In first cultural revival festival, Bataks of Palawan send appeal to PNoy

They number no more than three hundred, and around half of them came for the first ever Batak festival and development forum in Roxas town, Palawan as part of the celebration of Indigenous Peoples’ Month last October.

One of the festival’s highlights was the signing of a resolution calling on the national government “to take immediate and proper actions to protect the rights to land and resources of the Batak of Palawan – one of the most threatened and diminishing ethnic groups of the Philippines.” The document, dubbed the “Roxas resolution,” was submitted to President Benigno Aquino III.



Other tribes in Palawan, particularly the Tagbanua and Pala’wan, also joined the festival last October 14-15 along with Aeta, Agta Dumagat, and Ati from Luzon and Panay islands. Officials from the National Commission on Culture and the Arts (NCCA) and the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples, as well as members of the academe also attended the forum.

Day One was a celebration of the distinct identity and ancient culture of the Batak with songs, music, dances, and games. Meals featured traditional dishes as part of a cook and taste contest between Batak sitios in Roxas and Puerto Princesa. During breaks, film clips depicting various aspects of Batak society were screened.

Day Two consisted of a presentation of issues affecting the Batak, with government officials giving their reactions in an open dialogue.

In her talk, NCCA Commissioner Joycie Dorado Alegre gave pointers on how the Heritage Act could be used to protect and reinforce the Batak way of life.

Meanwhile, NCIP Commissioner Dionesia Banua announced plans for a concerted effort to fast-track the long overdue titling of Batak ancestral domains in Palawan. The agency is also launching a new project aimed at improving the trade in almaciga, a vital forest commodity that is a mainstay of the Batak economy together with rattan and wild honey.

Professor Ramon Razal, former dean of the UPLB College of Forestry, said a major obstacle for the trade in almaciga resin is the cumbersome and expensive permitting process. The issue, together with other concerns such as severe restrictions on Batak traditional farming, was included in the “Roxas Resolution” drafted and signed by the community leaders.

One of the festival’s organizers, the Non-Timber Forest Products-Exchange Programme, provided the photos in this slide show and details about the event to GMA News Online.

- YA, GMA News