Name: Reina Lynn Feb Namia Subject Code: M741

Year/Section: BSN 1 Instructor: Ms. Bethlehem Ponce

Assessment 5

The quoted statement below was taken from a published article of Hagen and Minter
(2020) about the Agta hunter-gatherer in Dimalansan, Northeast of Luzon. The study
documented the on-going displacement of the Agta due to development projects: road
construction and tourism. The Agta rely on both inland and in water as a source of food.
According to one of the respondents:

“Our problem now is that this place is going to be developed. I don’t think this is a good thing.
For them [developers/government], development is good. But it won’t be the same for us
because they want us to leave…if tourists arrive here, what kind of work can we do when we
even don’t know how to talk to them? That’s why…we are not part of the progress of this
place…those who are in the government, when they come here, they tell us that they will help
us rise from poverty. But until now, we don’t feel it. Instead, they will eventually make us leave”
(73)

From this statement, write a one-page analysis about the impact of development to the
culture of the IPs, what will happen if they have constant contact with the tourists or people from
the dominant group, and what will happen if they will be relocated.
 The statement expresses the IPs' point of view on the development projects of
businessmen and the government in general. To them, it seems like they are the victims of a
kind of social injustice and discrimination, in which their rights are being flagrantly violated and
neglected.

When persons are forced to migrate as a result of discrimination, this is considered a

kind of social injustice. Investment in development projects may be advantageous to the
economic position and tourist industry of the region in which they are located, as well as the
entire nation in which they are located. In contrast, if the motivation for this project is the
displacement of indigenous peoples, then what exactly is the point of achieving project success
if it has a significant influence on the lives of indigenous people who live peacefully and in
harmony with nature in this area? This has been their natural environment, and a significant
change in their life may have a significant impact on them on a holistic level. The effect of
development on IPs may also result in the infringement of IPs' rights to ancestral lands, self-
governance, cultural integrity, social justice, and human rights, among other things.

“But it won’t be the same for us because they want us to leave…if tourists arrive here,
what kind of work can we do when we even don’t know how to talk to them?” A major change in
their natural habitat could be a burden to their daily lives. Interacting with the tourists would be
hard for them so if they stay and work on this place they will just be those who works for the
tourists and for the place. Where is the empowerment for IPs in this circumstance?

“That’s why…we are not part of the progress of this place…those who are in the
government, when they come here, they tell us that they will help us rise from poverty. But until
now, we don’t feel it. Instead, they will eventually make us leave” IPs have the right to feel like
they belong, that they are important, and that they are prioritized, because the government
should not work for businessmen and others in the first place, because the government's sole
purpose is to serve the people, and they were created to serve the people and only for the
people.

In this case, the government should at the very least relocate the IPs to a location that is
suitable for them, as well as provide them with livelihood programs and financial assistance,
because this is what they deserve, not only because they are IPs, but also because they are
HUMANS, and this is what they deserve.