Repeal of military reservation in Capiz eyed
BORACAY ISLAND—The House committee on national cultural communities is eyeing the repeal or amendment of a presidential proclamation declaring more than 33,000 hectares of land in Capiz as a military reservation.
Benguet Rep. Samuel Dangwa, committee chair, said they are studying options to address the ownership claim of an indigenous group on Panay Island which is protesting the presence of the military reservation on the area they consider as their ancestral domain.
"We will look into options that will be amenable to all parties," Dangwa said in an interview.
The Tumandok indigenous group called for the repeal of Presidential Proclamation 67 during a committee hearing in Roxas City on Saturday.
The hearing, held at the provincial capitol in Roxas City, was attended by provincial officials and representatives of the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP), the Army's 3rd Infantry Division (3ID), and the Tumanduk organization.
The hearing was called by the House after it passed a resolution to investigate the alleged intrusion of troops under the 3ID into the ancestral domain of the indigenous people's communities.
The 3ID occupies 33,310 hectares of land that have been transformed into a military reservation since 1962 by virtue of Presidential Proclamation No. 67 issued by then President Diosdado Macapagal. The land, considered the country's biggest military camp next to Fort Magsaysay in Nueva Ecija, covers 16 of the 22 upland villages of Tapaz town and seven villages of Jamindan town, both in Capiz.
The Tumandok communities, estimated to reach 18,000, are the largest and oldest indigenous group inhabiting Panay and are mostly found inside the military reservation.
The group, also called Sulodnon and Bukidnon by scholars, are known for their rich oral literature that has gained international recognition. Anthropologists have recorded nine epics chanted for at least 162 hours. The epics, according to studies, provide insights into the history, psyche and culture of pre-Hispanic Panay Bisayans.
During the hearing, representatives of the Tumandok complained of the presence of the reservation which allegedly disrupts their lives including their hunting, farming and cultural practices because they were always suspected of being supporters or members of New People's Army rebels.
"For decades, our relatives and members of our community have been killed or victimized by soldiers from the military camp. We cannot have peace as long as their squatting on the land of our ancestors," Roy Giganto, chair of the Tumanduk organization, said in a telephone interview.
These allegations have been repeatedly denied by military officials and have accused groups protesting their stay in the area as "front organizations" of the rebel movement which has been traditionally active in the area.
Maj. Gen. Nestor Ochoa, 3ID commander, who attended the hearing said the allegations dated back during the Martial Law period and in the 1970s.
"We haven't received any formal complaint on those allegations in recent years. But we always tell them to file the complaint and furnish us with details especially on the identity soldiers they accused of committing the violations," Ochoa said in a telephone interview.
He said they will abide by any law or proclamation that would affect the military reservation.
The 3ID has developed around 250 hectares of the area where structures and facilities have been erected. But Ochoa he said they are also using the reservation for combat maneuvers and training exercises.
The call to the repeal Proclamation 67 is being backed by the Capiz provincial board.
In a resolution passed last month, the board called for the repeal of the proclamation and the return of the land to the Tumandok communities. This is at least the third time that the provincial board has issued the same resolution.
"The continuous encroachment in the ancestral lands of Tumandok will not only deprive them of the land which they have long tilled and protected but would also result in violation of their right to a secured livelihood, militarization of the area, and destruction of their culture and traditions which they have long preserved," the board said in its resolution.
Deputy Minority Leader and Bayan Muna Rep. Satur Ocampo, co-author of the House resolution, said they have asked the military and other government agencies to furnish the committee a map where the structures have been built or being utilized and areas which are arable and non-arable.