2 #KwentongBABAYEnihan in Sitio Datal Bonlangon, Brgy. Ned, Lake Sebu, South Cotabato

BABAYEnihan against COVID-19 has reached Sitio Datal Bonlangon, Brgy. Ned, Lake Sebu, South Cotabato!

Sitio Datal Bonlangon is quite far from the barangay proper, and quite a long way off from other sitios. COVID-19 has not reached anywhere near this Geographically Isolated Disadvantaged Area or GIDA. The T'boli-Manobo women would have been able to fend for themselves and their families during this COVID-19 lockdown with their vegetables and corn. However, the implementation of the lockdown in their barangay has been very strict that they could not even tend to their farms.  The pictures below were taken by one of the T'boli women partners of LILAK. According to her, these are their farms planted to corn which they could not go into.  She fears that someone else will benefit from their farms, and that after the lockdown, they will not have any farms to go back to. A huge portion of their ancestral domain has already been awarded to a huge coffee plantation by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources.  

For the entire sitio, only 1 quarantine pass was issued. So their movement is very limited. As it was difficult for them to go down, so did the help from the government to get in to their community. Fortunately, they were able to arrange for someone to go down to the town to be able to arrange for the distribution of a modest relief pack for the families. With your support for BABAYEnihan, our T'boli Manobo women partners were able to reach 31 indigenous women and their families, with 3 1/2 kilos of rice each, with sardines and 1/2 kilo of salt. 

Maraming salamat po. Thank you for the support and solidarity. We feel the love.

We will share with you stories and photos when available of how your support has reached our indigenous women partners and their families.