Thru protection of their ancestral land the Pala’wan tribe in the south of the Philippine Province Palawan shall be enabled to live in peace and self-determination.
Approximately 1,600 members of the Pala’wan tribe are living in the settlements Sumbiling and Taratak in Bulanjao mountain range. They have been living there for centuries, but they do not have a deed of ownership for their ancestral land. Therefore they cannot take part in decision making about economic activities within their settlement area. The Pala’wan are deeply dependent on the natural resources of the rainforest. Since the 70ies the Rio-Tuba-Nickel-Mining-Corporation operates an open nickel mining site in Bataraza close to the settlement area of the Pala’wan. Since 2008 several new boreholes has been drilled around Sumbiling and Taratak for the extension of the nickel mining. The living space of the Pala’wan is in danger. If the mining site will be extended the rainforest will be cut and the source of drinking water – the Sumbiling River polluted.
Therefore our target is the protection of the ancestral land according to the Indigenous Peoples Right Law of the Philippines. Together with our partner ELAC Palawan, which is an environmental and human rights NGO, we want to protect the land against access of mining companies.
For the implementation of the project we need funds to buy materials for delineation, for mapping, for travel costs of the project staff, for conduct of a population census and for food during all meetings, because the Pala’wan cannot go hunting during project meetings. Last but not least we need to pay salaries for the ELAC staff who is managing the project in place.
Please help us with your support for this project so that we can ensure a peaceful and self-determined life for the Pala’wan tribe.
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Via Widget