Molbog (Balabac, Palawan)

The ICCA of the Molbog in Balabac Island, Palawan

Origins

The Molbog are the indigenous people of Balabac Island and some have also long resided in various parts of southern Palawan Island, whither their forebears presumably migrated in years past. According to Lanfranco Blanchetti (1996, 111), linguistic and historical evidence suggest that the Molbog were once an indigenous Palawan subgroup that converted to Islam after sustained contacts with Tausug and Samal and other elements of the Sulu Sultanate, assuming in the process a new and independent identity. The Molbog are primarily shifting cultivators and secondarily fishermen; but many also grow coconuts and sell copra.[1]

The Molbog can be found from as far as Banggi Island in Sabah, Malaysia. The Banggi South Channel separates Banggi Island from the mainland of Sabah. The Molbog are sometimes called Balabak in Sabah, a name that describes their place of origin – Balabac Island, located at the southern tip of Palawan in the Philippines. The greater population of Molbog people still resides on Balabac Island. The Island is visible from Damaran and Maliyu, the two Molbog villages on the west coast of Banggi Island.[2]

Demographics and Geography

Balabac Island is located in the southern-most tip of the Province of Palawan, it lies approximately only about 50 kilometers (31 mi) north from Sabah, Malaysia, across the Balabac Strait.  With an area of 34,200 ha., it is the largest of the group of islands in Southern Palawan. It has a natural vegetation of a lowland forest, with the remaining forests threatened by farming activities conducted mainly by migrant families from Jolo and Tawi-tawi.Coral reefs ring the south western coastal areas of the Island while Mangroves can be located in almost all of the tidal areas of the coastal Barangays.

Of the 14 Barangays of the Municipality of Balabac, 8 are located in the Island of Balabac, while six (6) other Barangays are located on the nearby small Islands north of the mainland.

Based on the latest survey conducted by the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP) in September 2011, there are approximately Molbog 581 households or more or less 2000 individuals in the Island of Balabac.

Socioeconomic profile

The Molbog livelihood includes subsistence farming and fishing. They farm commercial coconut, tapioca, corn, rain-fed rice, and plantain and fruit trees. Some Molbog make their living by gathering of minor forest products raising livestock and occasionally engage in trading commodities with neighboring communities in Palawan and at the market centers Kudat in Malaysia.

Biodiversity and ecological significance

Balabac Island is listed both as a Key Bodiversity Areas (KBA 67) and as an Important Bird Area (IBA). Many of the threatened and restricted-range species of the Palawan Endemic Bird Area have been recorded on Balabac in the past, including the threatened Grey Imperial-pigeon, Philippine Cockatoo, Blue-headed Racquet-tail and Palawan Hornbill. It is unclear whether there is enough natural habitat remaining on the island to support significant populations of any of these birds.

It is the only known locality for the highly endangered greater mouse-deer Tragulus napu. Several mammals endemic to Palawan faunal region are known to occur in the area, including Palawan shrew Crocidura palawanensis, Palawan tree shrew Tupaia palawanensis and Palawan flying fox Acerodon leucotis. Threatened marine animals also occur off this IBA, including hawksbill turtle Eretmochelys imbricata and estuarine crocodile Crocodylus porosus. Most of the herpetofauna recorded on the island are confined to Palawan faunal region and the neighbouring Indo-Malayan region, including brown-striped tree frog Polypedates macrotis, rough-skinned tree frog Philautus longicrus and South-East Asian wood frog Rana sanguinea.[i]

Balabac has also been identified as a priority area in the Sulu-Sulawesi Marine Ecoregion (SSME) conservation plan due to its high marine biodiversity and its role as a marine corridor between the Sulu Sea and South China Sea.

A significant part of the mangroves that Balabac island have been severely deforested mainly due to the extensive gathering of Mangrove bark for tanning. Moreover, overfishing and the use of illegal fishing methods by migrants have resulted into the destruction of sections of the coral reefs at the southwestern end of the Island.  The demand for construction materials and other resources has been exacerbated by the continued influx of migrants from the neighbouring Provinces of Zamboanga, Basilan, Jolo and Tawi-tawi. In order to accommodate the incoming migrants, the establishment of settlements have increased at alarming rates resulting into the encroachment into the traditional lands of the Molbog community.

Hence, it is critical that a Community Conservation Plan for the Island’s resources be formulated. The Planning process shall provide a venue for the Molbog to articulate their own vision of development, determine their priorities and formulate a strategic action plan to implement critical activities.   The Community Conservation Plan shall also provide a platform that shall facilitate the community’s engagement with other stakeholders in the conservation and management of the Island. Furthermore, the documentation and declaration of the traditionally conserved areas shall rightfully acknowledge the critical role that the Indigenous Molbog community has played in protecting the environment.

Traditional resource governance

A substantial part of Balabac Island is considered as the Ancestral Domain of the Indigenous Molbog Communities in the Southern Palawan. Their traditional territory also called as “Logta Molbog” covers an estimated area of 34,998 hectares of both terrestrial and marine ecosystems. Included in the Molbog domain are the four (4) Barangays of Rabor, Melville, Agutayan, and Pasig. An extensive section of the Molbog Ancestral Domains are considered sacred and protected by the local community. Most of these conserved areas are located in the inland forests or “Giba” where traditional burial grounds abound, and in the coral reef systems locally known as “Takot” where sacred and ritual spots are located.

Notwithstanding the existence of the formal Local Government system, the Molbog Communities continue to exercise traditional governance over their ancestral domains through their Indigenous leadership structures mainly led by their elders led by the local Panglima (Community elders) and guided by the their respective Balian (Shaman).

Community Rights over Resources

In order to address the land insecurity issues faced by the Molbog families in the Island, a formal application for a Certificate of Ancestral Domain Title (CADT) was filed by the Molbog community in 1999 with the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP). The CADT application was approved by the NCIP in 2000. However, the same was subjected for review along with other CADT applications approved during the administration of deposed President JE Estrada by virtue of Executive Order no. 01, issued by the incoming President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. Currently. The CADT application of the Molbog community is currently in the process of being re-validated by the NCIP.

• [1] James F. Eder Philippine Studies vol. 58 no. 3 (2010): 407–420 Copyright © Ateneo de Manila University
• [2] www.asiaharvest.org
• [i] BirdLife International (2015) Important Bird Areas factsheet: Balabac Island