This episode, Land is Life: Indigenous Struggles in the Philippines, is inspired by the historical and on-going struggle of the Indigenous peoples in the Philippines, particularly in the Cordillera and Mindanao. We chat with our guests Igorot Dr. Chandu Claver and Lumad Visual Artist Bert Monterona about their personal stories and journeys from the Philippines, described as the deadliest country in the world for land rights and environmental defenders, to Canada.
Chandu and Bert share with us their experiences, personal anecdotes, and Indigenous perspectives as Indigenous Filipinos from the Cordillera and Mindanao, and how these struggles remain alive and strong here in Canada. Listen to Chandu and Bert connect the dots between rich ancestral lands, resource extraction, so-called development to militarization, human rights violations and the struggle for land and self-determination. And beyond that, how do Indigenous peoples from the Philippines look at and respond to the struggles of the First Nations here in Canada?
Every April 24 since 1985, the people in the Cordillera celebrate Cordillera Day to remember Macli-ing Dulag, tribal chieftain who was killed for opposing the WB-funded Chico River Dam in 1980 together with the Indigenous people. His death fueled more resistance and more organizations rose to oppose the project and other similar projects. Today, the people in the Cordillera continue to defend their land, life and resources against big mining and development projects in the face of militarization and human rights violations by the military and government. You can learn more from the Cordillera People’s Alliance here!
In Mindanao, the ancestral lands rich in mineral resources and forests continue to be defended by the Indigenous peoples, their land defenders, and their organizations. The military, government and security of the big corporations respond with militarization, raids, red tagging, and other human rights violations which have forced huge evacuations from the indigenous communities. In the additional resources below, watch the story of the Lumads driven from their mountain communities by military and developers. Follow their bakwit (evacuation), especially of the Lumad students who found new homes and schools in the University of the Philippines while fighting for their Lumad schools to open.
Funded by the UBC Community Engagement Partnership Recognition Fund.
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