BADJAO

Gathering of Data:
Indigenous People and Mining
Medium and large-scale corporate mining and conflicting laws governing natural resources
continue to be major problems that indigenous peoples face in their communities. The free, prior
and informed consent (FPIC) process is being manipulated in favor of mining corporations. The
presence of military personnel and investment defense forces in mining areas has limited
indigenous peoples’ freedom to work in their lands and caused indigenous children to drop out of
school. Indigenous human rights defenders are being harassed and killed – there have been 76
documented cases of killings of indigenous human rights defenders from 2010 to 2016.
Environmental degradation caused by mining has resulted in health problems, significant
reduction of agricultural production, water pollution and decreased fish catch.
Indigenous Peoples’ Land Rights

Under the 1997 Indigenous Peoples’ Rights Act (IPRA), the NCIP has the mandate to facilitate
full delineation and demarcation of Ancestral Domains of indigenous peoples through the
issuance of Certificates of Ancestral Domain Title (CADT). Unfortunately, ancestral domain
titling remains a burdensome process that has not undergone any review to simplify and
streamline the process. An additional process put in place by Joint DAR-DENR-LRA-NCIP
Administrative Order No. 01-12 (JAO 01-12), issued in 2012 with the objective to address
jurisdictional and operational issues between and among these land titling agencies, has resulted
in undue delay in the issuance and registration of CADTs. Of the 182 CADTs issued by the
NCIP to date, less than 50 have been registered with the Land Registration Authority (LRA).
This is a problem for indigenous peoples because when their CADTs are not registered with the
LRA, they are less able to prevent intrusion into their ancestral domains by migrants and
corporations. We recommend the repeal of JAO 01-12 and the immediate registration by the
LRA of all CADTs validly issued by NCIP.

Indigenous Peoples’ Right to Economic Development

Of the 182 Ancestral Domains with CADTs issued by the NCIP as of June 2015, only 59 have
formulated their Ancestral Domain Sustainable Development and Protection Plan (ADSDPP), a
development plan required by the IPRA. The communities with ADSDPPs were assisted by
various private and public agencies, the NCIP and local government units. It is noted, however,
that some ADSDPPs were formulated through the help of mining companies and electric
companies (such as the National Power Corporation and the Apex Mining Corporation). At
present, none of the ADSDPPs formulated have been incorporated into the Barangay (village)
development plans, resulting in conflicts in development priorities between the local government
unit and the indigenous peoples’ communities, and in non-implementation of ADSDPPs because
of lack of resources from the government. We recommend that the government ensure full
implementation of IP representation in the local government units (LGUs) where they reside,
particularly when it comes to the formulation of development and land use plans, and allow IP
communities to formulate their own development plans.

Indigenous Peoples and the Mindanao Peace Process

Indigenous peoples recognize and support the struggle of the Muslim minority in the Philippines
for peace and against oppression and historical injustice. However, indigenous peoples, often
caught in the crossfire between the government armed forces and the Muslim rebels, are victims
of a conflict that is not theirs. Nonetheless, indigenous peoples welcome the commitment of
President Duterte to fully recognize and implement the Comprehensive Agreement on the
Bangsamoro (the final peace agreement between the Moro Islamic Liberation Front and the
Philippine Government, signed in March 27, 2015) and recommended that the implementing
body of the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro ensure the full and effective
participation of indigenous peoples. We also recommend that the law being drafted to implement
the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro fully include the rights of indigenous peoples
under the IPRA, including the right to ancestral domains and lands.

A. Describing Badjao

Badjao. Widely known as the “Sea Gypsies” of the Sulu and Celebes Seas, the Badjao are
scattered along the coastal areas of Tawi Tawi, Sulu, Basilan, and some coastal
municipalities of Zamboanga del Sur in the ARMM.

Many identify themselves as Muslims. Those who are well versed in religious matters,
including the imams (religious leaders) and other mosque officials are called paki or pakil.
The paki preside over all major rites, act as religious counselors, and conduct minor rites of
thanksgiving. Friday prayers are performed in the parish mosque and are the climax of a
weekly cycle of daily prayers. An annual religious calendar includes Ramadan (the ninth
month in which all Muslims fast) and the prophet Mohammed's birthday.

The lives of the Central Sama revolve around fishing, seafaring, and trade, with some
farming along the coastal strips. Throughout much of Sulu and eastern Sabah, copra (the
meat of the coconut from which coconut oil is derived) is the major cash crop. Copra
holdings are small, and few families own enough palms to support themselves entirely from
copra sales. Trade has also long occupied a central place in Central Sama society. Since long
ago, seafarers were valued as suppliers of trepang (sea cucumbers), dried fish, pearls, pearl
shells, and other marine commodities. Among the Central Sama, both men and women share
in agricultural labor and engage in trade. Fishing, building boats, and working with iron are
primarily male occupations. Women generally weave mats and market pottery.

B.
(1) Social Grouping
As a nomadic tribe living in stilt huts or boat houses on shallow waters, they make
their living from traditional free-diving for fish and pearls. Over the years, more and
more Badjao people have been lured away from the ocean, migrating to a life on land.
 (2) Diet (what do they eat?)
We Are What We Eat: Diving for Dinner with the Sea Gypsies. The Bajau may
wear Western attire such as skinny jeans, but they still fish as they have for centuries. They
travel by boat to the edge of a reef, peer into the water until they spot a fish, then dive in to spear
it.

(3) Economic Activities (what do they do?)

The people of the Badjao tribe are a nomadic sea faring tribe. The men of the tribe
are skilled fishermen specifically the art of pantana fishing (spear fishing). They traditionally
lived on house boats moving through the sea wherever was needed, to fulfil their fishing
requirements.
(4) Clothes (what do they wear?)
Focusing on their mode of dressing the traditional attire of a Badjao is the
“patadjong.” It has many uses. They are made large enough to fit any person and are used by
both men and women as a skirt or gown tucked at the chest level.
(5) System of writing
Language is somewhat a necessity of mankind. It serves as an identification of
people on where they belong to. It is a system of conventional spoken, manual or written
symbols by means of which human beings, as members of social group and participant in its
culture express themselves.
Of the more than a hundred languages being spoken by the different ethnolinguistic groups of
dwellers in the more than seven thousand and one hundred islands comprising the Philippines,
I’ve focuses and pay for attention to the Badjao’s language because of curiosity.

(6) Religion (Do they have religion?)

The Badjao people consider themselves to be Sunni Muslim. Many attend
mosques and participate in the daily prayers. They also believe they are descendants of
Muhammad. Although many believe this, a lot of Badjao people have a more animistic religious.

C. How will you explain the society and culture of the indigenous groups that you chose as a
case study?

The society and culture of the study that I chose is the life of a badjao is really hard and
they don’t have enough learnings for them to learn more about what is happening
surrounded by them and they don’t have lack of food that they are sustaining in their
daily lives.
D. Reflection

I really felt that if I’m the one who’s there in their situation I may not survive on that type
of living because it’s really hard and you need to be responsible enough, and being an
independent person for you to sustain yourself on what you need on daily needs. The
food that they eat is not easily have for you to eat as possible when you need it, unlike us
that we can buy anywhere if we need to eat some foods for us to gain more strength.
PATAWARAN , CHARLES ALDRAKE D.
12-AMBRIEL
SIR. VINCENT JOHN PATIAG

RESEARCH
IN
CULSOCPOL