NEW SETTLEMENT FOR INDIGENOUS PEOPLE IN SULTAN KUDARAT AND SOUTH COTABATO

The Highland Jeep, a public transport vehicle of the highlands of Sultan kudarat

  
January 30,  2014

Together with my team of 6 persons we set to visit a place in the hinterland. The travel took us 5 hours on the rough and dusty highway on board a motorcycle ( 2 motorcycles) from Surallah, South Cotabato. The place is part geographically of Lake Sebu, South Cotabato, but to go there we have to go through Sultan Kudarat ( Another Province) since the mountain ranges of Lake sebu made it impossible for a road to be built.

We reach the place called LABANANG and enjoyed the night at a small nipa hut. The villagers, a mixture of Tiruray Tribe and Manobo Dulangan welcomed us and made us comfortable with the visit. 

This place has a land area of 300 hectares ( 741 acres) which was declared by the government as Ancestral Domain and needed to have a hundred households to fully award  the land to the Tribal Community. The tribal leader is now waiting for the families who said to transfer in this settlement this year. Last year 10 families moved and now settled. Each household is entitled to have 3 hectares ( 7 acres) of land. The land is productive and the area is most likely to flourish in the years to come.

The purpose of visit was to see the land, the potential of building a Community Church, a church who will help the settlers to build their  home, a church to provide the community with Spiritual guidance and encouragement. The tribal leadership is offering us 3 hectares (7 acres) for the church property and that exclude the share of the community pastor who will live in the community. Presently, there are ten christian families in the area and need to have a church (fellowship).

 

We plan to come back on May for the opening of the work. we are now recruiting worker for the area but as a self-supporting pastor (FARMER). One Pastor is set to visit the area this month of March. Please pray for the worker that God will send to that area. 

We left the place and headed for T'boli on January 31 for the Overnight Prayer Fellowship of Churches.


Pastor JOJO Gubal
EFM Ministry Associate