What have we done to the indigenous tribes?

Eighty-one percent of the 100 million Filipinos are Catholics.

Unfortunately, the percentage rate of 81% is going down for many reasons. For one, the evangelical sects are more aggressive in their missionary efforts. Second they have effectively used hi-tech ways like television, radio, internet, computers, cellphones, twitter, etc. Third, the indigenous tribes are among the poorest in our nation.

There are two groups in this highly politicized world that are supposed be together. The poor and the church: the poor, especially the indigenous tribes echo the gospel’s demand for life’s basic needs; food, water, housing, health and education. The non-governmental organizations or NGOs and government bodies like barangays, DSWD, Cultural Minority commissions have more direct daily contact with the indigenous tribes.

The church in its 1991 Second Plenary Synod decided to become the church of the poor. The church have easy access to the poor in the rural and urban areas through the parishes and the GKK’s. The Church however has difficulty in reaching out to the indigenous tribes who are in the mountains and forests. There must be a church think tank body that will look at this lapse. The Church must agree on what the facts are; what the problems are; what the church teachings and policies are; what the possible solutions are; and what will be the good and bad results for each solution.

The NGOs, government agencies and the Lumads must participate in this process. Fathers Alejo and Lachica, can be point persons. If the church will not do extra efforts now, socialism, materialism and secularism will drown out the Lumad’s ideals of Godliness and our evangelizing processes will become useless. We might not be able to answer the question, “What have you done to the Poor?”