24 years of Ipra: Higaonon tribe in Dansolihon still do not have domain claim

By Shiela Mae Butlig
Correspondent

TWENTY-four years since the Indigenous People’s Rights Act (Ipra) or Republic Act 8371 but the Higaonon tribe living in Dansolihon in the hinterlands of Cagayan de Oro City still cannot call the 7,600 ancestral domain to claim their own.

In an interview yesterday, Roberto Makilala, or Datu Makilala, the chieftain of the Dansolihon Tribal Council, said they are still working with their papers to support their claim that they are the owners of what they called their “ancestral domain.”

“Naglihok na gyud ug gibansay na namo ang kaugalingnan namo nga kultura para mapamatud an gayud nga kami gyud ang lehitimo nga sumusunod ani nga dapit nga yutang kabilin namo sa katiguwangan,” said Makilala.

This ancestral domain that they are claiming is 7,600 hectares of land.

Despite the claim, Datu Makilala said their only living testimony that they owned the 7,600 hectares in Dansolihon is the fact of history without papers to prove themselves.

“Nagbasi mi sa kasaysayan gikan pa sa among katigulangan nga dinhi na natawo nga dinhi na sila nangabuhi ug nangamatay,” Datu Makilala said.

He said that their tribe has started living in the area since 1979.

Hard and heavy, this is how Datu Makilala defines their struggle to have their lots be titled as he says that the struggle like “loose of documents” is their main problem.

“Usahay mawala among mga dokumento ug dili namo masundan tungod kay siging kabag-o usab ang atong mga opisyal sa (National Commission on Indigenous Filipinos), maglisod mi ug buhat sa mga dokumento,” he added.

However, despite the long wait for ownership, he still lauded President Rodrigo Duterte who gives importance to the voices of the “lumad” during his time. Prior to this, the NCIP is also helping them through directives to collaborate with them.

Now, Makilala said that through NCIP Regional Director Ana Burgos, they will now be stricter in handling their documents especially that there are also investors who are interested to invest in their lands.