{"id":10558,"date":"2021-06-01T17:05:50","date_gmt":"2021-06-01T09:05:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/philippines\/?p=10558"},"modified":"2021-12-01T20:38:41","modified_gmt":"2021-12-01T12:38:41","slug":"isang-hapag-kainan-indigenous-people-and-community-pantries-work-together-to-feed-cities","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/philippines\/story\/10558\/isang-hapag-kainan-indigenous-people-and-community-pantries-work-together-to-feed-cities\/","title":{"rendered":"‘Isang hapag-kainan\u2019: IPs and community pantries work together to feed cities"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"
Joemar Pauig, 21, loads a basket of harvested purple yam or ‘ube’ onto a horse inside a mountainside farm in Daraitan, Rizal province east of Manila, Philippines. May 15, 2021.
\u00a9 Basilio Sepe \/ Greenpeace<\/div><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n

Underneath the scorching heat of the afternoon sun, 21-year-old Joemar Pauig dug fully-grown gabi <\/em>and ube <\/em>from shallow earth. Accompanied by his mother and younger brother, he loads the root crops on his horse and prepares to descend their farm atop the mountains of Daraitan, Rizal.<\/p>\n\n

\u201cSometimes I go up here to harvest every third day, since I also have sideline jobs, like cleaning the gardens of others. We get paid by the day,\u201d Pauig said in Filipino.<\/p>\n\n

\"\"
Joemar plants and harvests root crops in his family\u2019s land atop the mountains of Daraitan, Rizal
\u00a9 Basilio Sepe \/ Greenpeace<\/div><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n

From childhood, Joemar and his fellow Dumagat Remontado, the indigenous people (IP) native to this area, were taught the ways of farming as a means of sustenance. <\/p>\n\n

\u201cEven now, farming is still what we teach and pass on to the next generation, because our land can\u2019t be left unutilized,\u201d said Maria Clara Dullas, president of the Kababaihang Dumagat ng Sierra Madre (KGAT), in Filipino. \u201cWe plant food so that we can make use of our land and reap our primary needs from it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n

Today, however, the community\u2019s harvest would not only make up their lunch, but also hundreds of others\u2019 lunches here in Metro Manila.<\/p>\n\n

\"\"
Renato Ibanez, 46, is a farmer in Daraitan in the province of Rizal.
\u00a9 Basilio Sepe \/ Greenpeace<\/div><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n

Returning the favor<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n

Joemar had only recently heard of community pantries, a movement that began when Ana Patricia Non put up one in Maginhawa St., Quezon City, over a month ago. Now, his and his family\u2019s harvest would be packaged and brought to ten of such pantries for the urban poor.<\/p>\n\n

\u201cWe used to exchange goods with other communities, and received products that we did not have,\u201d said Renato Iba\u00f1ez, leader of Dumagat Remontado group SUKATAN-LN, in Filipino. \u201cThat is why we thought that if [people in Metro Manila] were able to help us with relief goods such as canned food and rice, we should be able to return the favor with goods that they don\u2019t have.\u201d<\/p>\n\n

Their community, however, are facing their own struggles. The Tinipak River, home to enormous marble formations, had become a tourist attraction, along with the mountains being flocked by hikers. What had become a new source of income, however, was hampered by pandemic restrictions.<\/p>\n\n

They also suffered the onslaught of Typhoon Ulysses late last year\u2014but through time-tested practices, the community was able to prepare.<\/p>\n\n

\u201cWe have visions of when the flood is about to come and how big the water is going to be, Iba\u00f1ez said. \u201cWhen at noon, the water rises as if the wind is carrying it, it means a disaster is coming, and our elders advise us to evacuate.\u201d<\/p>\n\n

Furthermore, the impending construction of the Kaliwa Dam on their ancestral lands\u2014to which they still haven\u2019t given consent–will flood Daraitan and areas in the Quezon Province, which would force their tribe and other non-IP residents to move upland. Dullas said that, according to a recent community census, there are 700 IPs among around 5,000 residents of Daraitan.<\/p>\n\n

\"\"
Small houses, mostly made of wood, are seen along a river in Daraitan, Rizal province east of Manila, Philippines. May 15, 2021.
\u00a9 Basilio Sepe \/ Greenpeace<\/div><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n

\u201cSome of our sacred places will also be submerged. We haven\u2019t seen the actual plans,and a lot of us don\u2019t agree with this project, but they\u2019re always reporting that we already consented to it,\u201d Dullas said, adding that the Indigenous People\u2019s Rights Act (IPRA) requires any public or private project to secure free and prior informed consent (FPIC) from the IPs in affected areas.<\/p>\n\n

\"\"
Maria Clara Dullas, 40, prepares sinugno<\/em>, a traditional dish with gabi<\/em> and malunggay<\/em> leaves, for lunch.
\u00a9 Basilio Sepe \/ Greenpeace<\/div><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n

Even as they call for awareness on this crisis from Metro Manila citizens, Dullas said these problems would not stop them from helping community pantries.<\/p>\n\n

\u201cWe also want to show the government or anyone who represents them in this project: \u2018Look at this food we\u2019re getting from the areas when the dam is being built, the areas you will be flooding. This can feed a lot of families,\u2019\u201d Dullas said. \u201c\u2018Do you want to destroy this? Or should we support the IPs further and stop this project?\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n\n

Bayanihan<\/em><\/strong><\/h2>\n\n
\"\"
Lou Mercado, 34, leads the distribution of goods at the Pinagbuhatan Sustainable Community Pantry in Pasig City. May 17, 2021.
\u00a9 Basilio Sepe \/ Greenpeace<\/div><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n

For their part, community pantries, such as the Sustainable Community Pantry in Pinagbuhatan, Pasig, are thankful for the food the Dumagat Remontado farmers have provided.<\/p>\n\n

\u201cWe thank the Dumagat Remontado because they are the real symbol of bayanihan<\/em>; whatever they had, even if it was just enough, they still shared it with us,\u201d said pantry organizer Lou Mercado, in Filipino.<\/p>\n\n

Prior to receiving goods from Daraitan, Mercado and his fellow volunteers had an ingenious way of stocking his pantry, where dozens of people line up for help. They \u201crescue\u201d food that are still edible, but would otherwise be disposed of the next day, from the markets in Pinagbuhatan. <\/p>\n\n

Mercado said they would continue stocking the pantry so long as there is food in the market to rescue and there are people who are willing to help.<\/p>\n\n

\"\"
Leonora Abando, 45, clutches a reusable bag for goods she is waiting to receive from the Pinagbuhatan Sustainable Community Pantry.
\u00a9 Basilio Sepe \/ Greenpeace<\/div><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n

<\/p>\n\n

\"\"
Residents wearing protective masks and face shields queue to collect free food and other goods at a ‘sustainable’ community pantry in Pasig City, Metro Manila, Philippines.
\u00a9 Basilio Sepe \/ Greenpeace<\/div><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n

\u201cThank you for the help, at least we can get through each day,\u201d said Leonora Obando, a beneficiary of Mercado\u2019s pantry, in Filipino<\/p>\n\n

Produce from the Dumagat farmers also reached West Crame, San Juan, home to several employees laid off from businesses in the nearby Greenhills complex. To aid their struggling neighbors, 20-year-old Joey Biteng and his fellow youth put up a pantry on a corner street, where he says up to more than a hundred line up on a normal day.<\/p>\n\n

Thankful for the help, Biteng further encourages young Filipinos to do what they can for their community.<\/p>\n\n

\u201cJust push through with what you want to do in order to help, you could also ask their parents for guidance [on how to run their pantry],\u201d Biteng said in Filipino. \u201cMy message to the government is that they must support the youth who are helping others, and not use pantries for political gain.\u201d<\/p>\n\n

\"\"
Joey Biteng, 20, is a young community pantry organizer who, along with his fellow youth, are helping their neighbors in West Crame, San Juan City.
\u00a9 Basilio Sepe \/ Greenpeace<\/div><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n

No waste<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n

Dullas and her community are happy to see their countrymen enjoy the fruits of their labor. But she hopes those who benefited from this endeavor will not let the food go to waste.<\/p>\n\n

\u201cDon\u2019t waste any kind of food, even one crumb, because if you add [all those crumbs] up, they could still feed a lot of people,\u201d she said. \u201cBe thankful for the people who paved the way for community pantries, because that means there are still people who want to volunteer for their community.\u201d<\/p>\n\n

\"\"
Farmers use reusable bags for the repacking of harvested vegetables that will be donated to community pantries in Metro Manila, Philippines.
\u00a9 Basilio Sepe \/ Greenpeace<\/div><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n

As for Ibanez, he sees these efforts as steps to solidify solidarity between the Dumagat Remontado and the city people, something that could help the nation in the long run.<\/p>\n\n

\u201cI told our fellow IP farmers\u2026<\/p>\n\n

\u2018With what we\u2019re doing, we\u2019re helping people, not just asking for their help,\u2019\u201d he said. \u201cIn my perspective, with this food, all of us in this country are eating as one\u2014we\u2019re not divided, we\u2019re not fighting, we\u2019re all dining in one table.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n

\n\n

Maverick Flores is a Communications Campaigner at Greenpeace Southeast Asia – Philippines. He is an advocate for indigenous peoples\u2019 rights and social justice, a podcaster, and an avid basketball fan.<\/p>\n\n

This article was first published on Rappler<\/a> on May 30, 2021.<\/p>\n

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