GOOD health and more support for the tribes top the wishlist of some of the deputy mayors of the 11 tribes for President Rodrigo Roa Duterte.
As the 32nd Kadayawan sa Dabaw is about culture, the fate of the these tribes under the Duterte Administration is among the main concerns of their respective deputy mayors.
Deputy Mayor Randy Usman said that he wishes for the president to stay in the course and stay healthy.
"More blessings at walang pagbabago kung ano ang ginagawa niya dito sa Davao na pamamalakad, ganoon din ang pamamalakad niya sa buong Pilipinas. Yun lang ang hinihingi namin kay presidente na sana hindi magbago yung pamamalakad niya, tutuparin niya at huwag naman siya magpabaya sa sarili niya kundi amping kahit konti lang," he said.
Usman added that it is their dream that the Federal form of government pushed by the president will be realized.
Usman also said that they are confident that President Duterte knows what will be the best for the Maranao tribe, the same tribe which his ancestors came from.
Datu Masil Ahalul, deputy mayor of Tausug tribe, said that he wishes for the president to appoint leaders from different tribes in Malacañang.
"Ang wish nako na sana magawa niya na magkaroon sa Malacañang ng tribal na leaders para naman yung mga tribal [members] hindi maiwanan. Kasi pagpunta namin ng Malacañang kawawa ang tribes kasi walang tribal na representative doon, sana gawin niya yung ginawa niya nung mayor siya dito sa Dabaw," Ahalul said.
Meanwhile, deputy mayor of Ata Tribe Roel Arthur L. Ali said that as Ata Tribe leader in Paquibato and at the same time chair of the Supreme Tribal Council for Peace and Development composed of five IP tribes, said that he wishes for the president's support for the tribe's empowerment over their territories.
"Hangyo sa iyaha nga ang tribu hatagan pa dyud, kay dako-dako man gud ug area ang tribu. Kining sa amua sa Ata tribe naa mi 94 thousand hectares na ancentral domain sa tribu ug daghan mi ug panginahanglan pa sa among areas sa pagkakaron labi na sa hisgutanang pangkalinaw labi na sa leadership sa tribo. Ang amua lang unta i-empower sa presidente ang leadership ug ang mga programa sa tribo ilabi na sa kulturanhon namo nga paagi. Gusto namo nga pamaagi kay sa tinuod lang ang kabukiran sa pagkakaron labi na sa area sa mga tribo biktima sa nagkadaiya nga grupo labi na ning mga ideolohiya nga naa karon sa kabukiran nga ang tribo wala makasabot (We hpe for greater attention. Our tribe has a large area, around 94,000 hectares of ancestral domain, and there we still have concerns that need to be addressed, especially in the issue of peace. We hope that the President will empower the leadership and the programs of our tribe for the preservation of our culture. We want this to be implemented because currently in the areas in the mountains, the tribal members are victims of the the different groups with different ideologies in the mountains which our tribe do not understand)," he said.
"Ang among panawagan sa presidente padayon ang suporta nga ihatag ug tutukan pa unsa pajud ang panginahanglan sa tribo labi na ning mga ideolohiya nga nga ang tribo dili mamahimong biktima sa nagkadaiyang sektor diha sa lugar sa tribo. Ang tribo mismo mahimo na siyang idependent nga makapadagan sa governance sa among tribo ug mapalambo pa namo ang among nakadaiyang kultura diha sa among kaugalingong ancestral domain (Our call to the president is for him to continue his support and focus on the ways to address the needs of the tribe especially so that the tribes will not be victimized by those encroaching into our areas. We want our tribes to be independent, to be able to govern its own, so that we can enhance our culture in our own ancestral domain)," Ali added.
Bai Herminia Otiz of the Bagobo-Klata Tribe said they wish for the President to expand more the Mandatory Conditional Cash Transfer for Indigenous People to other areas within Davao City.
"In our tribe, the Klata tribe, they say that we do not need assistance but that is not true. In the three districts of Klata tribe: Tugbok, Calinan, and Baguio District, most of those who are in Baguio District are already covered by MCCT but in Calinan only a few, and in Tugbok area only half of them are covered. We want to ask our beloved President to also grant the remaining few this form of assistance. I also ask not just to the president but to the whole Philippines to understand one another and to give President Duterte time especially in Mindanao to work until the end of the term so that he can help many more people," Ortiz said in vernacular. (KVC)