PHILIPPINE INDIGENOUS

COMMUNITIES WITH EMPHASIS ON

PALAWAN CULTURE
(BATAK TRIBE)

SUBMITTED BY:

ADION, Renz Gian Arl B.

BELVIZ, Clayton A.
BOLOS, Bien Joshua P.
BUENVIAJE, Earl Shane D.
CAYABO, JR., Rodel R.

SUBMITTED TO:
DR. TIRSO SEGUNDO

Page | 1
INTRODUCTION
Palawan is the largest province in the Philippines and is home to several indigenous
ethnolinguistic groups such as the Tagbanua, Palaw’an, Tao’t Bato, Molbog, Batak, Agutaynen
and Cuyonon. These groups of people live in remote villages throughout the province that are
found in mountains and coastal areas. According to the province’s history, the ancestors of these
indigents have occupied Palawan long before the Malay settlers from the Majapahit Empire of
Indonesia arrived in the area during the 12th century.

According to Antonio Pigafetta, the chronicler of Ferdinand Magellan, the remnant of

Magellan’s fleet landed in Palawan after Magellan’s death. They were able to observe the way of
life of the native people who were
populating in Palawan at that time. In his
writings, he highlighted how cultivated
the fields are in the said province and
that all the native people used weapons
consisting of blowpipes, spears and
bronze Lowbard.

The Batak tribe is a group of

indigenous people who live in
the rugged interiors of the northeast
portion of the province of Palawan.
These group of people lives close to
nature and are extremely peaceful and
shy. They believe in nature spirits with
whom they communicate with through
the aid of a “babaylan” or a shaman. At
present, there are only about 500, or less, Batak people remaining in the Philippines.

The Bataks are also

called Tinitianes and are considered by
anthropologists to be closely related to the
Aytas of Central Luzon, another Negrito tribe.
They are described as people who tend to
be small in stature and has a dark complexion,
they also have short curly, mostly kinky, hair –
traits that earned the “Negrito” groups of their
name. However, there are still debates as to
whether the Bataks are related to the other
Negrito groups of the Philippines or to other
physically similar groups in Indonesia or as far
as the Andaman Islands.

For centuries, the Bataks have

combined a hunting-gathering kind of lifestyle with seeding of useful food plants, kaingin – a

Page | 2
slash and burn farming method, and trading. It is believed that they may have already had trading
relations with Chinese merchants as early as 500 AD. During mid to late 20th century, Bataks
were pushed out of their gathering grounds which was by the sea and was forced to move into
the mountains by emigrant farmers who were mostly from Luzon. Living in less fertile areas,
they attempted to supplement their income by harvesting and selling various nontimber forest
products such as rattan, tree resins, and honey.
This was, however, resisted by the government and commercial collectors who claim that
the Bataks have no legal right to the resources that they are utilizing. Conservationists, on the
other hand, have taken interest in the collection methods of the Bataks which are more
sustainable than the techniques used by commercial concessionaires.

Bataks were once nomadic people but this changed when the government has given a
small village for them. Still, they often go to gathering trips that would take them a few days at a
time, a practice that has both economic and spiritual value to them. Bataks are animist – they
believe that spirits reside within nature. The Bataks make a regular offering to these spirits,
while Shamans undergo spiritual possessions in order to communicate with the spirits and to heal
the sick.

These days, “pure” Bataks or those whos parents both belong to the Batak tribe have
become highly rare due to the incursion by immigrants and the exposure of the tribe to the
society.
Most Bataks would prefer marrying a person outside of the tribe and will, later on, have children
who will choose not to go by the norms of the tribe. As an effect, Bataks are being absorbed into
a more diffuse group of upland indigenous peoples who are slowly losing their tribal identities,
their unique spirituality and culture, there are even debates as to whether these people still exist
as a distinct ethnic entity or not.

At present, many groups of indigents have moved into Palawan, however, the National
Commission on Indigenous Peoples only acknowledge seven of these groups of people as true
native Palawan

OVERVIEW

Page | 3
The Batak is one of the indigenous
people of Palawan. Since ancient time they
have inhabited a series of river valleys along
the 50 kilometers stretch of coastline
Northeast of what is today Puerto Princesa
City. They are considered to be of negrito
stock. Their physical attribute shows short
structure, dark skin and curly hair, that
earned these distinctive looking people their
name.

Their economic activities revolve

mostly on swidden farming Kaingin (Slash and burn method), hunting, and natural resources
products gathering, primarily almaciga resin-tapping, rattan pole collecting, and honey gathering.
Their foods came exclusively from the forest rivers, creeks and sometimes from the sea. They
were highly mobile people. This is the primary reason they are not motivated to cultivate
permanent land areas for crops productions. Traditionally they only plant cassava, banana, sweet
potato, ube, gabi, and coconuts.

The Bataks’ religious faith

continues to be based on the spirits of
nature whom they believe to reside in
big rocks and trees. The spirits possess
the power to cure severe sickness when
called upon by their baylan. Their
system of political governance is headed
by Masiricampo designated by the over-
all Masiricampo from the Tagbanua, an
age-old practice observed.

The population of the Batak at

the turn of the century is estimated at
1,000. But the latest census made in 1990 placed them at only 450.

Page | 4
They are currently settled in eight communities namely: Sitio RiandacanBarangay
Maoyon, Sitio Kalakwasan and Calabagyog, Barangay Tanabag, Sitio Tagnaya, Barangay
Concepcion, Sitio Manggapin Barangay Langogan, all is in the jurisdiction of Puerto Princesa
City, then at SitioTagnipa, Barangay Tinitian, Sitio Manabo Barangay Caramay and Sitio
Timbuan Barangay Abaraoan of Roxas Palawan. Before they resided in the said communities,
their original territory has been lost to powerful loggers, minor forest products concessionaires
and lowland settlers pushing them from their original settlements to the higher altitude forest
interiors.

These significantly reduced their swidden farming and hunting activities as well as the
minor forest products gathering area.

HISTORY OF BATAK TRIBE

The Batak tribe is a group of
indigenous people who live in the rugged
interiors of the northeast portion of the
province of Palawan. Since ancient time they
have inhabited a series of river valleys along
the 50 kilometers stretch of coastline Northeast

Page | 5
of what is today Puerto Princesa City. These group of people lives close to nature and are
extremely peaceful and shy. They believe in nature spirits with whom they communicate with
through the aid of a “babaylan” or a shaman.

The Bataks are also called Tinitianes and are considered by anthropologists to be closely
related to the Aytas of Central Luzon, another Negrito tribe. They are described as people who
tend to be small in stature and has a dark complexion, they also have short curly, mostly kinky,
hair – traits that earned the “Negrito” groups of their name.

In contrast to the Pälawan and Tagbanua, the Batak do not originate from those ancient
Mongoloid populations which reached the island around 5,000 BP. Rather, they are believed to
be descended from the first wave of
Australoid populations which crossed the
land bridges connecting the Philippine
Archipelago with the mainland of Asia
(probably around 45,000 – 50,000 years
ago), and that are generically labeled as
Negritos. The Negrito of the Philippines
are represented by various
ethnolinguistically distinct groups know
as Agta, Ayta, Aeta, Ata or Ati, Batak and
Mamanwa living in widely scattered regions in the mountainous areas of 7 southern and eastern
Luzon, in Samar, Bohol, Negros, Panay island, Palawan and the eastern Mindanao Provinces.

The Batak of Palawan are

found scattered in the central portion
of Palawan. Eder (1987) estimated
their population to be about 600-700
individuals in 1900, while his
complete census in 1972 located only
272 with two Batak parents and 374
with one Batak parent (1987: 110).

Page | 6
My provisional census in 2005 indicates that there are only 155 individuals with two
Batak parents, a decline in the Batak ‘core’ population of almost 57% within a period of thirty-
three years. At the close of the 19th century, approximately 20 to 50 Batak families were
associated with each of the nine river valleys that made up their territory (see Eder 1987).

In the past, according to Batak elders, members of the different local groups visited each
other, often traveling by raft along the seashore. At that time, the Batak were spending much
time in the coastal areas, building their night-camps on the beach.

BATAK TRIBE: POPULATION

With an overall
population of less than 300
individuals, the Batak are surely
one of the most threatened
indigenous communities of
South East Asia, and continues
to face demographic decline.
Amongst the seven existing
Batak settlements, the
community of Tanabag (approx.

Page | 7
160 individuals divided in about 40 households) has the best standing in relation to the five
essential elements.

BATAK TRIBE: An Overview of their Lifestyle

For generations, they have

successfully combined hunting, fishing,
and gathering of forest products with
shifting agriculture.

Rice, root crops and vegetables are

grown, and at the peak of the dry season in
March the gardens are burned to the
ground.

Page | 8
After the Batak have cultivated a field, they leave it fallow for several years. New
gardens are planted in April when the rain arrives.

An intimate knowledge of rice allows them to recognize and name at least 70 different
varieties. Women fish with a hook and line, whilst the whole community works together to catch
fish by stunning them with a plant-based poison.

BATAK TRIBE: S O C I E T Y

Batak societies and villages revolve

around descendants of the village founder,

who sort of play the role of aristocrats, and

lineage mates in the form of wife givers (who have provided the descendants of the founders

with wives and blessing for many generations) and traditional wife receivers (who marry the

founder’s descendant’s daughters and provide the village with various services in return). Batak

villages are ruled by a council of elders, chiefs (known as jajas), and chiefs councils in

accordance with genealogical positions in founder’s lineage. They preside over ceremonies,

preside over some judicial matters and are expected to set high moral standards for others to

follow. [Source: Encyclopedia of World Cultures, East and Southeast Asia edited by Paul

Hockings (G.K. Hall & Company, 1993) ~]

Unlike the Balinese, who have several different traditional group affiliations at once, or

the Javanese, who affiliate with their village or neighborhood, the Batak traditionally orient

Page | 9
themselves primarily to the marga, a landowning patrilineal descent group. Traditionally, each

marga is a wife-giving and wife-taking unit. Whereas a young man takes a wife from his

mother’s clan (men must seek wives outside their own marga), a young woman marries into a

clan within which her paternal aunts live. [Source: Library of Congress]

The marga has proved to be a flexible social unit in contemporary Indonesian society.

Batak who resettle in urban areas, such as Medan or Jakarta, draw on marga affiliations for

financial support and political alliances. While many of the corporate aspects of the marga have

undergone major changes, Batak migrants to other areas of Indonesia retain pride in their ethnic

identity. Batak have shown themselves to be creative in drawing on modern media to codify,

express, and preserve their “traditional” adat. Anthropologist Susan Rodgers has shown how

audiotaped cassette dramas with some soap-opera elements circulated widely in the 1980s and

1990s in the Batak region to dramatize the moral and cultural dilemmas of one’s kinship

obligations in a rapidly changing world. In addition, Batak have been prodigious producers of

written handbooks designed to show young, urbanized, and secular lineage members how to

navigate the complexities of their marriage and funeral customs.

Page | 10
BATAK TRIBE: E D U C A T I O N

The Batak Toba's mother was once known as the "working" hard in his family. In their
native region known as farmers and cultivators zealous cultivate the fields and fields owned by
the parents or family of her husband. There is no surprising when you see them working while
carrying a child who was a toddler on his back.

• Reason Promoting the Family Education

One of the Toba Batak people living motto is "anakkokin do hamoraon in ahu"
which means that children are the most precious treasure. They will try to educate their
children become a person who can enhance the dignity of his family. As with any form of
the custom house Batak Toba where in the rear roof from the house must be higher than
the front; the house floor whose position is getting inside the house becomes higher. For
example, If parents are not in school, their son should be able to go to school, increasing
steadily up to the highest level. This illustrates that, if the next generation should be
better than the previous generation. If today's parents work on foot, their son should be
able to work using a bicycle, motorcycle, car, and so on.

• Early-on children have been taught in order to excel in life, especially in education.
Education is the way to achieve a better life than their parents. Napitupulu (2011) stated
that the position of the husband's family will increase when the children succeed in
school education, and the child gets a higher value than the value for the other.

Page | 11
• A good education also shapes their child's character to be polite, disciplined, honest,
independent, and faithful. These things not only become the capital in association with
fellow peers, but also in every relationship towards the world of work later, and to
became personally useful to the country.

BATAK TRIBE: H E A L T H

Providing health care to indigenous peoples in remote areas is tricky at the best of times.

Imagine, though, situations in which some of the patients are living in caves and the primary

means of transportation for patients is riding a water buffalo.

Those are among the challenges faced by physicians seeking to provide care to members

of the seven tribes - the Cuyunin, Cagayanen, Agutaynin, Molbog, Tagbanua, Pala’wans and

Batak - abiding on Palawan Island in the Philippines.

The caseload can be extremely challenging, from unusual fungal infections to untreated

limb deformities caused by falls from coconut trees. And given the political realities of the

Philippines, where it’s not entirely uncommon for health care professionals, or for that matter,

tourists to be ambushed or kidnapped, it’s definitely disconcerting to be placed in the situation of

delivering health care while completely surrounded by soldiers armed with grenade launchers.

Severe undernourishment has made them more vulnerable to diseases such as malaria,

measles and tuberculosis. They also suffer from high infant mortality and low birth rates. The

small Batak population means young people often have to marry outside the tribe.

Page | 12
BATAK TRIBE: RELIGION

Most Bataks are Protestant Christians but a significant number are Muslim. Beliefs in

spirits remain strong even though many speak of an “Age of Darkness” that existed before their

ancestors were converted to Islam and Christianity. There is some merging of Islamic and

Christian beliefs. Traditional animist beleifs are called Sipelebegu or Parbegu.

Traditional Batak beliefs center on a spiritual understanding that the universe is divided

into three realms: 1) the upper world where the God’s residesl 2) the middle world which

belongs to humans; and 3) the lower world which is home to ghosts and demons. Medical care in

Batak culture focuses on the condition of the soul. It is believed that sickness is caused when the

soul flees the body in which case a traditional healer is needed to help call the wandering soul

back to the patient.

Traditional beliefs manifest themselves in: 1) participation in adat (local customary

practices) ceremonies and rituals, 2) a fear of sorcery, witchcraft and poisoning, 3) the practice of

spiritual healing and 4) a belief in indi — the idea that illnesses are cased when the soul leaves

the body. Sacrifices are regularly performed for indi to make sure the soul is happy and stays

near the body. [Source: Encyclopedia of World Cultures, East and Southeast Asia edited by Paul

Hockings (G.K. Hall & Company, 1993) ~]

Page | 13
BATAK TRIBE: CULTURE AND TRADITIONS

Even though the Batak live in a fairly isolated region their culture has been influenced by

outside cultures, notably India. The Batak language originally had its own Sanskrit-derived script

but now is largely written with the Latin alphabet. [Source: Encyclopedia of World Cultures,

East and Southeast Asia edited by Paul Hockings (G.K. Hall & Company, 1993) ~]

The Batak have a rich oral and written traditional as expressed in verse-form verbal

duets, mythic chants, dirges and clan genealogies. Bataks music was traditionally performed at

religious ceremonies. The Batak are known throughout Indonesia as good singers. They are

particularly famous for their emotional hymn singing. Batak traditional instruments are similar to

those elsewhere in Indonesia: copper gongs struck with hammers, reedy wind instruments and a

two string violin. ~

The Batak have a reputation for being skilled metal craftsmen. They used to have

elaborate rituals, carvings and dances. Masked dances once served as a way of communicating

with spirits and ancestors but now they are mostly performed for tourists. Sahan (Batak medicine

holders made from buffalo horn) used to have a high degree of spiritual meaning. Now are they

made mainly to sell to tourists. They are still made with high degree of artistic skill. ~

Bataks are animist – they believe that spirits reside within nature. The Bataks make a

regular offering to these spirits, while Shamans undergo spiritual possessions in order to

communicate with the spirits and to heal the sick.

Page | 14
These days, “pure” Bataks or those whos parents both belong to the Batak tribe have

become highly rare due to the incursion by immigrants and the exposure of the tribe to the

society.

Most Bataks would prefer marrying a person outside of the tribe and will, later on,

have children who will choose not to go by the norms of the tribe. As an effect, Bataks are being

absorbed into a more diffuse group of upland indigenous peoples who are slowly losing their

tribal identities, their unique spirituality and culture, there are even debates as to whether these

people still exist as a distinct ethnic entity or not.

BATAK TRIBE: CUSTOMS AND TRADITIONS

S O C I A L L A W S:

• ALYOG - is a process to determine if the parents of the boy agree to his marriage to a
chosen girl. The parents of the boy will bring their son to the house of the girl and talk
with her parents. Usually, the parents of the boy bring an elder or Ginoo, to witness the
conversation and final agreement between both sides. TheGinoo as witness is usually a
member of the recognized traditional leadership.

• LIWAG - is a fine upon a son-in-law who twice committed disobedience of his in-laws.

• SALA - is a fine upon a boy given to the parents of the girl who has been deflowered by
him. Marriage will follow.

• SURUGIDEN - is a process whereby the traditional leaders usually meet together with
the involved parties for purposes of discussing/hearing of conflict cases among the Batak
such as marriage, adultery, disrespect to in-laws, thefts, and other violations of traditional
laws and to imposed penalties to the guilty.

Page | 15
RITUAL CONDUCTED BY THE BATAKS

• LAMBAY - is the Batak honey festival

marking the onset of seasonal honey
gathering, usually done in the month of
March. The purpose is to make bee
colonies to produce plenty of honey.
This ritual is traditionally done by their
baylan. They will also effect “lambay”
ceremony to ask for rain if there is long
dry-season and to ask for sunlight if
there is long rainy season. In the
ceremony they will offer live chicken for the spirits.

• SAGKAT - is a ritual performed by the baylan for the kaingero, prior to field clearing, to
give respect to the goddess spirits within the forest, considering that the Batak believe
that big trees are homes of forest spirits. In this process they will talk to the said spirits to
ask permission to clear the area. If, within three days and nights they could not dream of
any signs of disagreement, then clearing will be done, if there is, then they will not
pursue the clearing.

BATAK TRIBE: THE MARRIAGE SYSTEM

Page | 16
The ancient Traditional marriage system of the Batak still exist up to now. Before person

can be married, the boy with his father or elder relatives will attend a “surigiden” for

consultation of the prospective marriage partner with her elder and family of the groom.

Upon consensus of the elders that marriage should be consecrated. The boy accompanied

by a Ginoo or Tribal leader will make arrangement with the bride’s parents. The bride’s parents

will ask a certain amount from the groom called “bandi” as guarantee. The groom also will

provide the elders who witnessed in the Surugiden a certain amount as gratitude and thanks to

their presence.

Then drinking of rice wine, “tabad”, will follow to celebrate and facilitate good luck for

the good future of the newly wed.

BATAK TRIBE: CHALLENGES & PROBLEMS

Today, the Batak are threatened by conservation schemes such as a government ban on
shifting cultivation and the declaration of ‘protected areas’ within their ancestral lands.

There are now fewer than 300 Batak, down from about 700 in 1900. Land seizure,
logging and exposure to disease are great dangers.

Severe undernourishment has made them more vulnerable to diseases such as malaria,
measles and tuberculosis.

They also suffer from high infant mortality and low birth rates. The small Batak
population means young people often have to marry outside the tribe.

• GOVERNMENT FAILINGS:

Page | 17
The Batak’s problems are not new. After the first road was built through
Batak land in 1956, huge numbers of settlers came to the region. They had to
abandon their lowland settlements and retreat to the less fertile hills.

In 1969, the Philippines government tried to resettle the Batak and turn them into
permanent farmers. They failed, but great damage was done.

In the 1970s demand for forest products grew and the Batak became increasingly
involved in the cash economy. However, many found themselves trapped by debt.

Logging companies invaded the most remote areas of Batak territory in the 1980s,
felling vast swathes of kauri trees. The tribe had depended on these trees for the gathering
of resin to sell, which became even more important after the government banned the
system of shifting cultivation upon which they relied.

In 1997, the Philippine government passed an ‘Indigenous Peoples’ Rights Act’ to

protect their land and way of life.

However, lack of political will and the difficult requirements of the Act mean that
very little of it is put into practice.

BATAK TRIBE: Local Issues and current Challenges

• The City Government Ban.

Page | 18
In 1994, a ban against shifting cultivation was enforced by Edward Hagedorn, the

City Mayor of Puerto Princesa municipality. On the same year, the rice yields of Batak

and Tagbanua communities fell dramatically and the people began to face severe

hardship. The ban had altered the whole indigenous agricultural system, local rice

varieties became rare or even extinct. Ultimately, indigenous communities 23 had little

choice but to increase their collection of forest products for sale to compensate for the

loss of agricultural production, leading to the depletion of their own NTF resources

(Novellino 1999, 2007).

In reality, the ban fragrantly violated both and entirely the major tenets of the

‘Indigenous Peoples Rights Act of 1997’ (IPRA or Republic Act No. 8371) recognizing,

protecting and promoting the rights of indigenous cultural communities. Surprisingly,

most the local NGOs did not take a strong position against the City Government

Ordinance. It was only then that the international organization Survival International

decided to launch a campaign, resulting in a partial lifting of the ban. Unfortunately, in

spite of its positive impact, the campaign itself was never picked up by local NGOs, that

– indeed – were questioned by Hagedorn on whether they were behind the campaign and,

in response, they denied any involvement with it. In a letter to Survival International

dated 28 March 1996, the City Mayor admits that "the farmers (including the tribal

groups)...were adversely affected by the policy".

On the other hand, he claims that necessary support and assistance are being

provided to soften the impact of the ban. We learn that such remedies consist of "cash-

for-work program and rice subsidies, and permanent mechanisms such as the carabao

(water buffalo) and tractor pools, the provision of seedlings, and introduction of various

Page | 19
livelihood opportunities including training and initial capitalization grants" and the

introduction of alternative farming methods.

• Climate Changes.

The most recent years have been characterized by climatic changes and

unpredictable seasonal fluctuations having a dramatic impact on people’s livelihood. For

instance during the El Niño event of 1998/1999, pollen producing vines and trees did not

bear flowers, and honey production collapsed. Also upland rice production dropped

dramatically. In these years the collection of commercially valuable NTFPs could not

compensate for the overall decline in food production. La Niña immediately followed El

Niño, and was felt until late April 1999 and again in the year 2000. Because of

continuous rain, the gatherers were unable to dry rattan lengths.

The latter were damaged by fungus and thus could no be marketed. Moreover,

due to excessive rain, Batak were able to burn only small portions of their swiddens. The

final outcome was crop failure. For the first time, to cope with the new food crisis, Batak

became involved in alternative livelihood strategies such as the collection and sale of

small trees to be used in charcoal-making (ten pieces were sold for 100 pesos, less than 2

US$).

• The Community-based Forest Management Agreements (CBFMAs)

On August 21 1999, a forester from the Department of Environment and Natural

resources visited the Batak community of Kalakuasan to obtain local consent for a

number of livelihood and forest protection activities to be carried out in connection with

their Community Based Forest Management Agreement (CBFMA). CBFMA is a policy

Page | 20
of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) that allows local

communities to manage forests that have been converted to non-timber uses.

One of its objectives is to develop self-sustaining production systems in the

uplands by replacing indigenous swidden practices with permanent forms of agriculture.

In spite of their benignant definitions, CBFM agreements appear to violate indigenous

people’s rights to their ancestral land, while reducing the role of local communities to

that of stewards of the public land.

Specifically, in the agreement entered between PENRO (Provincial Environment

and Natural Resources Office) and the Association of Batak of Tina, it is specified that

the indigenous beneficiaries should: “immediately assume responsibility for the

protection of the entire forest-land within the CBFM area against illegal logging and

other unauthorized extraction of forest products, slash and burn agriculture (kaingin),

forest and grassland fires, and other forms of forest destruction, and assist DENR in the

prosecution of violators of forestry and environmental laws.” Clearly, the contract

requires that the Batak themselves must guard their area from their own practices, such as

swidden cultivation. CBFMA does nothing to recognize the claims of indigenous

communities over their ancestral domain, rather, it places indigenous forest management

under government control, and uses the people as subcontractors of the DENR.

BATAK TRIBES: OPPURTUNITIES

Page | 21
• Strengthening the Batak Association.

The Tanabag Batak association is legally registered under the Philippines Security
and Exchange Commission. However, the people still needs additional training before
they can learn how to mobilize sufficient support and develop new skills through their
own institution. In the early 1990s, a Federation formed by the different Batak local
groups was organized with the assistance of the Haribon Palawan, a local environmental
movement based in Puerto Princesa. The objective of the Haribon was to help gathering
together different Batak communities which have been totally or relatively separated
during the past decades, so that they could meet on a monthly basis in order to socialize
and discuss their problems.

However, the Federation heavily depended on the support of Haribon for

covering traveling costs – as a result - when the funds for these activities were exhausted,
Batak had no capacity to keep the process ongoing. The Federation still has its own
president who resides in Kalakuasan. He and other community members feel that
networking and linking not only with other Batak groups but also with other IPs in
Palawan will give them a better opportunity for exchanging their experiences with others,
thus refining their strategy for safeguarding bio-cultural diversity in the CCA. The revival
and strengthening of their Federation is one of the initiatives that Batak would like to
pursue in the medium-long term.

• International Networking.

As part of the process of empowering the Tabag Batak by linking them to global
advocacy networks, a community based process has recently being carried out in
Tanabag. In the course of such meeting, Batak members have been informed about the
mission and strategic approach of WAMIP (World Alliance of Mobile Indigenous
Peoples), particularly with reference to the principle of mobility in the use of natural
resources through customary leadership.

At the end of the meeting - the people decided to fill the membership application
for joining WAMIP, mainly as a ‘community’ (this entails the inclusions of all 153
members, children, women, etc.). By joining the Alliance, the Tanabag Batak hope to

Page | 22
bring their plight to the attention of the international community and to have a stronger
voice when lobbying for the protection of their CCA.

• Producing Digital Cultural Archives.

The process of creating digital biocultural archives is expected to have a

significant impact, not only in terms of what they communicate among the Batak families
and to others, but also in terms of the social processes generated through their production.
My experience, so far, confirms that people’s awareness of video-documentation being
returned to them has created in them a sense of trustworthiness and a strong motivation to
have all families’ activities filmed and recorded.

It is anticipated that Batak knowledge about the natural environment and

ecological processes if reordered in a digital archive, could support both legal and
ecological arguments for local peoples to take a leading role in environmental
management and economic development of their CCA.

• Formal Recognition.

Technically, a significant portion of the Tanabag Batak Kabatakan lies within the
boundaries of their Community Based Forest Management Agreement Area. CBFM
agreements have a duration of 25 years and can be renewed. However, the Batak do not
regard their CBFMA as an ideal instrument to make sense of how they perceive and
manage their own environment.

On the contrary, the Batak feel that the approval of the CADT will resolve many
pending issues related to their claims to the use of traditional land and resources, as it will
give them a stronger and more powerful form of legal recognition.

INDIGENOUS PEOPLES RIGHTS ACT 1997

(REPUBLIC ACT NO. 8371 OF 1997)

Page | 23
AN ACT TO RECOGNIZE, PROTECT AND PROMOTE THE RIGHTS OF
INDIGENOUS CULTURAL COMMUNITIES/INDIGENOUS PEOPLES, CREATING A
NATIONAL COMMISSION ON INDIGENOUS PEOPLES, ESTABLISHING
IMPLEMENTING MECHANISMS, APPROPRIATING FUNDS THEREFOR, AND FOR
OTHER PURPOSES.

The President Fidel V. Ramos signed it on October 22, 1997, officially known as
Republic Act No. 8371, the Act makes provision for the promotion and recognition of the rights
of Indigenous Cultural Communities/Indigenous Peoples (ICCs/IPs), with a view to preserve
their culture, traditions and institutions and to ensure the equal protection and non-discrimination
of members.
The Act is divided into the following Chapters: General Provisions

CHAPTER 1: General Provisions:

SECTION 1. Short Title. - This Act shall be known as “The Indigenous Peoples’ Rights Act of
1997”.

SECTION 2. Declaration of State Policies. - The State shall recognize and promote all the rights
of Indigenous Cultural Communities/Indigenous Peoples (ICCs/IPs) hereunder enumerated
within the framework of the Constitution:

a) The State shall recognize and promote the rights of ICCs/IPs within the framework of
national unity and development;

b) The State shall protect the rights of ICCs/IPs to their ancestral domains to ensure their
economic, social and cultural wellbeing and shall recognize the applicability of customary laws
governing property rights or relations in determining the ownership and extent of ancestral
domain;

c) The State shall recognize, respect and protect the rights of ICCs/IPs to preserve and
develop their cultures, traditions and institutions. It shall consider these rights in the formulation
of national laws and policies;

Page | 24
d) The State shall guarantee that members of the ICCs/IPs regardless of sex, shall equally
enjoy the full measure of human rights and freedoms without distinction or discrimination;

e) The State shall take measures, with the participation of the ICCs/IPs concerned, to
protect their rights and guarantee respect for their cultural integrity, and to ensure that members
of the ICCs/IPs benefit on an equal footing from the rights and opportunities which national laws
and regulations grant to other members of the population; and

f) The State recognizes its obligations to respond to the strong expression of the ICCs/IPs
for cultural integrity by assuring maximum ICC/IP participation in the direction of education,
health, as well as other services of ICCs/IPs, in order to render such services more responsive to
the needs and desires of these communities.

Towards these ends, the State shall institute and establish the necessary mechanisms to
enforce and guarantee the realization of these rights, taking into consideration their customs,
traditions, values, beliefs, interests and institutions, and to adopt and implement measures to
protect their rights to their ancestral domains.

(I); Definition of Terms

(II); Rights to Ancestral Domains

(III); Right to Self-governance and Empowerment

(IV); Social Justice and Human Rights

(V); Cultural Integrity

(VI); National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP)

(VII); Delineation and Recognition of Ancestral Domains

(VIII); Jurisdiction and Procedures for Enforcement of Rights

(IX); Ancestral Domains Fund

(X); Penalties

(XI); Merger of the Office for Northern Cultural Communities (ONCC) and the Office for
Southern Cultural Communities (OSCC)

Page | 25
(XII); Final Provisions

(XIII).According to the definition provided in Chapter II the term "ancestral domain" comprises
"lands, inland waters, coastal areas and natural resources therein, held under a claim of
ownership, occupied or possessed by ICCs/IPs, by themselves or through their ancestors,
communally or individually since time immemorial..."; the term "ancestral land" means any
"land occupied, possessed and utilized by individuals, families and clans who are members of the
ICCs/IPs....".ICCs/IPs whose ancestral domains have been officially delineated and determined
according to the procedure set out in this Act shall be issued a certificate of ancestral domain title
(CADT) in the name of the community concerned, which shall be registered before the Register
of Deeds.

The rights of ownership and possession of ICCs/IPs to their ancestral domains shall include:

(a) the right of ownership;

(b) the right to develop, control and use lands and natural resources;

(c) the right to stay in the territories and not to be removed therefrom;

(d) the right of resettlement in suitable sites in case of displacement;

(e) the right to regulate the entry of immigrants;

(f) the right to safe and clean air and water;

(g) the right to claim parts of reservations;

(h) the right to resolve land conflicts in accordance with customary laws of the area
concerned (only in default thereof the complaints shall be submitted to amicable settlement and
to the Courts of Justice). The Act makes provision for the establishment of the National
Commission on Indigenous Cultural Communities/Indigenous Peoples (NCIP), which shall serve
as the primary government agency for the assistance of ICCs/IPs.

The Commission shall inter alliance:

(a) review and assess the conditions of ICCs/IPs;

Page | 26
(b) formulate, coordinate and implement policies, plans and programs to promote and
protect the rights and well-being of the ICCs/IPs;

(c) request and engage services of technical assistance;

(d) issue certificate of ancestral land/domain title;

(e) negotiate for funds and in general be responsible for the financial management and
coordination of the communities;

(f) issue appropriate certification as a pre-condition to the grant of permit, lease, grant, or
any other similar authority for the disposition, utilization, management and appropriation
by any private individual, etc. on any part or portion of the ancestral domain;

(g) decide all appeals from the decisions and acts of all the various Offices within the
Commission;

(h) to promulgate the necessary regulations and rules for the implementation of the Act.
Chapter X provides for the creation of the Ancestral Domains Fund to cover
compensation for expropriated lands, delineation and development of ancestral domains.

SUMMARY

The Bataks represent a marginalized group with a strong sense of ownership, great
knowledge of the forest resources and landscapes, and a complex system of land management.
The Bataks have been obliged to mix with other groups of Palawan to survive, and their
relationships with lowlanders and government are often difficult, because of the activities of
outsiders coming into their territory to hunt or collect forest products.

The Bataks have important uses for the forest resources for their livelihoods, their
economy and their traditions. Knowledge of forest resources is still great, considering all the
changes the Bataks have endured. The most remarkable knowledge concerns the medicinal and
magic plants, which belongs essentially to the babaylan. Many activities take place in the forest
in connection with rattan, resin and honey collection, hunting, fishing etc.

Page | 27
CONCLUSION

The Batak are one of about 140 indigenous peoples of the Philippines. They are located

in the northeastern portions of Palawan, a relatively large island in the southwest of the
archipelago. Since ancient times, the Batak have inhabited a series of river valleys along the
coastline of what is today Puerto Princesa City.

We conclude that the Bataks represent a group with a strong sense of ownership, which
possesses great knowledge of the forest resources and landscapes and has a complex system of
land management. They have important uses for the forest resources of resin, honey, rattan,
medicinal plants, timber and game for their livelihoods, their economy and their traditions.
Knowledge of forest resources is still great, considering all the changes the Bataks have been
through, and it is the babaylan who have the most important knowledge of forest resources
(especially plants) among all the community.

Page | 28
REFERENCE

http://gwhs-stg02.i.gov.ph/~s2govnccaph/subcommissions/subcommission-on-cultural-communities-and-
traditional-arts-sccta/central-cultural-communities/the-batak/

https://www.survivalinternational.org/tribes/batak#:~:text=The%20Batak%20live%20in%20the,Palawan
%20in%20the%20western%20Philippines.&text=They%20are%20believed%20to%20have,up%20to
%2050%2C000%20years%20ago.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Batak_people_(Philippines)

https://www.iccaconsortium.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/KABATAKAN-IT-TANABAG.pdf

https://www.iccaconsortium.org/index.php/2018/04/10/the-tanabag-batak-icca-on-palawan-island/

https://www.travel-palawan.com/cultural-heritage/indigenous-peoples/