The Agta of the Sierra Madres
The Agta-Dumagat-Remontado, collectively known as Agta, are hunter-gatherers who have inhabited the islands for at least 35,000 years. Today, around 9,000 Agta live along the coasts and in the tropical rainforest of the Sierra Madre Mountain Range in northeastern Luzon. They are an indigenous people whose traditional culture and livelihoods are severely threatened by change. Large-scale logging, which peaked in the early 1980s, have contributed much to the decline of their way of life, and to the loss of their traditional domain. At the peak of the logging boom in the Sierra Madres, many Agtas were employed by the logging companies as labourers. The wages earned through this employment introduced them to the monetary system and further separated them from the forest as a source of sustenance.
Hamletting, the “herding” of scattered and nomadic Agta into small settlements is seen as another major cause of their spiral towards poverty and disempowerment. Hamletting completely changed their way of life, as before they were spread out into territories agreed upon by customary law. By being spread out, they were able to sustainably live on the resources of their territories. By hamletting the Agta, sustainable resource use was no longer possible because there were simply too many people concentrated in one place. With the severe loss of habitat and a total log ban eventually in place, many Agtas lost their source of income. A vicious cycle had begun. Needing to sustain themselves and their families, many of them turned to activities such as charcoal making and illegal logging to earn money to provide for their basic needs.
A New Beginning?
The Philippine Indigenous People’s Rights Act (IPRA) of 1997 is landmark legislation, which accorded greater recognition of Indigenous Peoples’ (IP) rights. An important provision in this law is the recognition of ancestral domain claims through the awarding of a Certificate of Ancestral Domain Title (CADT) to indigenous communities. The Agta, through their traditional leaders, are actively engaging the government to have the 142,000 ha ancestral domain claim recognised and formalised through a CADT.
To some of the Agta leaders the CADT is merely a formality, but an important document nonetheless. For whilst the IPRA is already in effect, IP rights to ancestral domain continue to be challenged in many (if not most) provinces and municipalities by local governments themselves. The CADT would thus formalise the security of tenure and empower indigenous communities to sustainably manage the forest according to their customs. The CADT is also an important step in the development of an Ancestral Domain Sustainable Development and Protection Plan (ADSDPP), where REDD+ is being incorporated. The ADSDPP would put the Agta at the forefront of managing the forest within their domain.
“The Agta are in the best position to act as stewards of the forests, because their sustenance comes from the forest and their culture deeply respects the forest and all life within it”, explained Napoleon Buendicho, Governor of the Quezon Tribal Council. This view is not entirely shared at the moment by all other stakeholders in the area and the struggle for having their ancestral domain recognised and respected is a story yet unfolding.