How Datu of today viewed the Philippines and the World.

Datu is considered a prince of a barangay , the traditional form of governance in the Philippines during the Malays era or before the Spanish Emperial conquestadores .

Datu is the walking depository of oral history of their own locality or ethnography where they belong. Their mandate is to implement the rule of law ( customary), ensure the existence of tribal against other tribals.

Datu Ireneo Perez Rico, of Macapilapay Purok 8 , Barangay San Toribio Esparanza , Agusan del Sur is a Datu who is "on fire" on the modernization of systems politics, economy, society norms and ways, that goes if not complimentary treatens the very core of Datu systems and their way of life and even their habitat which is the forest.

Datu Ireneo Perez Rico is a delegate representing his clans in the two days of 2nd National Conference on Indigenous Peoples and Local communities Conserved Areas and Territories held at Crown Plaza , Ortigas Center , Pasig City , Philippines.

" The Ortigas Center especially the city is overwhelming ", imagine and looking from the 40th floor of St. Francis Tower which I booked, I saw the vastness of the city".

Datu as position relegated is privilege . But its only given to the anointed sons from the eldest of the certain family. Its could be inherited and one could be trained from the fathers mentoring.Sometimes one could be appointed to position when someone shown and bears deep respect among the peers of old faternal groupings or when one have done something for the admiration of the whole tribe . It is if by some one have caught (hunt) extraordinary beast from the forest, or save the tribe from the treat of extinction .

Customary Law provides the fairness and sense of justice , peace and equity in dealing day to day living with the tribe and in dealing with other tribe. Its purely based on commonsense of what is tradtionally belief of what is right and wrong. Its unwritten yet carry the fatherly concerns , encompassing from Datu's immediate family and to the whole trbe.

Courtship ,Datu's experience era on courting woman is through songs.
Through his friends from the local migrant from Ilocus region , who tought him the songs of Eddie Perigrina and even Elvey's Presley.

Initiation rites , this is purely mans world. The passing of boy to a man is something regarded a sacred ritual.

Herbs as medicine , indigenous people live by nature.The environment of forest is where they live their livelihood. Where every one has enough according to his catch. " We have our historic delineation for each part of the forest where we apportioned which is best for hunting livestock, to gather fire woods, to get fresh water to drinks, to get for our fruits and foods, to get something herbs for our medicine. Each delineation is symbolized with a tree , shrub or stone.

Rituals and traditions, our own way of dealing with the unseen or the almighty and 'bathala" through songs , personal conversation is very intimate for which only Datu or Baylan could only manage to comprehend.

Family wife as permanent (no deductions but sometimes may allowed to add in).

Land sense of ownership ,entitlement ,inheritance : according to Datu Ireneo Perez Rico being a Datu " macalipay", its that we belong to nature, and nature belong to us. Sense of ownership is immaterial. However as time progresses where sens of permanency comes upon us its the delineation by terrain , topography natural dominion defines with by a boundary of familiarity. Sense of ownership is intangible and abstract form of control where common sense of ownership means to share for every one , because all belongs to nature.

Approach to modernization , according to " Datu Macalipay", living in a tribe " means a simple living, we have a herbalist who act as doctor". "Prenatal diagnosis is just simple. By a native chicken egg , massaging it in the skin belly of the pregnant woman, we can be able to distinguish if the baby is healthy , a boy or girl". " How ever to day , the old norms of delivering a baby will be no longer be applied . Because most of the trbie woman, eat junk foods where nutrients and their innate strengths cannot afford to carry the pain of traditional birthing delivery. They have to summoned to the way of new birthing and even caring after birth sense their bodies is no longer immune to the old ways where nutrients from the raw ,slow foods is very effective as what we have been".

"About the cellphone, Indigenous people today uses cellphone already. " I have a daughter who happens to be schooled by nun , and she is now a teacher. Yes she uses cellphone already. ", per Datu Ireneo Perez Rico " Makalipay".

What worried , Datu Macalipay is the divide and conquer tactics by the for pay guards of the Mining Company operating in Agusan del Sur and renegade army of the New Peoples Army for both side fight for the " natures money " bribe to operate a mining with in the sacred places , declared for by the tribe ancestors.

"Hence, what bothers me " when science confronted the issue of recording our way of living, there are certain ways for which " conversing with our baylan "god" through an intimate oracle ' recitation" where meaning is only at the state of mind between baylan and the ONE."

Likewise , " our tested medicinal herbs , if put tested and proven by science , and manufactured in mass produce for profit , for whom who benefit for these , are we the indigenous people".

"Good to say, that living in the old norms is now an lifestyle options for everyone , yet entails cost , but is this norms means are we going back in times?" , as per Datu Irene Perez Rico " Macalipay".

Its the peace loving "indigenous people that gets comprise" aside from the environmental impact of the mining , their very way of life is "on fire".

Partners for the today's conference on Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities Conserved Areas and Territories are Bureau of Biodiversity, gef, UNDP , PAFID, Bukluran ICCA Consortium, ptfcf, National Commission on Indigenous People, giz Deutsche Gesellschaft fun internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH on behalf of the Federal Ministry for the Environment Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety of the Federal Republic of Germany.

Henry Estipona
Philippines
www.on-linexpress.blogspot.com