Friday, August 31, 2007 Village defies what its name stands for
LAMFUGON, Lake Sebu -- The voice of Datu Benito Blunto boomed across this small, picturesque community as he described the colorful past of the different tribes living harmoniously for decades in Lake Sebu.
Thanks to amplifiers perched on trunks of trees near the barangay mini-gymnasium, located on top of a hill, where a peace forum was held.
Around 100 residents, some of them wearing traditional dress and accessories, joined the activity where tribal leaders took turn in essaying the journey of the community in the recent decades.
"The role of tribal leaders is crucial in preserving customary laws and traditions. Conflict management, through traditional systems, is important to sustain harmonious relationships among the tribal communities," Datu Blunto, Lake Sebu municipal tribal chieftain, said.
"We are proud that here in Lake Sebu, we have preserved our culture and traditions," Datu Blunto added.
Ironically, Lamfugon is a T'boli term that means "downfall", describing the fate of tribal leaders who were said to have died in the place due to tribal armed conflicts from the 14th to 18th centuries.
According to the locals, the area was a barter center where B'laans, Kalagans, Sangils, Manobos, Ubos, T'bolis and Tirurays exchanged their goods and slaves.
Since then, the groups used their respective traditional mechanisms to settle conflicts.
Surrounded by a number of hills, Lamfugon is now home to 830 families; 95 percent of who are from T'boli or Ubo tribes spread across a 9,500-hectare land area. It is about 50 kilometers from Koronadal City with paved roads and a rough, uphill stretch of around five kilometers.
Like other ethnic groups in Mindanao, the journey of the community in recent years was also affected by the settlement policy of the government.
When settlers trickled in the 1950s, some people were scared of the newcomers, according to Maria Gandam, president of Sta. Cruz Mission School in El Lumet. Small conflicts arose due to misunderstanding between and among the groups, she added.
But through dialogues, people were able to understand one another's culture and, by understanding it, able to appreciate and respect the culture of others, said Gandam, who are among the community leaders leading the discussion in the peace forum.
Supported by the GoP-United Nations ACT for Peace Programme, peace forums, and dialogues are among the community-based activities where people exchange views on one's culture, traditional practices, and other stories of the community.
Through these activities, awareness on peace and conflict issues in the community has been improved and consensus building on how to address these issues as a community is made.
These are just among the activities conducted in the Peace and Development Communities (PDCs) to strengthen peace-building efforts on the ground. Lamfugon is one of the 14 PDCs in South Cotabato. A total of 229 PDCs are now being supported by the programme in 20 provinces of Southern Philippines.
PDCs are conflict-affected or conflict-vulnerable barangays that are now engaged in social and economic transformation by strengthening the capacities of people's organizations and the local government units.
In Lamfugon, Gadam also noted that the school also strengthens the relationships among the groups as it brings together the different tribes during school activities where they work together as one community.
"With T'bolis and Ubos comprising 90 percent of the students at the Lamfugon Elementary School shows that we are willing to be educated and can be competitive with anybody else yet preserving our identities and culture," she added.
"The academic institution helps mold the present generation to become leaders and mentors of the young in promoting respect, understanding and peace while living together in a multicultural community," she added.
Gadam, who belongs to the T'boli tribe, encouraged other professionals to go back to their communities.
"To other professionals, let's return to our respective communities not as exploiters but to help our communities. Let's start with the young IPs (Indigenous Peoples), helping them become peace advocates," she said.
Implemented by the Mindanao Economic Development Council, the programme has been helping the peace and development efforts of these communities by strengthening the capacities of the people to participate in barangay initiatives, improving access to health services and economic opportunities, and supporting indigenous peace practices.
