Siocon Subanons celebrate first year of unity, reaffirm Timuoy Anoy’s leadership
“I am very happy and satisfied with, their support,” Timuoy Anoy said after the celebration. “I know the other leaders in our village had long wanted for the management of our tribal affairs to be according to our customs and traditions.”
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Above, Siocon Subanon tribal leaders get ready to eat lunch during their celebration of the first year anniversary of their reunification. Timuoy Jose “Boy” Anoy (in white shirt, with eyeglasses) leads the simple ceremonies marking the tribe’s resolve to pursue its dreams as one people. Also in photo are Renne Subido (in green), TVIRD Vice President for Social Commitments; and Pablo Bernardo (in white, center), Pigbogolalan legal counsel. Below, Pigbogolalan members sign the resolution reaffirming Timuoy Anoy’s leadership of the Siocon tribe.
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The reunification of the tribe and the reaffirmation of Anoy’s leadership just a year earlier finally put an end to almost a decade of disagreements over the personalities of leadership, as well as the direction of the community with regard to development. The decision has enabled the tribal leaders to put their past differences aside and work together in the future to take advantage — through the Ancestral Domain Sustainable Development and Protection Plan (ADSPP) that they will draft together as one tribe — of the opportunity provided by the Canatuan mining project of TVI Resource Development Philippines, Inc. (TVIRD) to create a sustainable indigenous community.
“The anniversary of our reunification will always be a joyous celebration,” averred Lydia Dandana, a Pigbogolalan member. “I had always wished the end of disunity in our tribe because it is difficult to lead our people towards the path of progress and development if we, the leaders, are not united ourselves.”
Dandana, along with other Pigbogolalan, silently worked to end the disunity that had pervaded the tribe. They conducted consultations with other respected leaders of the tribe not only in Siocon but also from other parts of the Zamboanga Peninsula. The reunification was formally acknowledged in a memorable ceremony of all the tribe on August 27, 2009, when Jose Anoy was bestowed the title of timuoy of Siocon following the customary rites of the Subanon indigenous people of the Pito Kodolongan or Seven Rivers of the Zamboanga Peninsula. Gulang Gukom Noval Lambo, the senior timuoy of the Seven Rivers, reaffirmed Anoy’s position in the tribe, which was recognized and endorsed by all the tribal leaders.
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Blast from a recent past: Gulang Gukom (senior timuoy) Noval Lambo of the Seven Rivers (right) presents Jose “Anoy” to the tribe before formally conferring to the latter the title of “Timuoy” of Siocon in traditional rites held on August 27, 2009.
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Anoy and Dandana believe the reunification will finally pave the way for the fruition of the ADSDPP, which will serve as the blueprint for the development of the entire Subanon homeland in Siocon. They are now working on the ADSDPP with the help of the government National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP) and TVIRD, which extended financial assistance during the early days of its formulation. TVIRD’s Community Relations and Development Office was tapped to provide technical assistance to the tribe, particularly in building the capacity of the CADT holders in drafting the ADSDPP and in managing its implementation.
The Siocon CADT was awarded to the Subanons on June 12, 2003, benefiting some 2,000 tribal members. The CADT encompasses a total of 8,213 hectares of land straddling Barangay Tabayo and Barangay Candiz, both in Siocon town, as well as Barangay Kilalaban in adjacent Baliguian town.
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Above, Timuoy Anoy is congratulated by TVIRD President Eugene Mateo (center) and TVIRD Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer John Ridsdel. Below, the timuoy is hugged by Ting Tumangkis, a former rival and now an ally in the pursuit of sustainable development for the Subanon tribe.
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Within the CADT is the 508-hectare area under the Mineral Production Sharing Agreement (MPSA), which had been signed by the Philippine Government and TVIRD on October 23, 1996, prior to the awarding of the CADT to the Subanons. TVIRD has been producing copper concentrates from its Canatuan MPSA area since March 2009, following the company’s previous operations at the same location that produced gold and silver from July 2004 to April 2008.
“This celebration is indeed a milestone that will undoubtedly lead to a better future for our hosts,” Renne Subido, TVIRD Vice President for Social Commitments, said. “We are confident that they now have a much better chance of attaining sustainable development that our company, in its own small ways, has been striving to pave the way for them through our socio-economic programs for the community.
TVIRD’s social commitment programs have provided the Subanons with projects aimed at ensuring that the tribe will remain vibrant and self-sustaining long after the mine in Canatuan has gone.
Among Timuoy Anoy’s initial steps as tribal leader is the institutionalization of a school curriculum that will ensure the continuity of the tribal customs and traditions among the younger generations of Subanons.
“I call it the School of Living Tradition,” he says, pride unmistakably discernible in his voice.
The Timuoy and the Pigbogolalan are slowly but surely gaining the confidence and capability they need to lead their tribe towards the future they themselves will chart as one people. They would not have gone this far if not for the selflessness they demonstrated when they set aside their differences to unite for the good of the tribe that they lead. A bright future, no doubt, awaits the United Subanons of of Siocon. (Joseph Arnel Deliverio)
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A boy plays outside the hall where the elders of his tribe celebrate their unity to pursue a bright future for young Subanons like him.
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