Tensions ease as tribe defends ancestral land amid legal dispute
By Jessa M. Cleopas QUEZON, Bukidnon (PIA)--Tensions flared in Sitio Kianteg, Barangay Butong, Quezon, Bukidnon, as nearly 500 members of the Manobo-Pulangiyon tribe gathered on October 21 to forcibly enter the guarded gates of a pineapple plantation managed by Kianteg Development Corporation (KDC). Tribal chieftain Datu Rolando Anglao said they had been fighting quietly for the land they once called home. He said that for over 15 years, his community has watched from the sidelines. The land that once sustained their ancestors was under a lease agreement between the KDC and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR). The tribe's situation, he said, worsened as they settled in shacks and tents along highways, vulnerable to accidents and harsh conditions. He said that the promise of their ancestral land seemed to fade, so they are now pushing to take it back. Speaking with a sense of urgency, Datu Anglao makes a heartfelt appeal to those in power. Manobo-Pulangi