Indigenous People's Landscape and Its Direct Connection to Impoverishment and Un-Peace: The Case in Bislig, Surigao in the Philippines

The struggles of Indigenous People in the uplands of Bislig, in Surigao del Sur, a province in Mindanao in southern Philippines, continue to be a cause of concern for the Local Church. Their communities have become sites for contestation between State agencies, corporate firms and the Indigenous org...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Concilium
Main Author: Gaspar, Karl 1947- (Author)
Format: Print Article
Language:English
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Published: SCM Press [2019]
In: Concilium
Year: 2019, Issue: 4, Pages: 109-120
Standardized Subjects / Keyword chains:B Surigao (Region) / Coal mining / Lumad / Environmental protection / Catholic church
IxTheo Classification:CG Christianity and Politics
KAJ Church history 1914-; recent history
KBM Asia
KDB Roman Catholic Church
NCG Environmental ethics; Creation ethics
Further subjects:B coal mining
B ENVIRONMENTAL activism
B LEGAL status of indigenous peoples
B Church work
B Indigenous Peoples
B Philippines
B Ethnology
Description
Summary:The struggles of Indigenous People in the uplands of Bislig, in Surigao del Sur, a province in Mindanao in southern Philippines, continue to be a cause of concern for the Local Church. Their communities have become sites for contestation between State agencies, corporate firms and the Indigenous organization. Appropriating the State's law providing the Indigenous peoples with legal rights over their ancestral domain, their tribal council decided to allow the entry of coal mining, a local extractive industry introduced earlier by a big business firm. At the same time, their lands were also planted tofast-growing trees known as falcatta. Concerned ecological advocates have warned the communities of the long-term ecological impact of these activities, which have made some tribal leaders worried as to how they can be engaged in incomegenerating activities and yet not destroy their environment. The local Base Ecclesial Communities of the parish have shown an interest to assist them in their struggles but are somehow limited in their capacity to provide solidarity. This article is a case study of how a local church gets involved in solidarity work with Indigenous communities.
ISSN:0010-5236
Contains:Enthalten in: Concilium