With the scene of devastating Amazon rainforest fires and other wildfires occurring almost “in a great symphony” in Spain, France, Turkey, and Indonesia, Mother Earth is now painfully limping due to environmental toxicity and all. In the midst of this reality related to greed, I am honored and delighted to have this rare opportunity to ask questions with a great man in the field of intellectual property advocacy, the forest preservation initiative, and the fight for dominions. ancestral by the surrounding indigenous peoples. Friends, I mean a person, no less than the brother. Martin Francisco! Welcome and Mabuhay po!

Let’s get to the bottom of it before our passion turns to embers … going, going, going!

1. How long have you been passionate about helping indigenous peoples, particularly the Dumagat?

Since my youth in high school, I had been aspiring to be a soldier of Christ like St. Francis of Assisi, working on missions to distant mountains. Then I knew what I wanted in life and now I thank God for that calling.

2. During the course of your work as a ranger / leader defending the destruction of the Sierra Madre from the clutches of greed – illegal loggers, poachers, etc … what was, for you, the worst incident you faced, and discoveries you have had. ?

The worst thing is when the death threats never leave me, and seven times they harassed me closer and closer, to the point that I have to change my residence every two years; or when I felt their presence (illegal loggers). I have been in Sierra Madre since 1994, the first 2 years in Quezon and then the rest in Bulacan. I have even decided to get my own legal pistol, to protect myself, as I cannot afford a security or personal bodyguard.

3. Connecting with people, here and abroad, could make a big difference in your advocacy, right? So how are the connections made?

In fact, I pray for God’s protection and that He will send people to help me. It is very difficult to get connections. The good thing is that some local media notice my advocacy to help IPs and save the Sierra Madre forest. Foreign funding is very strict, and for me elusive, as it is very difficult to meet its legal and paper requirements. Through social networks and with good friends who referred me to civic groups, NGOs, foundations, we managed to survive. Even the LGUs and government agencies have realized the importance of my presence, as I know a lot about the Dumagat IPs and their ancestral domain of the Sierra Madre.

4. Since you have been living with the Dumagat, you are familiar with their cultural identity and have been aware of their fears, dreams and everything … so how do you evaluate them as a group of people, with dignity and respect from which should everyone recognize?

It is really difficult for us non-IPs the essence of the Dumagat culture and it took me many years to understand them living with them. The Dumagat are great people with a unique ecological culture that outsiders must realize if we are to survive in this Climate Change thing. The sad thing is that their indigenous culture is losing its appeal or importance among IPs, especially the younger ones. We need to help IPs protect their rich culture from their ancestral forest / domain.

5. Share a story that has been touched by your kindness, extending your appreciation for all the effort made for your well-being.

There are so many situations in which IPs have saved me from danger; even death threats, but one thing I would always remember is when I almost drowned in a river, with rolling logs, in a flash flood. Luckily, a Dumagat, named Dokha, saved me even though I was so small and almost 6 feet tall; He was able to get me up! With their indigenous knowledge and skills, I am still alive today.

6. For those who wish to help in advocacy, in what ways could you extend your help?

I really need volunteers. Very few people would dedicate their talents and time, even their life and safety, to this dangerous mission. But of course not everyone can do what I have been doing since I dedicated my life here. If there were only one group or foundation funding our forest protection as an NGO / ranger volunteer, it might be easy for me and my fellow IPs to protect our forest and engage regularly with illegal loggers. From now on, due to our limited funding or donations received, we do more in collecting and tracking information.

7. With the Amazon rainforest being ravaged by fire, what comes to mind and how could this affect global warming, a global catastrophe that could soon strike and wreak havoc on Earthlings?

Unless our government and the international community, and we, the people of the local community, come together to stop this deforestation and leaders with political will, our global environment is sure to be headed for total destruction. We talk a lot. We always have meetings and summits. What we need are sustainable forest protections before any livelihood. We must stop even the wrong government projects and programs that will destroy our diminishing forest like the Amazon. There is so much greed and capitalism around.

8. Aside from defending the forest against greedy individuals and the rights of indigenous peoples as their ancestral home so that they are not taken from them, what else are you busy with?

I am quite concerned about the education of PI youth through the help of MMC, WISAR also through health and disaster preparedness. I am also concerned with the development of our Punduhan ng nga Dumagat, as a model of resilience to climate change and its sustainability, focusing on organic farming and tribal ecotourism so that we can defend ourselves on our own.

9. What other things would you like to share about your advocacy?

Basically, our mission here is being managed by Sagip Sierra Madre Environmental Society Inc. (SSMESI), a very small NGO group since 2008, although I have been here on the mountain as a religious brother of BSMC since 1996 working for the elevation of the indigenous people. Dumagat. people (IP) and the protection of the Sierra Madre de Bulacan covering the three villages (DRT, Norzagaray, SJDM) for 22 IP settlements in partnership with the government and NGOs.

Our top five (5) SSMESI programs in Punduhan since 2014 are:

a.) Reforestation regulated by NAPOCOR 10 hectares and DENR for 25 hectares that need maintenance and protection.

b.) Forest protection. All of our healthy Dumagats / PIs who will be staying here in Punduhan must participate in our volunteer service as Sagip Forest Rangers (SFR) to protect our forest and watersheds from all forms of illegal activities resulting in the deforestation of the Sierra Madre de Bulacan (covering Angat watershed, Ipo watershed, DRT-Gen. Tinio watershed and Bustos watershed) as delegated by the government of NAPOCOR, PGB-LGU and DENR.

c.) We are also awarding IP scholarships for 32 students (young and old) now in partnership with Metro Manila College (MMC) and DepEd ALS and we need food, transportation subsidies and a house to stay in Novaliches, in addition to or near MMC . for our high school and college. In fact, we depend on the generosity of our FB benefactors.

d.) In addition, we have health programs that focus on enhancing the capacity of IPs as a search and rescuer of Wisar, tribal health workers, and our ongoing construction of the tribal health center with the search and rescue center located in Punduhan. We need constant training, SAR devices, medications, clinical facilities. We only have 2 paramedic brothers and we need more regular visiting volunteer doctors, at least once a month to serve 22 settlements.

e.) Our fifth program is the sustenance for our sustainability as food production (eco-agriculture) and our tribal ecotourism in the Monte Cristo cave adjacent to Punduhan. We need trainings, component assistance and other infrastructure developments to show and prove that this is our alternative livelihood against illegal logging, illegal charcoal making, illegal mining and kaingin system.

10. If you had the opportunity to speak to President Duterte, what would you say to him?

I would ask our then Mayor and now President Digong just two things without a second thought. First, I will ask you to sign our Kabayunan CADT so that PI Dumagat get their rights / benefits easily and quickly. Second, I will ask you to direct your government agencies to protect the Sierra Madre forest from all forms of illegal activities, logging, charcoal making, treasure hunting, mining, wildlife hunting / trading, land grabbing. and intrusion of so many non-PIs. informal settlers, within ancestral domain and watersheds.

So there you have it. Thanks brother. Martin for his time and benevolence, giving me the opportunity to listen to his wisdom-filled narrative and learn a thing or two about his defense, the IPs and his journey, struggles and dreams to own his own land and be – free! May your tribe increase!

Brother. Martín Francisco is a missionary of the Blessed Sacrament Brother Missionaries of Charity in the spirituality of Mother Teresa of Calcutta. He is now 54 years old and has been a missionary since 1985, although in his youth he entered the Oblates Seminary in Cotabato for his education at NDU. He grew up in a comfortable life with his parents in Mauban, Quezon province, in a big happy Catholic family. He even said that his parents sent him to a Catholic school at Holy Trinity Academy in Quezon City, Manila, Philippines.