DavOr to inscribe Manadaya land in Caraga as UNESCO heritage site

DAVAO DEL NORTE, October 27 (PIA) - - Following the inscription of Mount Hamiguitan Mountain Range, the provincial government of Davao Oriental plans to also inscribe the ancestral domain of the Mandaya tribe in Caraga as a United Nations Educational, Scientific and Organization’s (UNESCO) world heritage site.

Gov. Corazon Malanyaon stressed in an interview during the 16th Kalindugan Festival on Saturday (October 25) that the Mandaya land incorporated in the Certificate of Ancestral Domain Title (CADT) 01 in Brgy. Pichon, Caraga has all the potentials to be a world heritage site.

“As I have seen in other heritage sites, this area has what it takes to be a heritage site,” Governor Malanyaon said.

According to Tribal Chieftain Coper Banugan, the ancestral domain covers 14,500 hectares traversing six sitios of the barangay.

Chieftain Banugan added that the area has been populated by over 4,000 pure Mandaya people or about 1,000 families.

He said that families have been still using the tribal’s traditional methods in their livelihood such as farming and fishing.

Malanyaon affirmed that the tribal people have been very dedicated in preserving their culture.

“As we can see in their presentations in the festival, the Mandaya culture and traditions have been handed down to their children,” she said.

In its 16th year of celebrating Kalindugan Festival, the Mandaya tribe highlighted presentations on the traditional methods, standards and techniques on the tribe’s livelihood, political system, and customary laws.

Chieftain Banugan said that the approval of CADT 01 last May 8, 2014 added more meaning to this year’s festival. (PIA 11, Michael Uy)