Tabuk City, Kalinga – “Siyak adda ak ditoy ta ni amak ket makibingay met idiay sanikwa dagitoy nagannak mi nga Gaddang,” this is the statement of one of the people who lost their house in a demolition that happened at Sitio Magabbangon, Cudal on Aug. 31, 2023.
On said day, more than 20 houses were destroyed by the demolition team, displacing a number of families belonging to the Gaddang tribe.
Julian Agagon Apayao recounted they were unaware of what was going to happen last August 31, stressing they had no idea they were about to lose their home since they hadn’t received any warning.
The first thing that happened that day, according to him, was the cutting of power in the area. This was sooner followed by teams of police and military together with the demolition group.
He asserted no court order was showed to them. He recalled that the first structure which the backhoe attempted to destroy was the concrete house which Apayao described to be his kids’ fruit of hard work.
Apayao further added they were there at the area because their father was entitled to a portion of land owned by their ancestors who had since occupied the place since time immemorial.
Not part of the ejectment
Counsel to San Isidro Agro-forest Organization whose members include the ones residing at Sitio Magabbangon, Atty. Melchor Balawas, explained that the area which is now called Magabbangon is actually named by the Gaddang tribe as Sinapatan.
He pointed that the ejectment case was only for Spouses Boston and Grace Tarnate, and that the two has long since left the place. He added that on the second issuance of the writ of demolition, ‘all persons’ residing at the subject land was suddenly included when they were not in the first issuance.
“Dagiay tattao idiay nga nademolish iti farm houses da, ken babbalay da ket haan da nga parte idiay ejectment case nga in-file iti High Plains idiay MTCC, they are not parties to that case,” he said.
Balawas likewise mentioned that Sinapatan was certified by the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP) as within the ancestral land of the Gaddang tribe.
“Since time immemorial dagiay a-apong da ket idta da nga nag-gigyan ket naipasa pasa dayta ken dagitoy kapututan da,” he said.
Waiting for Court of Appeal’s Decision
According to the lawyer, they filed for the issuance of injunctive relief at the Regional Trial Court Branch 25 but it was denied. For this reason, they filed a petition for certiorari at the Court of Appeals.
The decision for said petition is yet to be released.
“Ti ilablaban dagiti tattao ket diay karbengan da as indigenous people nga manipud idi ket adda idiay iti forefathers da. And I think this is the first case in Kalinga nga naipalubos iti kasta nga demolition,” he emphasized.
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