Arakan Emergency Response on COVID-19, Philippines

Background

With the surge of COVID-19 and the actions taken by the government of the Philippines to prevent massive contamination of virus, the indigenous peoples' communities are very vulnerable. The lockdown of peoples' movement and economic activities were stopped. The common day-to-day economic activities of selling crops from the ancestral domain left the indigenous peoples in Arakan in extreme poverty and scarcity of food threatens the health of the people. The low understanding of the issues makes them vulnerable to contamination especially that they live in the following context:

1. Ancestral Domains are located far from government center thus no basic services could reach the area;
2. Low level of understanding and knowledge on issues related to health especially the COVID-19 pandemic;
3. Threat from land speculators enticing the IPs to sell or lease their lands
4. Less culturally-sensitive relief assistance
5. The pandemic coincides with the field preparation which is made during dry season.

Currently, the indigenous peoples in Arakan experience hunger and rely on the meager subsistence that the government could provide.

Project Objective

Building healthy and food sufficient indigenous peoples communities in Arakan

Manobo Lumadnong Panaghiusa sa Arakan (MALUPA), Inc., Philippines

Latest census put the number of households at 4,259 with 28 barangays in the municipality. But we categorized them into priority and less priority.