Land was considered as communally owned by the people who comprise the community. The concept of ownership was one of sharing the land with gods, ancestors, kindred and future descendants. The strong attachment to their land and resources led to intermittent conflict with kinship or nonkinship groups that violated the territory. Therefore, to varying levels, these communities developed social and political structures to regulate their relations within their communities as well as with outsiders. Traditional boundaries and agreements were formulated between the Bangsamoro and Lumads. However, the Regalian doctrine that was introduced by the Spaniards reversed the customary concepts of land use and ownership so that all land became part of the king’s royal or regal domain (hence, “Regalian doctrine”). This idea was essentially retained by the Americans. Laws, such as the Torrens titling system, were drafted to reinforce the state’s control over the public domain, citing the reason, among others, that there was no effective system of land registration. Consequently, traditional governance mechanisms were eroded and superseded. For the Bangsamoro and Lumads, the law became unresponsive to their demand for an inclusive system of life and governance that necessarily included the exercise of political governance and economic control over their homeland. Indigenous beliefs, knowledge and practices that are integral and interwoven into the very fabric of ancestral domain fell victim to an alienating concept of land ownership. ON MILITARIZATION, ARMED CONFLICT AND HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS Historical injustices, systematic marginalization, neglect and government policies of dispossession and subjugation were perpetrated on both Lumad and Bangsamoro communities. These resulted in both armed resistance and a variety of unarmed strategies and struggles for self-determination. For more than half a century, most Bangsamoro and Lumads in Mindanao considered the Philippine state and its successive governments as a predatory state. Policies and regulations primarily benefitted a few entrenched powerful elites based in Manila and their local allies. These powerful clans and families helped enforce the laws in collaboration with elements of the Philippine armed forces in order to prey upon the island’s vast tracts of land and its rich and varied resources. This came at the expense of the welfare, interests, peace and development of Mindanao and its peoples. A staggering cost was exacted in terms of human lives, properties and resources lost during the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF)-led struggle resisting Martial law and other forms of violence and oppression (committed by the Ilaga - Christian Vigilantes - and other groups). Heinous crimes of brutality and inhumanity were committed against the peoples of Mindanao, especially the Lumad and Bangsamoro. In several communities, villages were bombed, strafed and razed to the ground. Schools, mosques, churches and other sacred places were burned down or desecrated. Women and children were abused, molested and kidnapped. Some were massacred or slaughtered
Posted on: Mon, 08 Jul 2013 05:53:38 +0000
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