Davao del Norte Provincial Governor Edwin I. Jubahib recently made this call to all tribal datu (chieftains) in the indigenous peoples municipality of Talaingod, telling them to stay at their ancestral domains, to till and keep their lands.
Aside from assuring the Ata Manobo IP leaders of access roads, electrification, schools and even tertiary education institutions, the provincial governor also assured them of assistance for agriculture development.
“Mag-focus ta ug agriculture kay kamo usa ka munisipyo alang sa agriculture kay dako kaayo ang inyong yuta. (Let us focus on agriculture. You are an agriculture municipality because you have wide land areas),” he told the tribal chieftains attending the recently held “Mass Surrender and Declaration of ‘Pagsalikway against the CPP-NPA-NDG by the Surrenderees” at the Balimba Hills Activity Center, Sitio JBL , Brgy Santo Nino, Talaingod.
Jubahib pointed out to them that their lands seem to have turned useless as they left to join protest rallies in Cebu, in Metro Manila, in Davao City and some other parts of the country with non-government organization (NGO) identified fronts of the CPP-NPA-NDF. He made them realize that they were just used to advance a cause that that still had failed to transform their lives into even better.
“Mangutana ko niasenso ba ang inyong kinabuhi., wala. (I want to ask you. Has your life improved? No…),” he said while pointing out that the way to improve their lives lie at their homeplace in Talaingod where they are owning vast track of lands .
He promised them of more supplies of seedlings of various crops and fruit trees, abaca and seeds of upland rice while also committing to set up units of machine to weave abaca fiber.
He assured them of sure market of their produce at reasonable prices “so that you would have income and become truly rich with much money.” Jubahib was referring to the word “datu” which corresponds to a Visayan term “rich”.
In the midst of his vision to develop Talaingod and its indigenous peoples (IPs), Jubahib expressed his sentiments of not wanting to lose them.
“DILI pud ko musugot nga moabot ang panahon nga ma-displace mo. Mawala sa mo inyong yuta ug lahi na ang manag-iya sa inyong yuta; Dili ko musugot niaana. (I don’t like to see in the future that you would be displaced. You’d lose your land as others would be owning it. I won’t allow that),”he emphasized.
He called on the tribal chieftains to police their ranks and guard their ancestral domains from fellow IPs who are selling parts of their lands.
“Mao nang hangyo ko sa inyoha. Kamong mga Datu hangyo ko sa inyoha, basin naay daghang namaligya’g yuta diha, badlunga Ninyo; sultihi ninyo, undangon ang pagpa maligya ug yuta. Ayaw mo pagpaligya. (I am asking you, tribal chieftains. There may some of you who are selling lands, you call their attention; tell them to stop selling lands),” he said. “Moabot ang panahon himoon nalang pud mong suluguon. (Time may come you would again be slaves),” he added.
He also called on Mayor Libayao, the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples, the police deployed for the Revitalized Police sa Barangay (RPSB), elements of the 56th Infantry Battalion and those in the 1003rd Inf Brigade to monitor those tribal chieftains engaged in selling parcels of ancestral lands.
He echoed his calls to tribal youth of Talaingod to check selling of ancestral lands. (PIA XI/ Jeanevive Duron Abangan)
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