We have our Roots in Lumads…

“May our Bathala find it pleasing that indigenous communities are still trying to resist the oppressive goals of corporations, government and certain groups who are peddling promises of emancipation but in reality their cause is overshadowed with control and politics of exclusion. With the guidance of our ancestors…”

The diverse and heterogenous culture in the archipelago is an indicator of a vibrant, shifting, ecological, spontaneous and autonomous process  of everyday life in organic communities.    

Our indigenous siblings’ sustainable living is second to none, from different communities in various ecosystems in our islands. The ecological lifestyle with deep regard for shared-inner selves along with respect ensured that primitive communities would carry on to the present.  Therefore, we owe it to them, our knowledge, practices and behaviors which inform our everyday living.

The monarchy, republic and the church are institutions which oppressed, destroyed, looted and exhausted in rough succession several communities in the archipelago.  The epitome of exploitation is marked by the namesake of the country, Philippines which signifies surrender and full allegiance to western culture, politics and religion in turn roots of our dependency and disregard with our indigenous selves.

Lumads and their respective indigenous communities in our islands, which are the only ones left, is where we trace our roots.  These anti-authoritarian primitives have kept their autonomy despite of continuous colonization of different institutions such as monarchy, church and corporations. Lumads along with their communities have stood their ground amidst modern warfare and holy scriptures. Up to this moment, they are still resisting development being offered by corporations, might it be mining, natural gas extractions or logging concessions.

These surviving indigenous cultures and communities, indeed  is our connection left to our indigenous selves. We condemn violence in any form, marginalization and any attempt to remove them from their organic lifestyle.

In many instances, the intrusion of institutions like government, military, corporations, and the church, even authoritarian leftist groups bring forth confusion, abuse, further exclusion and obliteration of Lumads and other indigenous communities. A thousand years before the said institutions came, our ancestors enjoyed autonomy and abundance. Therefore they need not any external development from mining, logging, militarization or consumerism.

For the longest time,   we are already aware of the ill-intent of corporations in our  indigenous and native lands; with the aid of government, they suck dry every bit of our common resources which is the basis of our existence, culture and life of our indigenous siblings.

STOP LUMAD KILLINGS! JUSTICE FOR INDIGENOUS VICTIMS OF VIOLENCE FROM CORPORATIONS, STATE AND LEFTIST ALONG WITH RIGHT-WING GROUPS WHO USE LUMADS AND INDIGENOUS PEOPLES FOR THEIR OWN POLITICAL ENDS, BUSINESS PROFITS AND PRIVILEGES.    

PANGGAYAW PARA SA KASARINLAN NG MGA LUMAD AT MGA KATUTUBONG PAMAYANAN

*Onsite Infoshop – Local Autonomous Network (LAN)

Lubhang napakaraming kulturang umiral at patuloy na isinasabuhay ng iba’t ibang katutubong pamayanan sa kapuluan.  Sinasabing mayroong 110 na mga lenggwahe sa kapuluan at marami dito ang gumagamit ng salitang “manggayaw” o “panggayaw” o may konsepto nito.  Ang mga salitang ito na ginagamit ng maraming katutubong pamayanan sa iba’t ibang pook sa Luzon, Visayas at Mindanao ay nangangahulugan ng pag-atake sa dagat man o sa lupa sa mga target na “kaaway” na ang dahilan ay maaring paghihiganti, proteksyon ng komunidad, pangunguha ng babaeng aasawahin o sadyang aatake upang pagnakawan at mangbihag sa isang tukoy na komunidad.

Barbarismo ang unang ideyang papasok sa ating isipan sa oras na marinig ang salitang ito dahil ito ang itinatak sa ating kaisipan ng ating lipunan sa pamamagitan ng mga institusyonng pamahalaan, merkado, paaralan at simbahan.

Mainam na magkaroon tayo ng pamilyarisasyon sa kulturang itong isa sa matitingkad na relasyon ng ating mga ninuno sampu ng kasalan, sanduguan, kalakalan at digmaan. Mahalaga para sa maraming grupo ng lumad sa kapuluan ang gawaing “pag-atake” at panggagamot”. Ang mga gawing ito ay malalim na nakaugnay sa iba pang kaugalian kagaya ng pag-aasawa, pagtatanim, pangagaso, pangangalakal at ritwal para sa mga katutubong panginoon.

Sabi ng mga dayuhan (republikanong pamahalaan, komunista at simbahan) ang mga kagawian ng ating mga ninuno ay atrasado na kailangang palitan, kaya ang pagta-tato, pagkulay ng ngipin, pagtalima sa katutubong paniniwala at ispiritwalidad at iba pa ay idineklarang gawa ng demonyo ng mga dayuhang kristiyano kaya maraming rekord sa kasaysayan ang pagpaslang sa mga babaylan at pandarahas sa komunidad na nabubuhay sa kanilang kasarinlan. Sa totoo wala naman talagang perpektong kultura at lipunan at kung ating lilimiin, higit pang mainam ang katutubong kagawian kumpara sa nagaganap na “kaunlaran” kung saan winawasak ang kalikasan, pinapatay ang mga pamayanan, kontrolado ang yaman ng lipunan ng ilang pamilya at korporasyon, laganap ang kahirapan at kagutuman.

Maaring isipin na ang panggayaw ay  tanggap nakagawian ng ating mga ninuno, malamang hindi ito “masama” para sa kanila. Isa ito sa mga unang nais alisin ng mga dayuhan dahil ito ay direktang banta sa kanilang pananakop. Sa konteksto ng bakbakan sa Mactan sa Cebu, ang panggayaw sa pangunguna ni Lapu-Lapu ay matagumpay na nagpanatili ng kasarinlan at otonomiya ng kanilang komunidad. Magmula ng “tinanggap” ng Visayas ang otoridad ng Espanaya at Simbahan ang mga katutubo mula sa Mindanao ay regular na nagsasagawa ng panggayaw sa mga komunidad sa Visayas na kontrolado ng mga kastila.  Sa Hilagang Luzon, panggayaw din ang paraan ng mga katutubo roon kaya’t hindi nakapaghasik ng ganap na kontrol ang mga dayuhan. Sa kasalukuyan ang ilang grupo ng Lumad sa Mindanao ay gumamit din ang panggayaw, nag-armas ng mga paltik at mga katutubong sandata at hinaras ang mga puwersa ng armadong kaliwa.

Ang panggayaw ay angkop at napapanahon na muling isabuhay at bigyan ng bagong kahulugan ayon sa kasalukuyang kaganapan.  Isa ito sa bahagi ng ating kultura na nakukulapulan ng karahasan ayon sa kanyang konteksto at sitwasyon. Subalit ang tanong,  may  mas  marahas pa ba sa gawaing pagmimina? Ano ang mas marahas pa sa pag-alipusta at pagwasak sa mga katutubong kultura? May mas madugo pa ba sa karahasan ng kagutuman dulot ng digmaan?

Ang panggayaw bilang isa sa ating kultura ay siyang konkretong sagot sa karahasang hatid ng mga korporasyon, armadong mga grupo at mga institusyon na ang layon ay pagsamantalahan, pagkakitaan at kontrolin ang mga katutubong komunidad sa kapuluan.

Manggayaw tayo upang protektahan ang mga nalalabing katutubong kultura, manggayaw tayo para tubusin ang ating mga katutubong sarili mula sa institusyon ng pamilihan (merkado), pamahalaan, simbahan at mga korporasyon.

Ph Declaration on Internet Rights and Principles to be launched on Nov. 4

Preamble

Recalling that the Philippines is a sovereign democratic state in Southeast Asia, an archipelago that has a diverse population of various cultures that speaks different languages and dialects and professes different beliefs and ideologies;

Recognizing the 1987 Philippine Constitution, and that the State shall promote social justice in all phases of national development and should value the dignity of each and every human person;

Recognizing that the Internet plays an important role in the lives of the peoples of the Philippines, affecting their social, political, cultural, and economic development;

Recognizing that the Internet is a global commons and a public resource that should further the public interest;

Asserting that governance of the Internet should be inclusive, democratic, and rights-based, and should encourage the widest possible participation, particularly from marginalized and vulnerable sectors;

Noting that while the Internet has provided a platform for the promotion of human rights and increased democratization in the country, it has nevertheless also been misused and abused at times, and that such misuse or abuse results in a widening of the social divide or increased oppression;

Affirming that all human rights that apply or are enjoyed offline, particularly those enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, including the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR), and in the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), and Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), should likewise also apply and be protected online;

Emphasizing the responsibility of the State to always respect, protect and fulfill human rights, as also the responsibility of the private sector including Internet intermediaries to respect the human rights of their users consistent with the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights;

Herein declare:

1.   Internet Access for All

Everyone has the right to affordable and quality access to the Internet. The State must narrow the digital divide in order to provide quality universal access and ensure an enabling environment for fair competition that will benefit all stakeholders and promote consumer protection. Consistent with the distributed nature of the Internet, community-owned and driven information infrastructure and networks should also be promoted as alternatives or complements to national-level infrastructure.

2.   Democratizing the Architecture of the Internet

The Internet’s architecture, communication systems, and document and data formats shall be based on open standards that ensure complete interoperability, inclusion and equal opportunity for all.

Recognizing the fundamental distributed, decentralized and diverse nature of the Internet, everyone shall have universal and open access to the Internet and its content, free from discriminatory prioritization, filtering or control for political or commercial purposes, while allowing for legitimate technical traffic management. The Internet should continue to evolve via open, permission-less innovation and the voluntary adoption of standards through inclusive multi-stakeholder processes, with due regard for the diversity of human abilities.

3.   Freedom of Expression & Association

Everyone should have the right to freedom of expression, opinion, and association without interference online and offline. State and non-state actors should refrain from infringing upon the universal right to receive and impart information, opinions and ideas. Any restrictions on online activity  should conform with necessary and proportionate principles.

Attempts to silence critical voices and censor social and political content or debate on the Internet should be stopped. Everyone should also be free to use the Internet to organize and form associations, and to engage in protests.

4.   Right to Privacy & Protection of Personal Data

Everyone has a right to privacy on the Internet and the right to control how their personal data is collected, used, disclosed, retained, and disposed. Everyone should be able to communicate free from the threat of surveillance and interception. Targeted surveillance for the protection of public health and safety should always provide safeguards for human rights and be governed by transparent rules and oversight mechanisms.

Everyone should also have the right to communicate anonymously on the Internet and should be free to use encryption technology to ensure secure, private and anonymous communication.

5.   Gender

Everyone should have an equal right to learn about, access, define, use, and shape the Internet regardless of sex, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression. Efforts to increase access must recognize and redress existing gender inequalities. In particular, there must be full participation of women in all areas related to the development of the Internet to ensure gender equity.

Gender-based violence involving the use of technology is growing, and the harms and violations perpetrated through and with ICTs are in need of serious attention. There must be concrete programs and mechanisms to prevent violence in cyberspace by promoting human rights for all and harnessing the potential of ICTs to promote women’s empowerment. The Internet must promote diversity and social justice, and should be a transformative space to challenge and dismantle social injustice and patriarchy

6.   Openness and Access to Information, Knowledge, and Culture

Everyone should have the right to access information on the Internet and be free from restrictions on access to knowledge. Copyright and patent regimes must not disproportionately restrict the capacity of the Internet to support public access to knowledge and culture. The State must ensure an enabling environment where linguistic, religious, and cultural diversity are encouraged as it enriches the development of society. It should also promote the development of local content and the production and use of free, libre, and open source software (FLOSS).

7.   Socio-Economic Empowerment and Innovation

Everyone should be free to use the Internet for socio-economic empowerment and innovation. Innovators should be encouraged to design, develop, and implement information and communication technologies that respect human rights and that contribute to socio-economic empowerment and sustainable development. The State shall also foster an enabling environment for the growth of innovators and start-ups.

8.   Education and Digital Literacy

Everyone should have the knowledge and skills that enable them to use and shape the Internet. Everyone should have access to online resources, materials, and knowledge. Digital literacy is fundamental to children’s capacity to use the Internet competently and exercise their human rights. Digital literacy will facilitate more active, responsible, and productive citizen participation in political, social and economic spheres.

The State should promote open educational resources and enable open access to research and data, as well as the use of free and open source software,

9.   Liberty, Safety, & Security on the Internet

Everyone has the right to liberty and security on the Internet. Security measures, devised and implemented in a consensual manner, must be consistent with international human rights laws and norms. Everyone has the right to enjoy secure connections to and on the Internet, including protection from malware and fraud, as well as services and protocols that threaten or impair the current technical functioning of the Internet. Digital security measures should be commensurate with the threats they seek to address, taking into consideration and relative to the benefits of the social, economic and democratic activity they seek to protect.

10.         Internet and ICTs for Environmental Sustainability

Sustainable use of the Internet must be encouraged and enabled. E-waste should be minimized and recycled or otherwise disposed of in a manner that is protective of the environment. Sustainable use of the Internet that minimizes its impact on resources should be encouraged.

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