The whole world watched the Amazon rainforest go up in smoke in 2019. The tragedy put indigenous peoples in Brazil in the spotlight as they fought against deforestation and their government’s inaction. In Canada, there was an outcry about the emerging history of persecution and assimilation of members of the First Nations.
We are aware of the significance of indigenous peoples in other countries. They are always linked to environmental action, and their struggles are often in the news.
But in the Philippines, indigenous peoples remain largely unnoticed and neglected, even though they similarly struggle for their rights — from dealing with stolen ancestral lands to demanding access to basic social services.
Some Filipinos may have picked up bits and pieces about cultural minorities from their social studies and history classes. But many are blissfully unaware that the water they drink and the electricity they use more often than not come from watersheds that are part of ancestral lands. Many modern devices rely on minerals ripped out of mountains in ancestral domains. The homes of indigenous peoples are continually devastated to make modern life possible for the common Filipino. Yet the indigenous peoples themselves are mostly discarded and ignored.
One person hopes to bring down these barricades of neglect against indigenous peoples – Teddy Baguilat.
Baguilat is a former Congressman of Ifugao. A full-blooded indigenous person with Tuwali and Gaddang roots, he is passionate about many things, such as human rights, the environment, and K-dramas.
Indeed, common misconceptions about indigenous tribes condemn them as ignorant and unsophisticated. In truth, they have similar aspirations and interests as any other Filipino. And when given the chance, they can rise to even greater heights.
These are some of the reasons why Baguilat is keen on promoting the welfare and heritage of indigenous peoples. Their rich culture and wisdom promise a goldmine of learnings that can help overcome many of the challenges that the country is facing. Their close relationship with the environment, for example, hint at solutions to climate change.
Baguilat is committed to breaking the stigma against indigenous peoples, and he hopes that indigenous communities will finally gain the respect they deserve.
As a Congressman, he ceaselessly sought to protect and empower indigenous peoples by pushing for such measures such as the institutionalization of indigenous educational systems, the extension of the period for indigenous communities to secure titles to their ancestral lands, and the protection of indigenous and local communities conserved areas, among many other proposed laws.
For a time, he chaired the House of Representatives Committee on National Cultural Communities, where he not only led deliberations on proposed laws affecting indigenous communities, but he was also sought out by tribes to mediate disputes owing to their respect for Baguilat. It is not too late for Filipinos to shake off their prejudices against indigenous peoples. With Teddy Baguilat championing their cause, indigenous peoples may yet herald an age of sustainable progress for the country.
