A REPRESENTATIVE from the Sambokahan Women Indigenous Group said that there is a need to protect the ancestral lands of the Indigenous Communities (ICs) so that they no longer have to go down to the city to mendicate in the guise of caroling.
Kat Dalon, vice chairperson of the Sambokahan Women Indigenous Group, said in a media interview on Monday, November 25, 2024, at Coffee at Yellow Hauz on V. Mapa corner Mabini Streets, Davao City, that members of the ICs have been caroling in the city, especially at Bangkerohan Public Market.
“Sakit sa buot kay wala man gyud Pasko sa amoa pero naa sila dira namasko unya ekonomiko man na siya nga problema (It is heartbreaking to see them caroling when we don’t even celebrate Christmas, since this is an economic issue),” she said.
Dalon expressed that if the members of the ICs still had land to till they would not have to venture into the city to ask for alms. She said that with some members of the ICs begging in the city, it highlights the economic crisis that the Indigenous Peoples (IP) community is facing.
She also highlighted militarization as one of the reasons why some members of the IP choose to beg in the city.
Davao City distributes food packs to members of the IP during the Holiday season. In 2023, the office distributed around 298,040 food packs. The office emphasized that IP members in Davao City must wait for the local government unit (LGU) to deliver the packages to them so they no longer have to go downtown.
In 2023, around 1,395 visiting IPs were profiled at the Mahayag Evacuation Center in Bunawan District. Of that number, 970 were adults, and 425 were children. Around 411 families, consisting of 639 adults and 279 children, were from Talaingod; 153 were from Kapalong; 20 were from Bukidnon; 29 adults and one child were from Tandag; and eight adults were from Agusan.RGP
