Basis of Conflict in ARMM in Relation to Land and Resources

The total population projection for indigenous peoples (IPs) in the Philippines for the year 2000 is estimated at 13 million or 17 percent of the total Filipino population. The majority of the IP population is located in Mindanao (61%). The remaining 33% are in Luzon and 6% are in the Visayan Islands. The IPs comprise more than 110 different major and minor ethnolinguistic groups and are found in 63 provinces of fifteen regions including the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (ARMM).

Indigenous peoples in Mindanao engage in economic activities that range from hunting, gathering, marine trade and fishing; shifting cultivation in or near forests; small-scale mining; permanent agriculture; wage labor and small-scale market oriented activities. They are groups with a cultural identity distinct from the dominant Filipino society and are vulnerable to being disadvantaged in the development process. A majority of these groups have had limited or no access to basic socio-economic services from the government, like education, health, infrastructure, extension, credit, and marketing.

The purpose of this report is to discuss the basis of the conflict in ARMM related to land and resources and the role of indigenous peoples and Muslims in this conflict.