Manuel Fernando M. Fernandez | September 18, 2018
Truth be told, it is hard to write one of your first articles in your new university as a freshman student in college. Will it turn out to be the best? Will you humiliate yourself with a nonsensical piece of writing? These are just some of the questions that boggle and plight my mind as I write this article.
But then again, nothing is to stop me from writing…..not even my plight, and I speak for all of us in general when I say that there is something noble in that….in going on and moving forward even though life gives us hard knocks.
I guess this mind set is also what makes us Filipinos the resilient people that we are, don’t you think?
I definitely think so, as I have been reassured of this fact once more on a gloomy afternoon last September 10, 2018, when we Thomasians warmly welcomed our Lumad people into our university.
The afternoon started out with a welcome walk of sorts for our Lumad people. It was rainy, but didn’t stop anything. In fact, it heightened the motivation---the determination---to fight for the rights of our Lumad people. A stage event followed shortly thereafter to cater for their warm welcome. We spoke for them, and the Lumads spoke on behalf of their people. The atmosphere was friendly and filled with hope. The Lumads prepared cultural dance and music presentations for us as a sign of goodwill and friendship, to our appreciation. Seeing them dance, sing, or even act made me realize that they are just like us---they have the capability to shine and do their part for the world around them. They, like all of us, can be a light in this country as well. They are also Filipinos.
I got to talk with one certain datu who’s name I couldn’t understand that well (if I’m not mistaken with what I hear, it is apparently Datu Tuniman), but he is part of a certain Lumad council in Davao del Norte. When I asked him how he felt that night, he said that he was happy because people welcomed them, and it truly warmed my heart to think that for them, it’s not only being welcomed in an institution, but it’s also being welcomed in the hearts of their fellow countrymen and women.
By talking with him, I got to discover more of the Lumad’s plight. According to him, they are protecting their land, and unfortunately because of this, he says that the state continues to oppress them, and has been doing so since 1994, when the state started to let the abuse of natural resources happen, and this oppression, he said, heightened with the declaration of Martial Law in Mindanao. One of the saddest things that has happened, according to him, was a child that died a year ago last September 5 named Obelio Bayaw (again, probably not what the exact spelling is). The child, according to the datu, was shot down by the military because the child was bright, and according to him, the state does not want bright Lumads because if they are forged to be brighter, they’ll be able to fight better with the oppression that they are facing. They believe that the state continuously wants to fool them, and for the most part, you can’t really fool anyone with proper education that easily---especially those with bright minds.
But then, my interview with him ends on a brighter note, still. He does believe that they are winning, slowly but surely. With the stronger support from the common people in our country through the years, they have become a stronger force forged in passion for what they believe is right. Despite the hardships, they still continue to fight. If that isn’t resilience, then what is?
It is quite fitting that a prominent figure of resilience was there to show her support for the Lumads as well, and she’s none other than Sister Patricia Fox. You may have heard of her in the news lately. Say what you will about her, but it cannot be denied that she is resilient with what she wants to stand for, and regardless of what we all stand for, we wish to be resilient and brave, don’t we all? This time, however, she is showing her support for the Lumads.
So yes, Sister Fox was there, and luckily, USTSS was lucky enough to have an interview with her, and truly, I was lucky enough as well to be able to be the one to administer the interview.
For a little background, Sister Fox says that she has been a missionary in the Philippines since 1990. She wasn’t particularly fond of being in the news lately, as she wasn’t accustomed to being a sort of public figure. But, she has been in fact-findings for years already, and so she says that she was in shock when she was suddenly in the news. She is glad, however quite surprising, that she has become a rallying point for some, as she never thought of herself in that kind of way. This motivated her further to help the people in becoming stronger to face certain problems in such a way, and this fit her presence in the event for the Lumads that day.
When I asked how she felt about the situation the Lumads are in, she says, and I quote, “It’s just disgusting what’s happening to them. You know, these young people who just want education and their parents really want their education, and they wanna be able to live on their land in peace, and just be left alone.” She says that because of mining and all the other activities that abuse the natural resources of the Lumads, they are displaced from their homes and their schools.
“I think, like most tribal people, the whole communal spirit.” she answered when I asked what to her are some of the most beautiful things she discovered about Lumad culture. “You don’t take something for one person---you take for the whole thing, they share, they care about their land and they care about each other.”
“I think their struggle is the struggle of everybody.” she said. “I think Filipinos all desire genuine freedom, genuine peace, genuine democracy, genuine justice---and I think it doesn’t come easy. I think people have to work for it, and people have to really want it, and I think most people do want it.” I think this is related to the concept of resilience and courage. Sister Fox says she finds courage in believing in what she’s doing, as she’s had support from many different kinds of people as well. She’s not afraid of what is to come, and I think that this kind of willpower and determination can really benefit us if we will ourselves to possess it and channel it into things that can make our country stronger.
Going back to the start of the event, what resonated with me was a simple proclamation of some of our brave Thomasians holding placards that proclaimed their sentiments that reflected those of the Lumads.
"Libro hindi bala!” The line stuck with me the most because, well, it turned out to be what would really resonate with what I’ve come to discover in the plight of the Lumads, and also in the dark reality that our country faces today.
The bright lights of our nation are constantly being shut off…bright lights that are forged through things like education. We are all to blame, to be quite honest. In our own little ways, we may tend to do this for people who are not as lucky as we are, although not in the same manner that some of us see. In a lot of ways, what a lot of people see as oppression through the state can also be interpreted as a reflection of our identity. When we do not know how best we can serve others, how best we can make this country great, there will always be a reflection of the darkness that we, sometimes unconsciously, project out into the world around us.
The whole day was very gloomy and rainy, but somehow I found light in the Lumads and in the Thomasians who were really willing to find change in the society. In fact, the rain heightened the motivation---the determination---to fight for the rights of our Lumad people. It became a literal representation that through the darkness, light should still shine through us, even if it could only slowly crawl its way out to be miniscule in amount---what matters most is that we show that a light is there to tell everyone that no matter what, there will always be some kind of hope to cling onto to still continue to be the resilient Filipinos that we all are.
To paint a more vivid picture of how the Lumads have shown the light to others, I have asked some of my classmates from 1SCL for some insights regarding the Lumad interaction event last September 12, 2018.
SOBRANG PRIVILEGED KONG TAO. Ang laki ng sakripisyo nila para sa pag aaral nila…..biruin mo yun nag-iikot sila para lang maihatid yung totoong information sa atin, kung anong kalagayan nila ganun.
- Kay Dela Cruz, 1SCL
I just really hope with what they shared, they can stand up again in their own and I just really hope that the government can help them. They deserve to have their land and resources back. I just really feel so down with everything that’s happening in our country and I really hope and pray that there is a change that can happen that can last in the long run.
- Raymund Jerard Abuel, 1SCL
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