A group of indigenous peoples in El Nido has accused Board Member Arnel Abrina and a certain Rowie Pacada of falsely representing them and has asked them to cease and desist from doing so in connection with an issue involving ancestral domain claims.
The Talindak Tagbanua Tandulanen group, led by Apo Edcardo Sabenacio, sent a letter to Abrina and Pacada urging them to stop participating in a community validation process and exercising priority rights in connection with a proposed Memorandum of Agreement (MOA).
The group claimed that it is the legitimate representative of the Tagbanua Tandulanen Indigenous Cultural Community (ICC) in the barangays of Buena Suerte, Corong-Corong, Masagana, Bagong Bayan, Maligaya, Aberawan, and Bebeladan.
“We received information that you will purportedly represent the Tagbanua and Cuyonon of Barangays Maligaya, Aberawan, and Bebeladan, El Nido, Palawan, in an alleged community validation process, thereby misrepresenting to the public your exercise of priority rights in relation to a Memorandum of Agreement,” Sabenacio stated in the letter.
“It is our community and group that truly represent the interests of the Tagbanua Tandulanen ICC within these barangays, including Barangays Buena Suerte, Corong-Corong, Masagana, and Bagong Bayan,” he added.
The group likewise claimed that only the Tagbanua Tandulanen ICC holds legitimate ancestral domain rights in the municipality, challenging ancestral domain claims being presented by the Cuyonon community in El Nido.
“The Cuyonon tribe has no ancestral domain rights whatsoever in El Nido. Historically and as a matter of fact, the Cuyonons trace their origins to Cuyo Island, not El Nido. Hence, they have no ‘time immemorial rights’ over any ancestral land in El Nido. Only the Tagbanua Tandulanen ICC are the rightful holders of ancestral domain rights in El Nido,” the letter stated.
Moreover, the letter said that the group represented by Abrina and Pacada belongs only to their family clan and does not include the Tagbanua Tandulanen ancestral community.
The organization also cited the alleged filing of separate Certificate of Ancestral Land Title (CALT) applications by members of the Israel and Pacada families, arguing that such applications distinguish their claims from the broader ancestral domain claims being pursued under a Certificate of Ancestral Domain Title (CADT).
“The Israel and Pacada families in your group have already applied separately for a CALT. This effectively segregated and delineated your claim as Tagbanua. You are thus barred from claiming again under a separate CADT application since your IP rights as a family clan have already been distinguished and separated from the ancestral community claims of the Tagbanua Tandulanen,” the letter stated.
“By applying for a separate CALT, you cannot have a parallel CADT application. This would effectively amount to claiming the same ancestral rights twice,” it added.
The Talindak Tagbanua Tandulanen group also said it issued the demand letter to stop Abrina and Pacada from conducting further meetings with Tagbanua and Cuyonon communities in Barangays Maligaya, Aberawan, and Bebeladan on June 23, 24, and 25 as part of the validation process for the proposed MOA.
Meanwhile, Abrina said he was puzzled as to why they were being prevented from conducting the validation process when, according to him, their group is the one recognized by the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP).
“Kami ang lehitimong kinikilala or validated ng NCIP at meron kaming application ng CADT diyan sa walong barangay sa El Nido. So sila nga yung pumatong sa aming application at sila pa nga ang hindi pa validated even yung kanilang mga IPS or Indigenous Political Structure,” Abrina explained.
“So nagtataka kami kung bakit kami pa ang sinasabihan nila na nagmi-misrepresent ng Tagbanua Tandulanen samantalang ang Cuyonon and Tagbanua Tandulanen na validated ay yun ang nire-recognize ng NCIP,” he added.
