Through the invitation of their leaders, we went to the Matigsalug Ancestral Domain to listen. Listening for us is the first act of love. We listen first to the Matigsalug Indigenous People and their traditional leaders’ worldview, value system, and behavior patterns. As a team of inclusive development workers and social entrepreneurial mentors, we are listening through the “headphones” of our understanding of Peace and Reconciliation (PAR), of Indigenous Knowledge System and Practices (IKSP), of the Indigenous Peoples’ Rights Act (IPRA), and of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP). We hope to help amplify the voices of the Matigsalug people as they continue to allow us to journey with them towards the full enjoyment of their Right to Self-Determination and their right to protect, reclaim, and regenerate their Ancestral Domain.
