Empowering our nation’s IPs

As a young lieutenant who just completed my Scout Ranger course in 1985, I felt that I could overcome any challenge that came my way. Little did I know that the knowledge and skills that I learned during that intensive training would be tested in the jungles of Agusan del Norte and Surigao del Sur in December 1985.

- SECRETARY CARLITO 6. GALVEZ, JR.

The 2nd Scout Ranger Battalion that I belonged to was deployed in Cabadbaran-Puting Bato, near the mountain boundaries of Mt. Mabaho. I was tasked to lead a platoon during a month-long combat operation. One day, as we navigated the thick jungle, we realized that we had lost our way.

Days turned into weeks. All of us were already exhausted, hungry, and dehydrated. The jungle’s thick foliage and unfamiliar terrain disoriented even the most experienced among us. We had no clear direction, signal and sustenance. All of us were cut off from the outside world. And then, help came from the least expected place.

A member of the Mamanwa-Manobo tribe found us. He then guided our battalion through the dense forest and led us safely to their village in Puting Bato, Cabadbaran. Their community welcomed, fed and sheltered us. More than 200 Scout Rangers were saved by the compassion of our Lumad brothers and sisters.

That incident had a profound impact on me as a soldier and more so, as a human being. It made me realize that kindness, dignity and humanity can often be found even in the most remote places of our land, and among the people who ask for nothing else but respect, dignity and understanding.

This is the reason why, decades later, I have developed a profound sense of gratitude and affinity with our Indigenous Peoples (IPs). What is most amazing is that despite being among the most marginalized sectors in our country, they remain to be among the most resilient, compassionate, and steadfast in their love for our homeland.

Today, as I head the Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation and Unity (OPAPRU), I carry with me a lifelong debt of gratitude for our IPs. Through the programs our agency is implementing, we are doing our best to honor, help, and empower our IP brothers and sisters across the country.