By SHERWIN DE VERA
www.nordis.net

VIGAN CITY — A dam project, promising royalties and ‘development’ caused a crack in the Isnag community in Kabugao in Apayao. However, the project also closed the gap between the young and the old ones in the tribe.

Wisdom from community elders and the social media savviness of millennials now propel the campaign against Pan Pacific’s Gened Dams along the Apayao-Abulog River.

In an online interview on Feb. 3, Jillie Karl Basan said the campaign against the construction of the Gened Dams “made the elders appreciate the younger generation having a say about community issues.”

“Normally, the young and outspoken are not welcome. It is frowned upon since it is not the norm and tradition in small communities. Now, we see appreciation coming from our aunts and uncles, and we are also learning from their wisdom,” she said in mixed English and Tagalog.

Jillie, a young professional who works abroad, has become the official online media liaison of the group as the struggle against the dam progresses. As an employee of a public relations agency, her background helped bring the issue to a broader audience.

She shared that the issue also gave an added reason to regularly call her family to get updates on what is happening on the ground. Her dad is among the community elders opposing the project.

“[I have] also come to appreciate more how our father raised us, valuing our Isnag identity and culture […] and find it enjoyable that even in simple conversations, we find means to educate each other on the issue,” she added.

As she was working abroad, it also naturally came for her to reach out to other Kabugao locals working overseas to gather support for the campaign.

Jillie is among the youth from Kabugao that convened Kabugao Youth, a network of students and young professionals working with community elders in the frontlines.

“Good teamwork”

In a Jan. 27 interview, Madatag village elder Melicia Dicray said the campaign is a concerted effort of the people but acknowledged the significant contribution of the youth. She noted their significant role in disseminating information about the issue.

“They were the ones who went to the barangays performing information and education campaigns together with a retired employee from the (Department of Environment and Natural Resources) …. Because of this, people in the barangays understood the effect of the project on their lives and livelihood,” she shared.

The village leader said their partnership complemented each other’s strengths and weaknesses, noting that the elders and the youth “made a good team.”

“(We, the elders), authorized Kabugao Youth to post updates and information to inform our townmates. They secure our consent and are very responsible in their posts and comments, and good with their gadgets,” Dicray added.

Online campaign

Social media savvy members of the group launched the campaign against the Gened Dams on their Facebook page in November 2020. An online petition followed the next month.

The social media page served as a platform to provide updates on what is happening on the ground for Kabugao residents living in other places, the media, and the general public.

Their publication of the Gened 1 Memorandum of Agreement in May 2021 broadened the discussion on the company’s offer and what the people of Kabugao have to lose.

In the following months, the page regularly released documents regarding the project, including the pages from the free, prior and informed consent (FPIC) proceedings, to expose the irregularities in the process.

Learning from their experience in Gened 1, community members have also started sharing videos and broadcasting community proceedings for Gened 2 live on Facebook.

But Dicray said Kabugao Youth did not only contribute through social media but are also active in the community assemblies.

She said the group leaders also engaged the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP) Cordillera regional office, submitting petitions and letters of concern.

Respect for elders

Kabugao Youth lead convenor Jann Alexis Lappas said their community has several elders. However, the people look up to those who have earned the community’s respect.

“Respect is given by the community to an elder who conducts himself accordingly, never imposing, never disrespectful of the community. Those are the elders we look up to, and we have them in the opposition. They have spoken; we have listened,” he added.

He renounced the “handpicked elders” whom the NCIP Cordillera recognized to participate in the decision-making process and negotiate on behalf of the community.

“If we define what a tribal elder is, they would not even fit the description,” he added, referring to the NCIP-recognized community elders.

During the FPIC process, NCIP Cordillera only allowed those the agency claimed as ‘authorized elders’ to participate in the decision-making and negotiations for the memorandum of agreement.

However, NCIP’s review team raised questions regarding the legitimacy of the supposed ‘authorized elders.’ Also, there was no mention of authority delegation for the decision-making mechanism of Kabugao indigenous peoples, which the agency validated during the earlier stage of the process.

Lappas said the issue allowed the younger generations and the community elders to learn together about their rights under the Indigenous Peoples Rights Act, particularly the FPIC process.

“We are not taking credits because it is a collective community effort,” he said.

But their effort did not go unnoticed.

In its annual nominations, the Baguio Midland Courier, the Cordillera region’s oldest community paper, named Kabugao Youth as the 2021 Indigenous Peoples Rights Defender of the Year. They also became the subject of red-tagging by those who support the project.

No regrets

Lappas said they are aware of the risks involved, and so was the community.

“Anyone who criticizes massive projects is branded. Anyone who dips their fingers in a significant project like the Gened dams is tagged,” he said.

Despite this, the group remains optimistic that vilifying them will not matter if they stick with the issue.

“Any attempt to silence dissent is irrelevant as long as the communities are aware of the truth. The community is our priority, and we have [the communities] on our side,” he added.

Lappas underscored that the next generation of Isnags has to be part of the fight against the project. He believes that the chance of being red-tagged is nothing compared to what they have to lose if they do nothing.

“If the projects push through despite the irregularities and the opposition, at least we have done something… we will look at our town with sadness but no regrets,” he said. # nordis.net