In our second
time to venture into another place, Sir Cocoi introduced to us another
prominent member of the LRC family, in the person of Sir Erwin. Other than
that, we, together with some other interns fromo Kaisahan and Balaod Mindanaw
were also gathered on that day to meet other representatives from different
NGO’s in the country, in fact I have also met the sister of my classmate at law
school, she was Ate Neneng, one of the outspoken representatives from the
Commission on Human Rights here in Mindanao.
Again, heading on to
another place made me giddy up as I would not know what might happen next that
makes it all the more exciting. Well, the thing that made me really curious was
that moment when IP women from different tribes in Mindanao were gathered at
the Samdhana rest house on the second day. I wanted to delve deeper into their
thoughts and to witness a ritual they often do as a prayer to seek guidance
from the creator in order to make any actions that shall favour the entire
tribe in the long run. I am glad that in a secluded place like the ones where
they hail from, IP women too have been empowered which makes me very proud as a
woman myself.
Given the cozy
place for staying overnight, the pleasant accommodation and thorough discussion
on AMMB and the MILF framework from effective speakers, I believe the objective
of the ALG in trying to educate, inform, update and amalgamate data to solve
certain issues amongst our marginalized brothers and sisters of the Indigenous
People have been met. The views we had absorbed when we had our first exposure
in Cantilan were correlated to that of the issues that the IP’s in CDO have
been facing for all these years.
To have seen that
only women have been sent as representatives from each of the tribes goes to
show that they too, are empowered as do women in the urban world. It amazes me
how firm their beliefs are and how willing they are to fight for what is
rightfully theirs. It even shook me to the bones upon hearing their personal
stories of their encounters of men with guns and goons. You can see their
struggle for acquiring their own lands that they shed blood and lost their
loved ones all for the sake of their so-called “ancestral domain”.
These melees
were all apparent on how teary-eyed they become when they started to share
their untold stories or show the scars left in their bodies as a sign of a
bloody bout. I am amazed how they remain tireless for years and years of fighting
for their rights despite being denied or perhaps given minute opportunity to be
heard regarding their plea.
Thus, I believe
the importance of sharing to them our knowledge on AMMB, to protect and help
them for their cause is really a precious thing for all of them. I might
conclude that some of them have already given up the fight but I realized that
Alternative Lawyering Groups such as LRC totally plays a big role in their
lives and for me, the team have become their motivation and they to us are our
motivation as interns to do best in our studies and help them out soon as
administrators of justice in this country.
As always, every
activity the LRC initiates, we the interns have always something new to learn
about. Just like the previous AMMB consultation we had at Cantilan, I think the
process of the discussion brought out in just a span of one or two days isn’t
even enough to cover the entire subject. Still, I am rest assured that for the
continued enlightenment of LRC & Samdhana towards these aggrieved
stakeholders would be a better move to let them be edified of the laws that
will help them protect themselves, their families and the future generations to
come.
The way the main
discussants used the local dialect to expound further the topic on AMMB and the
MILF Framework is a stepping stone to make these direct stakeholders feel
secured and able to grasp ideas that will help them in their struggle. Having
done that, not only will the women be the ones that are empowered but the
entire tribe will stand up and justify what is rightfully theirs from the very
beginning.
Beyond words,
these women, their cause and their mundane struggles have made my will stronger
for me to focus in my quest to become a lawyer myself. Hopefully, if things
work out well, if luck & determination favours a person like me, I will
soon come back to LRC and render my services as an alternative lawyer per se.
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