The Philippines is blessed with high-rise mountains and rich natural
resources. It is known for its rich and distinctive culture embodied
in different ethnic minorities. Many of these indigenous people
are spread out in the different parts of the Philippine archipelago
contributing to the culture and identity of the Philippine society.
Higaonon is one of the many ethnic minorities of the Philippines. This group has lived on the mountains of Malitbog, Bukidnon even before the Spaniards arrived.
Kagahuman is one of the many places in Bukidnon inhabited by Higaonons. The name Kagahuman means a “place of power”. It was named so because it was located on top of a very tall mountain, overlooking other mountainous ranges. Powerful winds blow from different directions and with its great power it could at times blow off roofs of houses, thus the name Kagahuman. The tribe is lead by a Datu Mansaysayan, the chieftain of the tribe whose name literally means “storyteller”. There are also women leaders of the tribe and other datus. There are about 50 households in the area. Houses and other infrastructure were established with the help of non-government agencies and the local government office of Malitbog.
In the lower area of Bukidnon lives the “Dumagat”, known to be the people from the shores. This best describes the students from Xavier University who came as visitors to Kagahuman to participate in the First International Peace Camp held there.
From the northeastern Asia, people from South Korea also participated in the Peace Camp. They are members of the Join Together Society (JTS) a non-government agency put together by the people who have compassion towards their neighbors in need. They work together beyond the differences in races, religions, ethnicity, thoughts and ideologies. Their mission statement is that “Hungry should be fed, sick should be treated and children should be educated.” This was the reason why they chose Philippines and Kagahuman was the area where they want this mission to be realized.
These three communities despite their difference in race, religion, ethnicity, thoughts and ideologies came together to fulfill one goal that is to uplift the lives of the native inhabitants of Kagahuman.
In the effort of making this mission possible, the First International Peace Camp in the Philippines was held in Kagahuman, Malitbog, Bukidnon on January 25 to February 5, 2005.
Each participant was given assigned tasks and workloads. They belong to different committees namely the 1) Food 2) Construction 3) Education 4) Cultural and 5) Health and Sanitation. Each committee has its Korean counterparts. The natives and LGUs also took part in helping with some of the work.
A new food storage facility was built for the natives to secure their harvests that would help them have something to eat during rainy days. Also, a fish pond was dug up for the natives to grow fish that they may have a source of marine life. Part of the program was also to beautify the surroundings of the school and to educate children with the help of the Year of Service volunteer teachers.
The Peace Camp aimed not only to help the village people of Kagahuman but also to learn and interact with the different culture therein. It was a three-way mirror. Three communities brought up with different culture but came together to fulfill one goal.
The Xavier University students with their modern concept of living life, the natives with their traditional ways of living life and the Koreans with their views of living life.
It opened up the sleeping eyes of the people from the Philippines about the situation of the natives in Kagahuman. The Koreans showed the true value and meaning of the rich culture and beauty of the environment.
The three communities learned from each other. Xavier students as Filipinos themselves learned and understand the culture of their fellow Filipinos which were the natives of Kagahuman. The Koreans learned and valued the culture of the Filipinos and together as Filipinos learned new things from the Koreans, about their culture and their idea of a better living.
