Aug 22, 20202 min read

Pandemic worsens state of displaced Lumad communities

by Bettina Baysic

After enduring the shutdown of lumad schools and armed conflict in Mindanao, 68 indigenous people who moved to Manila now face new threats amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic.

Beverly Godofredo, a teacher of the group, resorted to stockpiling vitamins to strengthen their immune systems, but only expects that their resources will last for three to six months.

“Our beds are just mats laid down on the cement and we sleep beside each other. If one of us contracts the virus, we’ll all be infected in no time,” Godofredo added.

United Nations special rapporteur on the rights of indigenous peoples Vicki Tauli-Corpuz said that local governments would tend to focus on their own localities and overlook displaced communities in providing relief supplies and services.

Tauli-Corpuz, who is also a member of the Kankana-ey indigenous group, admitted that access to adequate health services has always been a challenge for indigenous persons, but the displacement puts them at higher risk of contracting diseases like COVID-19.

The evacuees disclosed that they don’t expect to receive any relief supplies or medical services from the government because they have always been discriminated against.

“As much as we want to panic buy [instant noodles and vegetables], we cannot because we don’t have the budget,” Godofredo expressed.

ANOTHER BATTLE. Despite their current situation, the Lumad Communities are now facing a new threat and have now been placed under lockdown in response to the Coronavirus pandemic. © Quimpo

Call to action

“At a time like this, the host local governments should look after the displaced indigenous peoples in their communities otherwise they will be even more vulnerable,” Tauli-Corpuz advised.

Following the unilateral cease-fire last March 27, she also suggested that local governments could consider allowing them to go home where they can do proper physical distancing and practice their cultures.

Students in the Lumad Bakwit School at UP Diliman, despite the many barriers, are continuing their schooling on agriculture, the sciences, their native languages, and cultural practices.