Relief Support to indigenous Teduray, southern Philippines

Background

The Teduray and Lambangian indigenous peoples in south central Mindanao and some part of Sultan Kudarat have encountered 3 major problems within their Ancestral Domain.

1. Continuing Land grabbing and harassment of Teduray and Lambangian communities - With or without the COVID pandemic, the Ancestral Domain of the Teduray and Lambangian is experiencing land grabbing and harassment.
2. Drought - Since the majority of the Teduray and Lambangian are dependent on agricultural source of livelihood, almost 90% of the sulagad (agroforestry) growers have not yet planted their crops because of lockdown. This is exacerbated by lack of sufficient capital. Previously, the regular planting season was towards end-March up to first week of April, but this time the amount of rainfall was not sufficient to grow crops, causing food scarcity.
3. Impact of Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ) to fight COVID-19 - The most affected in ECQ are the Teduray and Lambangian who reside in or nearby towns. This is because some of them are dependent on daily income as paid laborers, padyak/sikad (trike) drivers, etc.; while in the mountainous communities, they are able to source out food from wild animals, rivers, and process alternative for rice, such as wild yam (called Kemerut). However, they have difficulties in accessing the market to buy basic necessities. Going to other barangay/villages to source out needs from other relatives is impossible because of strict implementation of the policy. The good news is at this time, there is no reported case of COVID-19 in the community

To cope with the COVID-19 crisis, TJG formed the TJG Task Force COVID-19 as primary workforce to deal with the situation. The task force serves as the center of communication, and as channel of support delivery to the Fenewo (village). There are also a community ritual conducted by Kemamal keadatan (spiritual leader), which is a call for safety for Teduray and Lambangian communities  against Dulet (virus) with observance to protocol sset by the government authorities.

Project Objective

To deliver relief assistance and have some start-up capital after lockdown

Timuay Justice and Governance, Philippines

The target community is Barangay Lamud of South Upi Municipality. A majority of this community are indigenous Teduray with an established Fenuwo (Village). This is also identified as a conflict area as IP killings are still unresolved up to now, land grabbing are still going on, and tension between Teduray and Moro/Muslim brothers are existing in the Barangay. With the assessment  of the TJG Taskforce COVID-19, they found out that all communities mentioned in the emergency appeal had already received assistance from the local government and partner NGOs; however, the support  is limited. Therefore the team decided to accommodate Barangay Lamud as priority for the immediate intervention.