Dumagats in Palanan, Guardians of Nature

Written by: Patrianne M. Padua and Azenath Formoso

Palanan, Isabela -- Lush garden with tomatoes, kamote tops, and squashes are among the nutritious produce in the Dumagats’ gardens in Barangay Culasi. Gardening becomes an alternative source of food for them aside from fishing. The Dumagats are descendants of the Agtas, the first indigenous people (IP) to originally inhabit the Philippines.

The ancient Agtas lived stable lives as hunters, fishers and gatherers for centuries. The present day Dumagats subsist on fishing, sporadic cultivation of crops, and intermittent trading. They sell lobsters and big crabs. Due to the seasonal nature of their subsistence, they ask for food from other people during difficult times. The Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) enables them to venture to another source of food production which is gardening.

Being a coastal town, Palanan is a solitary sanctuary with its peaceful islands and empty white beaches. However, its pristine and unadulterated environment could not mask the economic scarcity. Palanan has a poverty incidence rate of 48.20% with a total population of 16,254 as of 2007 based on NSO Census.  It is on this basis that Palanan was included as one of the municipalities in the initial implementation of 4Ps.

The primary impediment to Palanan’s progress is accessibility. Direct road access to adjacent towns is not available. There are three difficult means of reaching the town – by a 30-35 minute flight in a six-seater, single engine Cyclone Cessna commuter plane from Cauayan City or six to seven-hour boat ride from the towns of Dingalan or Baler in Aurora Province, in the south, or a three to five day hike from the town of San Mariano, Isabela. (Lactaoen, 2000)

Merly Castillo, a Dumagat Beneficiary is enjoying the fruits of her labor.

Barangay Culasi is a community of the Dumagats by the side of the sea in Palanan. This group of IP in Palanan prefers to reside near the sea (dagat), thus, the term Dumagat was coined by the town folks. They seek refuge in the seas or in the wilderness rather than suffer discrimination and mockery from lowlanders. For this reason, nature conservationists commend them for being the “guardians of nature” and for sacrificing their poor town’s progress and development to save their unadulterated habitat.

The intervention of 4Ps in Palanan serves to enhance the towns union with nature rather than compel its residence, especially the Dumagats, to modern life. Twenty-five (25) Dumagat families are now 4Ps beneficiaries. Merly Castillo, a Dumagat beneficiary, felt that this is the government’s way of reaching out to them. There are 1,339 4Ps beneficiaries in Palanan. Approximately 14% of the beneficiaries are Dumagats.

4Ps is a poverty reduction and social development program of the Philippine  government that provides conditional cash grants to extremely poor households to allow them to meet certain human development goals in exchange of compliance to co responsibilities.

Merly’s family lives in stark poverty. Their source of living is seasonal so there are instances when they have to solicit food from other people in order to survive. She has three children ages 10, 4, and 2. Her 10-year old child is enrolled in elementary school while her 4-year-old child is enrolled in day care center.                                 
A household-beneficiary can receive as much as P1, 400 each month. The cash grant includes P500 per month for nutrition and health expenses and P300 monthly per child with a maximum of 3 children per household for educational expenses. They could receive cash grants up to five years as long as they comply with the co-responsibilities.

In the efforts to preserve nature, DSWD Field Office II Regional Director Arnel B. Garcia and the Municipal Link in Palanan, Mr Manolito O. Nazareno included gardening as another conditionality for the Dumagats. This additional co-responsibility nurtures their ability to guard and nurture the wildlife that serves as their refuge.

Mr. Nazareno coordinated with the LGU and MSWDO staff of Palanan to implement the said conditionality. The authorities immediately heed to the suggestion as they noticed the improvement in the life of the Dumagats. Everybody complied with enthusiasm. Barangay officials gave prizes to households that have the best garden to acknowledge and celebrate the fruit of their hardwork.

Merly now owns a flourishing vegetable garden. Her eyes glisten with pride as she stares at the expanse of her prosperous garden. The depth of her gratefulness is evident as she spills words of gratitude, “Nagpapasalamat kami sa 4Ps dahil natuto kaming magtanim para meron kaming makain at hindi humingi sa ibang tao”. (I am grateful that 4Ps had taught us gardening. We no longer need to rely on other people for food.)

The beneficiaries are living testaments to the ancient bible adage: “Give a man a fish and he will live for a day; teach him how to fish and he will live for a lifetime.” 4Ps enables the Dumagats to thrive in their unique culture and cultivate their one-ness with nature minus the stigma of hunger brought about by poverty. ### (4Ps Social Marketing Unit)