I would first like to commend the work that you and your team have been doing as Project Lumad in providing immediate aid to the 111 Lumad students and teachers currently residing in the University of the Philippines - Diliman. In the midst of this poorly-managed health crisis, there is truly great value in you helping do the work that our own government has continually failed to do: providing them not just the means to safeguard themselves from the virus, but from hunger and deprivation as well. As much as the coronavirus has not been selective in who it chooses to infect, whoever ends up standing in its line of sight is still surely a result of systemic inequalities that leave communities like theirs more vulnerable than others.
But today, I am writing this letter because of a much-needed evaluation of the efforts tied to this sector—an evaluation that directs our eyes to the horizon beyond the ash and smoke and what we hope to see there. So long as there looms the threat of violence and conflict, we can never be assured of a future where internally displaced persons no longer walk the streets in uncertainty and fear. But, we can still work towards a society that can at least succeed in responding to what has otherwise been a neglected emergency for decades. In order to do that, we need to solidify response at the institutional level with a rights-based approach in catering to the needs of IDPs and a law that guarantees the rights of these communities in diaspora to a life of dignity and freedom.
The Rights of Internally Displaced Persons Act of 2013 [1] was a bill that sought to “promote and protect the rights of internally displaced persons in situations of armed conflict, generalized violence, tribal/clan wars, violations of human rights, aggressive implementation of development projects, natural and man-made disasters.” Its scope focused on the protection of their rights during and after displacement, resettlement, relocation, and reintegration.
Back in 2013, the bill was approved by the House of Representatives but was vetoed by President Aquino on the grounds that: 1) the bill unlawfully differentiates between displacements caused by the government’s law enforcement agencies and other entities, 2) the power granted to the Commission on Human Rights to determine damages incurred against IDPs impinges on the exclusive constitutional power of the Judiciary branch, 3) this exceeds the limited power of CHR to remain only an investigative and recommendatory agency, and 4) the provision goes against the non-suability character of the State because allowing IDPs to claim financial assistance and compensation opens the door to a slew claims are cases against the government itself. [2]
For almost a decade since then, this bill had only been gathering dust in the archives of our legislative bodies. Because there are no existing policies being implemented in response to internal displacement, particularly of the Lumad, efforts in the country have primarily been disaster-based in accordance with the Philippine Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Act of 2010 (PDRRMA). This framework, however, has been ineffective because it is “principally about structures rather than rights and standards, about response actors rather than displaced people, and this does not translate into systematic, efficient response; recovery efforts are still created on an ad hoc basis following disasters.” [3]
Ako Bakwit, a non-government organization that seeks to promote and protect the rights and welfare of IDPs, has recently revived the call to prioritize the IDP Rights Bill and a rights-based framework that can provide communities like your beneficiary, the Lumad community, some protection and assistance in the midst of their displacement. They demand its urgency, especially now as they remain in substandard living conditions while facing a global pandemic—where the lack of policies and aid has left IDPs to fend for themselves against an invisible and fatal enemy.
It is with great resolve that I invite your organization—being a staunch advocate of the rights of the Lumad community to good education—to partake in unifying with other sectors and organizations to fortify the call for awareness and public clamour. The longer we wait out in this pandemic, the longer we subject communities like the Lumad to a life cast with hunger, fear, and insecurity.
The role you can play in preventing this is therefore crucial. I have been made aware of your organization’s intent to transition to a social enterprise, particularly through the publication of a book about the Lumad community’s story of diaspora. This project presents itself as the perfect opportunity to be aligned to the national call for reform as your direct tie to an internally displaced community guarantees them a digital platform to inform the public about their plight and further emphasize the urgency of their demand for action.
Your contribution through digital storytelling that narrates the struggle of their community can be supplemented by an awareness campaign that makes use of your social media platform to regularly inform the public about the communities’ current situation and the ways in which they can help, such as a list of IDP-owned businesses they can support.
I also urge you to use your platform to echo the calls of the Lumad community to condemn any discriminatory and harmful remarks made against them, amplify their demand for accountability, and emphasize the importance of prioritizing the IDP Rights Bill in legislation.
The tendency for this administration to turn a blind eye to the cries of its people does not grant us permission to simply abandon the pursuit of reform. Genuine reform takes time and bills can take months or even years before it can be passed into law. We nonetheless continue to trudge forth, with caution and persistence, knowing every effort in line with this advocacy is a march forward.
There is a need for sustained and magnified attention to this pressing issue if we are to turn the heads of our policymakers. We cannot allow this flame to burn brightly for a brief period, only for it to die out just as quickly. As public outrage remains the ever-fickle child that needs constant nurturing, the fate of thousands of displaced women, men, and children remain shrouded in uncertainty. It is time we imagine a future for the Lumad and other internally displaced communities where they are protected, not persecuted—a future where they do not have to rely on the generosity of others to get by another day.
I see much potential in your organization in contributing to this cause. I sincerely hope to see more of Project Lumad in this light in the future.
Angelika Portia Lapidario
AB Development Studies
Likas Member
