Socially:

• Discrimination & neglect
• A “forgotten” tribal people
• Coerced into selling sacred lands

Economically:

• Deprivation and lack of income
• Absence of positive futures or opportunities
• Poor nutrition, health, education provision

Politically:

• Exploitation of their lands
• Disrespect of their culture, traditions
• Wildlife trading and abuses

Environmentally:

• Deforestation, slash & burn
• Watershed, soil, biodiversity neglect
• No focus or support in governance or practice

These are the type of huge, and totally unacceptable, problems faced by impoverished and suppressed communities, tribes, landowners, farmers across vast areas of our world in the 21st. Century. The impact this has on lives and livelihoods, local lands and production, climate change and environmental management is a plague on a world where wealth and greed has been taking precedence over people, equality, and sustainability. Thankfully many Global Citizens and Organizations, supported by some Governments and ethical Supply Chain companies, banks and buyers are focused on addressing this human and environmental mismanagement and neglect.

The Local Context in Northern Mindanao Higa-onon Indigenous Peoples
Presented below is a drilling-down analysis of this specifically at Lanao del Norte; outlining the primary drivers (land use and economic hardship) for this project, the drivers which manifest and impact across the inter-connected social, political, economic, and environmental criteria.

Deforestation

• The situation in Northern Mindanao mirrors perfectly the massive challenges, especially in terms of climate change, that the World currently faces from the continuing destruction of our planet
• Deforestation is rampant around the world and is particularly “guilty” of destroying the natural home of indigenous peoples and forests. The removal of trees and denudation of the Northern Mindanao lands and forests makes a huge negative contribution to climate change. It also destroys the last home of the local tribes and wildlife
• Large companies have played a major role here, capitalizing on these local lands, whilst ignoring the climate and human consequences. At indigenous lands like Northern Mindanao this includes mining, logging, massive plantations, non-native/non-climate “right” planting and crops, real estate housing, and business tourism
• It is tragic that these tribal communities are targets of business capitalism and greed; with agendas driven and focused on profit NOT people. The impact on the land – abuse, neglect, deforestation; and the people - indigenous families displaced, forced away to became refugees from their own lands – is, and ever should have been acceptable.

  This Project focuses on addressing this destruction and deforestation; empowering tribal members and communities to own their (and the Planets’) lives, lands, futures survival!

Tribal Economic Imbalance

• It is recognized by many who do care that the Higa-onon and Talaandig tribes is one of the World’s most impoverished. The tribal members have always depended on their economic and social survival through their rainforest and the “products” it can supply them. Rampant deforestation and activities like mining have tragically removed the vital sources of foods and income provided by their rainforest for the Higa-onon tribe.
• The tribal economy is very fragile and uncertain. Tribal members anxiously depend only on crops they can still plant, such as root crops, and small numbers of native banana and corn.
• These crops cannot cater all the needs of their family members as the price of commodities are rapidly increasing. The tribe remains very poor, living below the poverty line and surviving on income below $1 per day.
• Tribal communities face increasing injustices, disrespect, economic imbalance that are destroying their lands, and their way of life. As forest people they are treated, and made to feel, as inferior – lacking anything other than the most basic social services and economic support.

 

Socia