Southern Philippines, the island of Mindanao is the homeland of the "vanishing tribes" or “Indigenous Peoples".The term IPs refers both to the original tribes and to the Islamisized or Muslim communities. They are caught in the struggle for survival at all, levels: economically, the struggle to claim and defend their ancestral territories and to produce enough food for their needs; politically, they are the most powerless and oppressed sector, culturally, their communities are facing loss of identity and disintegration.

The KMDO is the umbrella organization of the 23 Tribal leaders/Datus in Kulaman. This was strengthened through the community-organizing program. A set of officers (with a term of two years) was elected last year in the general assembly. Education and trainings were conducted for them. The officers meet regularly every two months. In other words, the KMDO has been functional as an organization in Kulaman. Now it is affiliated to the Federation of Lumads, which was formed in Marbel, South Cotabato on May 28-30, 2001.

Education sessions and on-going trainings of the leaders and members are the primary components of community organizing. We place emphasis on this aspect.

The National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP) has a very important role in the plight of the Indigenous Peoples (Lumads). It is an independent government agency under the Office of the President of the Philippines. It shall be the primary government agency responsible for the Formulation and Implementation of policies, plans, and programs to promote and protect the rights and well-being of the Indigenous Peoples and the recognition of their ancestral domains as well as their rights thereto.

The NCIP is mandated to protect and promote the interest and well-being of the Indigenous Peoples with due regard to their beliefs, customs, traditions and institutions.

I place emphasis on the status of the NCIP since its role for the processing of the Manobos Ancestral Domain. The agency is the one that handles the process until such Ancestral Land can be obtained. The present status of the NCIP somehow affects our mission and our fight in obtaining the land for the people in Kulaman especially the Manobos.

When Republic Act 8371 otherwise known as “Indigenous Peoples Right Act” was passed both of the Senate and Congress in 1997, it was made into a Law. But in less than a year after, and before its implementation, the IPRA constitutionally was questioned by a group of lawyers supported by some multi-nationals and other mining operations. The Supreme Court ordered the postponement of its implementation. However, last December 6, 2000, the Supreme Court reversed its decision and dismissed the case.

Now we are working for our cause in helping the Indigenous Peoples obtain their lands. With this, we will continue our mission keeping the law as our protection and assurance for Indigenous Peoples.

The work in community organizing, monitoring and ancestral land domain claim is an on-going process. It is even a long process. As we work in these areas, we introduced the following programs:

build fishponds and propagate Tilapia fingerlings (St. Peter's Fish). This program is effective and beneficial since the harvest can supply the need of the community members.

This year we have dispersed a total of 600 kilos of wet and upland rice in 5 villages (Laguton, Bagsiug, Tudog, Siokong, Blangas). Also a total of 800 kilos of native corn seeds in other areas were sold. Peanut seeds were also dispersed in two villages (Kiasal and Poblacion). We also introduced to the Manobos permanent crops like fruit trees and coffee.

As of September 2001, we already dispersed 3 carabaos in 3 villages (Bagang-Bagang, Nati and Kalibuhan). Different farm implements were given to organized villages. In the implementation of this program we meet only isolated problems. The Manobo people are willing to share the animals and farm implements to nearby villages.

We continue our Food for Work Program intended for communal tasks such as farm to market roads (possible for horses and carabaos), fishponds, communal farms for corn and upland rice.

We still continue our literacy programs which are Formal Education in the Notre Dame of Kulaman and Non-Formal Education for children and adults in selected Manobo villages.

The Peace and Order situation is sometimes unstable.The intrusion of more settlers in some Manobo villages. These settlers introduced to the Lumads a “new culture” of gambling, alcohol drinking and other vices.