to be investigated and those responsible prosecuted. /das