The Blaan tribal community of Polomolok is urgently appealing to government agencies to protect their ancestral land from encroachment, asserting that their rights as indigenous people are under threat.
Fulong Dan, a tribal spokes person, said a signed proclamation grants the tribe the right and ownership of the land where a large pineapple plantation company now operates.
“It belongs to the tribe. We have documents proving that we legally own this land. We live here and our livelihood depends on it,” Fulong Dan said.
Proclamation No. 762, signed on July 5, 1961, by President Carlos P. Garcia, is a decree designating a portion of public land in the Municipality of General Santos (now Polomolok), Cotabato Province, Mindanao, for the purpose of farming and settlement of the Blaan indigenous people.
This proclamation is made in accordance with the recommendation of the Secretary of Agriculture and Natural Resources and in accordance with the provisions of Commonwealth Act No. 141 (Public Land Act) and Executive Order No. 1, 113, p. 1955.
It seeks to promote equitable and sustainable livelihoods for Indigenous Peoples by granting them access to land for cultivation.
The tribe also affirmed that the area is their ancestral land, which they currently inhabit and cultivate.
Fulong Dan and the others appealed to government agencies to help protect their rights as Indigenous Peoples, as guaranteed under the Indigenous Peoples’ Rights Act (IPRA) of 1997.
The tribe called for justice and the reclamation of land they consider sacred and part of their culture and identity.
