Badjaos fight to keep own identity

CEBU, Philippines - In a huge metropolitan city like Cebu – a melting pot and center for trade, commerce, and culture – one’s own identity can easily get lost in the midst of a diverse, quick-paced living.

Despite this, many members of the Badjao community in Barangay Mambaling, Cebu City strive to keep their culture and traditions intact.

As the world commemorated the Indigenous People’s Day yesterday, Felicito Asamsa, chieftain of the Alaska Mambaling Badjao community, said the group is continuously seeking recognition of their identities.

The Badjao community is the lone indigenous people in Cebu City recognized by National Commission of Indigenous People. Mambaling alone is home to over 1,000 Badjao households.

According to United Nations, indigenous peoples are inheritors and practitioners of unique cultures and ways of relating to people and the environment; they have retained social, cultural, economic and political characteristics that are distinct from those of the dominant societies in which they live.

An estimated 370 million indigenous people are scattered around in the world, living across 90 countries.

In Cebu City, at least 1,468 households were identified to be those of indigenous people as of 2015, according to NCIP development management officer Hazel Torrefiel.

Many of these members of the Badjao tribe are living in a 5,600-square meter community in New Alaska Beach Association (NABA), the name given to urban settlement near the shore of Sitio Alaska in Mambaling.

While the government is implementing special measures to protect their rights, Asamsa said there are some locals who continue to discriminate their distinct way of life.

“Naa gihapo’y discrimination. Mga muklo daw mi. Wala mi kahibaw unsa na. Amoa lang, pwede ra man mi matawag nga Badjao kay Badjao man mi,” he said.

Asamsa has been living in Cebu City for nearly five decades now. Though he can speak fluently in Cebuano, he said he will not forget to speak their own dialect.

He said most of the Badjaos in Cebu are already empowered individuals, with many of them having regular jobs. However, this does not necessarily mean they have forgotten who they really are.

Just like most of the Badjaos, Asamsa’s family still practices the animist religion, with “Tuhan” as their god.

“Mangadye gihapon mi’s among baul (old chest). Among tradition sa kasal, o patay, naa ra gihapon,” he said.

Problems

Badjaos are nomads living near the shorelines, sometimes dwelling on boats. Having been used to this way of living, it’s a challenge for them to live permanently on land.

Asamsa said it is only in Cebu City that they experienced to live inside a house.

But aside from adjusting to the new lifestyle, another major problem for these people is finding a dependable source of income.

“Mao gyud among problema ang trabaho. Naay nitabang namo pero kadaghanan sa Badjao, managat gyud. Pero ang panagat, kuwang pa gyud. Hangyo mi nga maka-access mi sa ubang lugar ba, makapanagat sa laing lugar nga dili badlungon,” he said.

Most of the men still practice diving pearls to be sold by the women. It is a common sight to see Badjaos selling seashells and foods inside their community.

Asamsa said they hope to be allowed to sell seashells and pearls in private villages and beach resorts for their livelihood.

For Torrefiel, the government should intensify efforts to mitigate the incidents of mendicancy in the city, especially involving Badjaos.

“We admit that we can’t totally eradicate mendicancy but we do have our efforts to educate them nga dili gyod na pwede, nga it’s against the law,” she said.

During seminars and orientations, Torrefiel said, government agencies also educate the Badjaos on proper hygiene and sanitation to improve their health.

Services

Yesterday’s celebration was one of the government’s efforts to recognize Badjaos’ rights.

Torrefiel said the Badjao community is covered under Republic Act 8371, the Indigenous Peoples’ Rights Act of 1997.

NCIP is presently working to assist the Badjao community to be included in the government census. The commission will continue assisting the Badjaos in securing live birth documents because they, too, have the right to identity.

“Dugay na gyud na nga sa ilang culture, they don’t have papers gyud to identify themselves but we are helping them because we know nga gamit gyud ang kining live birth, especially kun mo-skwela na sila,” she said.

Elizabeth Uriarta of Cebu City’s Registrar’s Office said the city government is also assisting NCIP in processing the live birth certificates for indigenous people like the Badjaos.

The documents are important so they won’t at least be discriminated against, or being tagged aliens. More importantly, these certificates can help them avail of the services and programs of the government.

Julito Tajanlangit Jr., project development officer of Cebu City’s Department of Social Welfare Services, said the agency will continue to assist these vulnerable individuals given the budget they have.

The DSWD has implemented two programs for Badjaos, including the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program and livelihood projects.

Over 100 Badjaos are covered under 4Ps.

Under the program, a family is qualified for a cash grant for as long as its three children enrolled in the program will not drop out from school.

Each elementary student is entitled a cash grant of P300 per month, high school student P500.

In the aspect of livelihood, Tajanlangit said DSWD provides trainings for hog-raising, goat-raising, among others. The department gives P10,000 to each beneficiary if they can form a group with 20 to 25 members.

Tajanlangit assured that indigenous people like Badjaos are not being left out in terms of social services from the government.

“We also train them for empowerment nga mo-speak up sila in front of the mainstream society. So karon, makita nato nga mogawas na sila sa ilang usual selves but not to the point nga destroying their cultures and traditions,” he said. (FREEMAN)