Ancestral Domain for the SAMBILOG Tribes

9/24/04

We support SAMBILOG people and request that they be issued a
certificate of ancestral domain title. Likewise, we request that the
Jewelmer corporation be issued a "cease and desist order". In the
1980's The Jewelmer Pearl Corporation was granted a 25yr lease to
create a pearl farm in an area claimed as ancestral domain of 625
families in Southern Palawan. The lease was granted despite the fact
that such a lease is illegal under the RA 8550 Fisheries code and the
Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) regulations
which specify that municipal waters are to be reserved for small
artesian fishers. In addition, a marine sanctuary was created in the
area without a Certificate of Environmental Clearance (in violation of
Section 6. Article IX of DENR Administrative Order No. 96-37), and the
appropriate participatory appraisals including a stakeholder meeting
which would have involved the tribes. The company should not be
allowed to police the sanctuary and pearl farm to prevent fishing
without the proper legal and ethical basis for doing so, and the
government should penalize the company for extending beyond its leased
boundaries. We hope that a peaceful and just resolution of the
conflict can be reached for the benefit of present and future
generations. Thank you for your consideration.