KUNG asa ang agila, dunay bulawan (There's gold where the Philippine eagles are)," said Datu Gayuting Tomanding, barangay captain of Tomanding in Arakan Valley, North Cotabato, when asked if gold can be found in their land.

"Kay sa istorya sa katiguwangan, diha sa bulawan magbaid ang agila sa iyang kuko og ngipon (From the stories of our ancestors, we were told that the Philippine eagle sharpens its talons and beak in gold)," he added.

He was quick to disown personal knowledge though repeating, "mao nang istorya sa among katigulangan (that's the story of our ancestors)."

Datu Tomanding was among the 135 Manuvu lumads and Visayan settlers from five barangays surrounding Mt. Sinaka in Arakan Valley, who of late are abuzz after learning that their sacred land is again being eyed by a mining company.

Outsiders are looking for gold, they said.

Based on records from the Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB) of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) in Central Mindanao, the Visayas Ore Philippines Inc. has applied for an exploration permit for 11,782.085 hectares.

Interestingly, the notice of application was addressed to Antipas, North Cotabato. A letter by MGB-Central Mindanao Regional Director Constancio A. Paye Jr. addressed to the Antipas mayor and dated July 15, 2009 requested the mayor to post the notice of exploration permit application in their bulletin board for one week.

"Immediately after the expiration of the period of posting or within five (5) working days from the last date of posting, please issue a certification attesting to the fact that the required publication/posting has been complied with pursuant to Section 3 of the Department Administrative Order 2007-15, the Amendments to the Department Administrative Order 96-40, as Amended or the Revised Implementing Rules and Regulations of the Republic Act 7942 otherwise known as the Philippine Mining Act of 1995," the letter said.

The area covers barangay Sumalili, Kulaman Valley, Gambodes, Kabalantian, Binoongan, Napalico, and Katipunan.

All seven barangays are in Arakan Valley and not Antipas. And thus the people of Arakan are raising their voices in protest for what they see as an underhanded way of allowing mining in their area behind their backs.

Staunch protectors

This is not the first time that the people of Arakan have had unwanted prospectors. In the 1990s, there was the Maguindanao Timber Inc., which wanted to log their remaining forests, municipal agriculture officer Edgar V. Arana said. They stood up against this and even sought the help of Davao City then anticipating the possibility that the logging company might just enter their forests through Davao City. The logging plans were thus stopped.

There was another mining company that tried to enter their town. Having learned the lesson from the past, the people formed the Arakan Multi-sectoral Alliance and Network against Mining Inc (Amanamin), which again blocked the plan to explore their town for minerals.

"All of the people of Arakan are against mining kasi pinoprotektahan nila ang kanilang environment. Arakan is a critical watershed with two major rivers that both flow to Pulangi," Arana said.

Datu Antayan Baguio of barangay Tomanding, the ancestral domain holder for Lupang Ninuno Manuvu that covers Arakan, points to the fact that all their potable water sources are from Mt. Sinaka, a mountain regarded as sacred by the indigenous peoples, around which the applied for areas are.

"Our ancestors never hurt our environment and now people from other countries want to destroy what our ancestors have left to us?" Datu Baguio said in the vernacular in an interview with Sun.Star Davao last week.

Mt. Sinaka, he said, has been giving them all their needs and thus they know they only need to protect Mt. Sinaka and its surroundings to ensure that their future generations will enjoy what the mountain has been giving them through the past generations.

Datu Poldo Holado of sitio Sinaka in barangay Datu Ladayon also in the foothills of Mt. Sinaka said that they are not the only ones to be affected by any mining operation around the mountain.

"The forests of Sinaka are where the headwaters of North Cotabato and Davao City are," he said. Their people, in fact, are planting trees around these headwaters to ensure that these will continue to provide them the much-needed springs.

The bounty of Sinaka

In a University of the Philippines in Mindanao and the Philippine Eagle Foundation Inc. assessment of the flora and fauna of Mt. Sinaka, it showed that the mountain is home to 74 species of the 365 bird species in Mindanao, of which 38 of Philippine endemic birds are there.

Of the 23 bird species endemic only to Mindanao, ten are in Sinaka.
It is also home to 13 dipterocarps (hardwood species) and 89 non-dipterocarps, among which are six of seven Philippine mahogany species.

Rattan (Calamus sp.) abound in the area, white lauan (Shorea palosapis) and guijo (Shorea guiso) also grow in profusion.

Arakan Barangay San Miguel captain Lita Magaro and her kagawad Bienvenido Ranerio are one in saying that the barangays surrounding Sinaka are pushing for its cooperative protection.

In fact, last Sunday, residents, barangay council members, and indigenous people representatives of barangays Lanao Kuran, Salasa, San Miuguel, Datu Ladayon and Tomanding gathered at Mervillas Beach Resort in Davao City to participate in a basic environment seminar and to federate their protection efforts under Bantay Kalikasan.

Town council also opposes

The staunch refusal of the people to allow mining exploration and operation is Arakan is manifested in Resolution 09-(6)-263 passed last September 16, 2009 by the Arakan Sangguniang Bayan (SB) where the town council officially stated their "strong opposition" to "any form of mining exploration and extractions by any mining companies in all areas within the jurisdiction of the municipality of Arakan."

Amanamin also states the opposition in a manifesto dated August 19, 2009.

In its manifesto rejecting the entry of Visayas Ore into their area, Amanamin pointed out that Barangay Sumalili is the headwater of Kulaman River traversing barangays Kulaman Valley, Kabalantian and neighboring Barangay President Roxas.

"Any destruction in the area would directly affect the fresh water ecosystem which is the source of food and livelihood of the inhabitants especially the IPs," the manifesto reads.

The forest strips of barangays Kabalantian, Binoongan, Kulaman Valley, and Napalico have also been declared as a watershed and wildlife sanctuary through Municipal Ordinance No.12 series of 1994 as these areas are natural sources of water for drinking and irrigation for lowland farmers.

Barangays Gambudes and Katipunan, on the other hand, are the municipal tourism area and vegetable bowl. It has natural waterfalls and caves and is home to endangered species of bats, which the townspeople and their officials believe can become a big tourism draw.

"Arakan is a critical watershed, any destruction brought about by mining and other destructive environmental activities in any areas will surely bring negative impact to the ecosystem and lives of Arakenos and all areas downstream," the manifesto reads.

Clearly, the people are against the intrusion of mining in their area. It is then worth watching if government heeds the people's protest.

Not only that, you will also be a part of the selected few who has the chance to always connect with the people. Take me as an appropriate example for that. I have the opportunity to write down my thoughts and the advantage to convince people to agree with.