The Mangyans were once the only inhabitants of Mindoro. Mangyan is a collective term for the eight indigenous groups found in this island, including Alangan, Tadyawan, Tawbuid (Batangan), Iraya, Bangon, Buhid, Hanunuo and Ratagnon. Each has its own language, customs and by-laws.
In the municipality of Victoria in Barangay Alcate, one will find a feisty female village leader known as Kapitana. Sixty-four-year-old Virgina Maligaya-Poloy or reverently called by the Alangan tribe as the Kapitana had her title passed on to her by her late father who perished in defense of their community’s ancestral domains.
Kapitana is a mother of two adopted sons, who are now both married with children. She had no formal schooling. According to her, she had never set foot on a daycare center. All her wisdom is gained through experience and day-to-day interactions with villagers.
Like her father, Kapitana Virginia is a staunch defender of their ancestral lands. In fact, she was among the tribal leaders who personally lobbied in the senate the now Indigenous People’s Rights Act of 1997 (RA 8371).
Kapitana vehemently opposes mining in Mindoro. She narrated how such activity had caused a major impact on their livelihood, especially for indigenous peoples who rely on crops for their food and income source. Not only that, she lamented that mining had degraded their lands, caused deforestation, and had depleted and contaminated their water supply.
She recalled the sorry state of their lands when it was dug up by a mining company years back. “They promised millions of pesos and livestock, and that their project is for exploration purposes only,” ranted Kapitana.
They were paid for it, but, according to her, it did not reach all the supposed beneficiaries. During the height of its operations, she witnessed along with other residents that at night time, truckloads of boulders were being hauled in boxes for shipping to Manila.
Mindoro has rare nickel and cobalt metals. If this activity persists, according to Kapitana, their sacred places will be ruined, their lands taken away and their community displaced.
Once upon a time, the Mangyans owned at most 3000 hectares of land in Oriental Mindoro. Today, it has been reduced to a mere 101 hectares of land that are spread out in different areas. “This is why we lobbied for IPRA in the 90s,” Kapitana explained. She stressed that she wants to ensure that the IPs of Mindoro get what they deserve, and their rights are recognized and protected.
“We cannot allow outsiders to misuse our ancestral lands. They have no right.”