[ Manila Bulletin Online ] March 12, 2008
By BONG REBLANDO
DAVAO CITY — The Egalan- Gubayan clan, an ethnic Tagakaolo tribe in Davao del Sur, has cited President Arroyo for championing their rights over their ancestral lands, which for decades were grabbed by an American soldier and lowlanders.
"It was President Arroyo, who ordered to hasten the implementation of the Indigenous Peoples Republic Act (IPRA) that led the National Commission on Indigenous People (NCIP) to issue us our certificate of ancestral land title giving us back the land that belongs to us," Bae Lolita Bumaat Tenorio, daughter of Dalia and Datu Bumaat, said.
She said the President’s "decisive political will had enabled her Tagakaolo tribesmen to occupy their ancestral lands on Nov. 12, 2004 after more than 50 years and opened their ancestral land to agricultural production in partnership with AMS Farms."
"We the Tagakaolos don’t believe on the accusations of bribery and overpricing against President Arroyo on the ZTE-NBN broadband deal unless the court says so, or she is found guilty in an impeachment case," Bae Tenorio said, explaining her continued support for Mrs. Arroyo.
In her State-of-the-Nation Address, Arroyo emphasized that IPRA is her administration’s program to address the vicious land conflict besetting the countryside and to curb communist and separatist recruitment among the natives in far-flung villages of the country, especially in Mindanao.
The move by the NCIP headed by Chairperson Janette Serrano in issuing the title was an offshoot of the Nov. 5, 2004 order of then DENR Secretary Mike Defensor recognizing NCIP jurisdiction over the controversial area and stopping DENR from processing the claims of the 133 lowlander-petitioners over the ancestral land of the Egalan-Gubayan clan.
Dalia is a daughter of Datu Egalan and Princess Gubayan, who were driven out of their 856 hectares of ancestral lands in Malalag by American soldier Orval Hughes.
Egalan shot Hughes in a confrontation but he survived. He returned with US troops, subdued the Tagakaolos warriors, drove out Egalan and seized Gubayan. Then in 1991, Hughes leased the area from the government and entered into a banana growing contract with Lapanday.
"We are grateful to Chairman Serrano and Commissioner Masagnay for helping us win our case against Orval Hughes heirs, Lapanday Company, and the other petitioners before the Supreme Court. We are glad because after several decades of deprivation, NCIP finally decided in our favor," Bae Tenorio said.
The Egalan-Gubayan clan then partnered with AMS Farms, a banana firm, to further develop the area and protect the existing crops from deterioration. AMS Farms invested a big amount to develop the banana plantation of the Tagakaolos.
"We preferred the offer of AMS Farms for two basic reasons: Bobby Soriano, AMS owner, is fair in dealing with the Indigenous People or Lumads and for extending financial assistance to my people including payment made for the facilities left by Lapanday Company. Our lives have improved," Bae Tenorio said.
