Aguilar’s tribal community divided over corporate venture
LINGAYEN– The Bago Tribe in Sitio Mapita, Barangay Laoag in Aguilar town has been rocked by a leadership crisis since a multi-million peso company signified its intention to put up a bamboo plantation over a 10,600 hectares of a public land near its community.
The conflict became evident after the tribe asked the Sangguniang Panlalawigan (SP) to mediate and help resolve the leadership post during its regular session last week attended by two tribal men contesting the post of chieftain in Sitio Mapita, and their respective followers.
The two, Quintin Marinas and Rodolfo Mallare, claim to be legitimate chieftains of the Bago tribe, composed of Ethnic Igorot of the Ibaloy and Kankanaey clans who settled in Sitio Mapita sometime in 1970.
Provincial Legal Officer Geraldine Baniqued, who looked into the controversy, said Mallare was the reigning chieftain until he was ousted by the tribal council and succeeded by Marinas, the second ranking chieftain.
Mallare was ousted by tribal council of elders after he reportedly failed to consult the council and other members of the tribe when he welcomed the CS Green First Corporation owned by businessman Cesar Quiambao, to put up a 10,600 hectare bamboo plantation in a public land near their community.
However, since Marinas succeeded as chieftain without the benefit of an election, he was asked by the people to call an election to legitimate his position. The National Commission in Indigenous People (NCIP) was asked to mediate the election.
When the election was held, supervised by Provincial Indigenous Officer Enrique de los Santos, the group of Marinas did not field any candidate, enabling Mallare to be reinstated to his old post.
But De los Santos also pointed out that having two chieftains of a tribe is nothing unusual citing two chieftains of a tribe in Mangatarem and three chieftains of another tribe in Labrador.
The dispute was not resolved during SP session attended by Aguilar Mayor Eduardo Ballesteros, Vice Mayor Roldan Sagles and Barangay Laoag Chairman Betty Ballesteros. Instead, board members Alfonso Bince Jr. Ranjit Shahani and Raul Sison asked the tribe to unite and settle the issue among themselves.
The tribe was warned that if the opposing groups fail to settle the issue themselves, the endorsement issued by the SP For the plantation in their area will be withdrawn.
At the same time, the SP warned that the tribe must unite in the face of a looming territorial dispute with the Zambales provincial government over Sitio Mapita. (Leonardo Micua)
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