With the setting for a raging Amazon rainforest fire, and other wildfires occurring almost “in grand symphony” in Spain, France, Turkey, and Indonesia, Mother Earth is now in a painful limp due to environmental toxicity and all. In the midst of this greed-related reality, I am honored and delighted to have this rare opportunity to ask questions with a great man in the field of intellectual property advocacy, the forest conservation initiative, and the domain fight. ancestors of the indigenous peoples that surround us. Friends, I mean a person, none other than Bro. Martin Francis! Welcome and Mabuhay po!
Let’s get to the bottom of it before our passion turns to embers… it’s gone, it’s gone, it’s gone!
1. Since when are you passionate about helping indigenous peoples, in particular the Dumagats?
Since my youthful years in high school, I had aspired to be a soldier of Christ like Saint Francis of Assisi, working on missions in distant mountains. I knew what I wanted in life then, and now I thank God for that calling.
2. During the course of your work as a ranger/leader defending the destruction of the Sierra Madre from the clutches of greed: illegal loggers, poachers, etc., what was, for you, the worst incident you faced and the accomplishments? that it got? ?
The worst thing is when the death threats never leave me, and for seven times they have been harassing me, closer and closer, to the point that every two years I have to change my residence; or when I felt their presence (of illegal loggers). I have been in Sierra Madre since 1994, the first 2 years in Quezon and then the rest in Bulacan. I’ve even decided to get my own legal gun, to protect myself, since I can’t afford a personal security or bodyguard.
3. Connecting with people, here and abroad, could make a big difference in your defense, right? So how do you make the connections?
In fact, I pray for God’s protection and that He will send people to help me. It is very difficult to get connections. The good thing is that some local media notice my defense helping IPs and saving the Sierra Madre Forest. Foreign funding is very strict, and difficult for me to reach, as it is very difficult to meet their legal and paper requirements. Through social networks and with good friends who referred me to civic groups, NGOs, foundations, we can survive. Even the LGUs and government agencies have realized the importance of my presence, as I know a lot about IPs from Dumagat and their ancestral domain of the Sierra Madre.
4. Since you have been living with the Dumagats, you are familiar with their cultural identity and you know their fears, dreams and everything… So, how do you evaluate them as a group of people, with dignity and with respect to which everyone should recognize?
It is really difficult for us, who are not IP, the essence of the Dumagat culture and it took me many years to understand them living with them. The Dumagats are great people with a unique ecological culture that we outsiders need to understand if we want to survive this little Climate Change thing. The sad thing is that their indigenous culture is losing appeal or importance among IPs, especially young people. We need to help IPs to protect their rich culture against their ancestral forest/domain.
5. Share a story where you were touched by his kindness, extending your appreciation for all the effort he has made for your well-being.
There are so many situations that IPs had saved me from danger; even death threats, but one thing I would always remember is nearly drowning in a river, with rolling logs, in a flash flood. Luckily a Dumagat, named Dokha, saved me even though he was very small and I am almost 6 feet tall; he was able to lift me! With his indigenous knowledge and skills, I am still alive today.
6. For those who would like to help in your defense, what are ways you could help?
I really need volunteers. Very few people would devote their talents and time, even their lives and safety, to this dangerous mission. But of course, not everyone can do what I have been doing since I have dedicated my life here. If only there was a group or foundation that could fund the protection of our forest as a voluntary/forest ranger NGO, maybe it would be easy for me and my fellow IPs to protect our forest and regularly engage with illegal loggers. From now on, due to our limited fund or donations received, we do more in collecting and monitoring information.
7. With the Amazon rainforest being devastated by fire, what comes to mind and how could this affect global warming, a global catastrophe that could strike at any moment and wreak havoc on earthlings?
Unless our government and the international community, and we the people of the local community come together to stop this deforestation, and leaders with the political will, our global environment is surely headed for total destruction. We talk a lot. We always have meetings and summits. What we need are sustainable forest protections before any livelihood. We must stop even the wrong government projects and programs that will destroy our shrinking rainforest like the Amazon. There is so much greed and capitalism around.
8. Besides defending the forest against greedy individuals and the rights of indigenous peoples, such as having their ancestral home taken away, what else are you busy with?
I am quite concerned about the education of IP youth through the help of MMC, WISAR also through health and disaster preparedness. I am also concerned about the development of our Punduhan ng nga Dumagat, as a model of resilience to climate change and its sustainability, focusing on organic farming and tribal ecotourism so that we can fend for ourselves.
9. What other things would you like to share about your advocacy work?
Basically, our mission here is being managed by Sagip Sierra Madre Environmental Society Inc. (SSMESI), a very small NGO group since 2008, although I have been here in the mountains as a religious brother of BSMC since 1996, working for the betterment of the indigenous Dumagat. (PI) and the protection of the Sierra Madre de Bulacan covering the three cities (DRT, Norzagaray, SJDM) for 22 IP settlements in partnership with the government and NGOs.
Our Top Five (5) SSMESI Programs in Punduhan since 2014 are:
a.) Reforestation regulated by NAPOCOR 10 hectares and DENR for 25 hectares that needs maintenance and protection.
b.) Forest protection. All of our able-bodied Dumagats/IPs who will stay here in Punduhan should participate in our volunteer service as Sagip Forest Rangers (SFR) to protect our forest and watersheds from all forms of illegal activities resulting in deforestation of the Sierra Madre de Bulacan (covering Angat Ipo watershed, DRT-Gen. Tinio watershed and Bustos watershed) on behalf of the NAPOCOR government, PGB-LGU and DENR.
c.) We are also awarding IP scholarships for 32 students (young and old) now in partnership with Metro Manila College (MMC) and DepEd ALS and we need food, transportation allowances and a house to stay in Novaliches in addition to or near MMC, for our high school and college. In fact, we depend on the generosity of our FB benefactors.
d.) In addition, we have programs for health that focus on improving the capacity of IPs such as Wisar search and rescue, tribal health workers and our ongoing construction of the tribal health center with search and rescue center located in Punduhan . We need constant training, SAR devices, medications, clinical facilities. We have only 2 paramedic brothers and we need more regular visiting volunteer doctors, at least once a month to serve 22 settlements.
e.) Our fifth program is the support for our sustainability as food production (eco-agri) and our tribal ecotourism in the Monte Cristo cave adjacent to Punduhan. We need trainings, component assistance and other targeted infrastructure developments to show and prove that this is our alternative livelihood against illegal logging, illegal charcoal making, illegal mining and kainin system.
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If you had the chance to talk to President Duterte, what would you tell him?
I would ask our then Mayor and now Chairman Digong just two things without a second thought. First, I will ask you to sign our Kabayunan CADT for Dumagat IPs to get their rights/benefits easily and quickly. Second, I will ask you to direct your government agencies to protect the Sierra Madre forest from all forms of illegal activities, logging, charcoal making, treasure hunting, mining, wildlife hunting/trading, land grabbing and intrusion of so many non-IPs. informal settlers, within the ancestral domain and the hydrographic basins.
So there you have it. Thanks brother. Martin for his time and benevolence in giving me the chance to listen to his wisdom filled narrative and learn a thing or two about defending him, IPs and his journey, struggles and dreams to own his own land and be free! ! May your tribe increase!
Brother. Martín Francisco is a missionary of the Blessed Sacrament Missionaries of Charity Brother in the spirituality of Mother Teresa of Calcutta. He is now 54 years old and has been a missionary since 1985, although in his youth he entered the Oblate seminary in Cotabato for his education at NDU. He grew up in a comfortable life with his parents in Mauban, Quezon province, in a big happy Catholic family. He even said that his parents sent him to a Catholic school at Holy Trinity Academy in Quezon City, Manila, Philippines.