GROUP ACTIVITY

IN
SUSTAINABLE TOURISM
(Mangyan Tribes of Mindoro)

Submitted by:
Venus Guevarra
Nicole Ibardolasa
Karl Louie Lachica
Sharelyn Ibardolasa
Kyra Marie Fulgencio

Submitted to:
Ms. Jayza T. Sarabia
Course Instructor
Tourism Development for the
Mangyan Tribes of Mindoro
 Mangyan of Mindoro

Mangyans tribes are ancient inhabitants of Mindoro Island. Mangyan is the generic name for
the eight indigenous groups with their own tribal name, language and customs. Their population is
estimated at 100,000 people in the whole Mindoro Island. Mangyans lived in peaceful societies
as compared to the head-hunting tribes of North Luzon and the brave defiant warrior tribes of the
South. Mangyan is mainly subsistence agriculturalists, planting a variety of sweet potato, upland
(dry cultivation) rice, and taro. They also trap small animals and wild pigs. Many who live in close
contact with lowland Filipinos sell cash crops such as bananas and ginger.

Their languages are mutually unintelligible, though they share some vocabulary and use
Hanunó’o script to write: Tawbuid and Buhid are closely related, and are unusual among
Philippine languages in having an /f/ phoneme; Tawbuid is divided into eastern and western
dialects; Western Tawbuid may be the only Philippine language to have no glottal phonemes,
having neither. Their traditional religious world view is primarily animistic; around 10% have
embraced Christianity, both Roman Catholicism and Evangelical Protestantism (The New
Testaments have been published in six of the Mangyan languages). Indigenous Mangyan religion
The Mangyan have a complex spiritual belief system which includes the following deities:
Mahal an Makaako – The Supreme Being who gave life to all human beings merely by gazing
at them.

Binayi – Owner of a garden where all spirits rest.

Binayo – Is a sacred female spirit, caretaker of the rice spirits or the kalag paray. She is married
to the spirit Bulungabon. The kalag paray must be appeased, to ensure a bountiful harvest. It is
for this reason that specific rituals are conducted in every phase of rice cultivation. Some of these
rituals include the panudlak, the rite of the first planting; the rite of rice planting itself; and the rites
of harvesting which consist of the magbugkos or binding rice stalks, and the pamag-uhan, which
follows the harvest.

Bulungabon – The spirit aided by 12 fierce dogs. Erring souls are chased by these dogs and
eventually drowned in a cauldron of boiling water. He is Binayo’s husband. Artifacts

The indigenous Mangyans offer a myriad of culturally rich artifacts that give insight into their
culture and trade. The people living in Southern Mindoro during the pre-Hispanic era are
exceptional in their weaving, pottery, and system of writing. Their clothing differs between
genders. The male generally wears loincloths as covering for the lower body whereas the female
would wear a skirt and a shirt for the top. The terms and materials would differ from tribe to tribe,
but the exceptional designs would come from the Hanunó’os. Their textiles are dyed in indigo
blue and have an embroidery design called pakudos at the back and can also be found on their
woven bags. Their system of writing, called Surat Mangyan, is a pre-Hispanic syllabic system and
is believed to be of Indic origin. It is still practiced today and is still being taught in different
Mangyan schools of Oriental Mindoro. The Hanunó’os also practice their own traditional poetry
called the Ambahan, a rhythmic poetic expression with a meter of seven syllables presented
through recitation and chanting or inscribed on bamboo.
Mangyan refers to the Philippine ethnic group living in Mindoro Island but some can be found
in the island of Tablas and Sibuyan in the province of Romblon as well as in Albay, Negros and
Palawan. The word Mangyan generally means man, woman or person without any reference to
any nationality. Social scientists have documented Mangyan tribes into several major tribes. One
of the ways to categorize them is through their geographical location. The Northern tribes include
the Iraya, Alangan and Tadyawan tribes while the Buhid, Bangon Batangon and Hanunuo
Mangyan comprise the tribes in the South.
The following are the said eight (8) groups of Mangyan tribe:

• The Hanunuo Mangyans are located in the municipalities of Mansalay, Bulalacao, some
parts of Bungabong in Oriental Mindoro and in Municipality of San Jose in Occidental
Mindoro. The male wears "ba-ag" (loin cloth) and "balukas" shirt and the female wears
"ramit"(indigo-dyed short skirt) and lambung (blouse). They practice skillfully the
"swidden" kind of farming which is different from "kaingin" system that is more destructive
to environment. They have syllabic writing system called Surat Mangyan which is
considered as Indic in origin.
• The Alangan Mangyans are located in the municipalities of Naujan, Baco, San Teodoro,
Victoria in Oriental Mindoro and municipality of Sablayan in Occidental Mindoro. The
"Alangan" name means one who lives along the rivers or valleys. The female wear a skirt
called "lingeb" together with the g-string called "abayen" and the upper covering is called
 "ulango" made of buri palm. The male wears g-strings with fringes in front. They practice
also swidden farming the same as Hanunuo Mangyans.
• The Tau-Buid Mangyans are located in the municipalities of Socorro, Pinamalayan, and
Gloria in Occidental Mindoro. They are popular as pipe smokers. Male and female wears
loin cloth.
• The Bangon Mangyans are located in the municipalities of Bongabong, Bansud, Gloria
and Bongabon River in Oriental Mindoro. This tribe has their own culture, language and
writing system.
• The Tadyawan Mangyans are located in the municipalities of Naujan, Victoria, Socorro,
Pola, Gloria, Pinamalayan, and Bansud in. Female wears "paypay" for upper covering and
"talapi" for lower covering. The male wear g-strings called "abay". They practice "kaingin"
system for farming.
• The Ratagnon Mangyans are located in municipality of Magsaysay in Occidental
Mindoro. The name "Ratagnon" means mixture of Tagalog and Visayan people. Their
language is similar to "Cuyunon" language, a visayan language in Cuyo Island in Palawan.
The female wears a wrap-around cloth and g-string for male for lower covering. Female
upper covering is made from woven nito or vine.
• The Iraya Mangyans are located in Puerto Galera, San Teodoro, and Baco in oriental
Mindoro. In Occidental Mindoro they are located in municipalities of Abra de Ilog, Paluan,
Mamburao, and Sta. Cruz. The name "Iraya" means man or human being. They are
described as having curly, deep wavy hair and dark skin but lighter than Negritos. The
female usually wears blouse and skirt, while male wear g-string. They are skillful in nito
weaving for making handicrafts.
• The Buhid Mangyans are located in the municipalities of Roxas, Bansud, Bongabong
and some parts of in Oriental Mindoro. In Occidental Mindoro, they are located in
the municipalities of San Jose and Rizal. The name "Buhid" literally means mountain
dwellers. They are known as pot makers where other tribes of Mindoro are buying cooking
pots from them. The female wear "linagmon" (a woven black and white brassier) and
"abol" (black and white skirt). The male wear a traditional g-strings.
At present, Mangyans live in public lands in five Mangyan reservations in forest zones in
Mindoro. A total of 20 to 60 households are within a core settlement composed of 5 to 8 members.
Their main source of livelihood is farming through swidden or kaingin system, a type of cultivation
which practice "field rotation" after the soil is exhausted rather that the popular "crop rotation"
practice by lowlanders. They also get income from handicrafts and charcoal making while some
of them are hired in mining operations and from DENR as forest guard and seedling planters.
Their formal education is considered very low which is about 2% only of their population due to
their belief that education can be best achieve through experience and its against to their customs
and traditions. Another reason is the economic and social reason aside from cultural, like they
can't afford to send their kids to schools and they feel that their kids will not treated well in school
by lowlanders.
 Cultural Traits

Just like any other local communities that we know, Mangyans also has their own set of
cultural traits that had been transferred throughout the years from generation to generation. This
cultural traits are the Mangyans realistic identity since, it features and it tells everything about
them, from the aspect of their clothes designs and the textiles used up to the way they speak
their language and their way of living, from the point they hunt for their food and the way how
they cook it.
Despite being grouped as one tribe, Mangyans differ in many ways. In comparison to the
technological advance between the two geographical divisions, the Southern tribes are more
advanced as seen in their use of weaving, pottery and system of writing. The Northern tribes, on
the other hand, are simpler in their way of living. Their language just like the whole Philippines
came from the Austronesian language family. However, even if they are defined as one ethnic
group the tribes used different languages. On the average, they only share 40% of their
vocabulary words on their mutual languages. The tribes have also varied physical and ethno
genetic appearances: Iraya has Veddoid features; Tadyawan are mainly Mongoloid; and the
Hanunuo looks like a Proto-Malayan. The cultural traits of Mangyans are categorized to be
tangible and intangible, it is presented as follows:
Tangible Cultural Traits
❖ Mangyan Scripts- Among the most remarkable aspects of their rich culture is the writing
system known as “Mangyan Scripts” that remains in use by the Hanunuo and Buhid
Mangyan in southeastern Mindoro. The Scripts are among the last surviving examples of
a writing system that was once used in the Pre-Hispanic Philippines. The scripts have
been declared a Philippine National Cultural Treasure and part of the UNESCO Memory
of the World registry of world cultural heritage.
❖ Clothing System- Their clothing differs between genders. The male generally wears
loincloths as covering for the lower body whereas the female would wear a skirt and a shirt
for the top. The terms and materials would differ from tribe to tribe, but the exceptional
designs would come from the Hanunó’os. Their textiles are dyed in indigo blue and have
an embroidery design called pakudos at the back and can also be found on their woven
 bags. Hanunuo Mangyans possessed thier own way of clothing. Men wear a bahag and
jacket style shirt while women wear indigo dyed ramit skits which they wave on back strap
looms. Their hand swen tops are embroidered on the back with a cross shaped desigb
called pakudos. Both sexes wear twilled rattan belts with pockets around their waist. Men
wear their long hair, tied at the back of the head with a cloth band. Women decorate their
long hair with beaded headbands.
❖ Body Accessories- Bracelet featuring traditional pakudos design element. Traditionally,
all mangyan tribes wear beaded accessories made of plant seeds. Todat the Hanunuo,
Mangyans make colorful necklaces, bracelets, anklets, keychains, rosaries and other
beaded accessories from commercial glass beads. They are found of wearing beaded
bracelets and necklaces. The pakudos design is also found in their jewelry and
embroideries and woven into their baskets and bags made of buri palm leaf and nito black
fern.

Intangible Cultural Traits

❖ System of Writing- Their system of writing, called Surat Mangyan, is a pre-Hispanic
syllabic system and is believed to be of Indic origin. It is still practiced today and is still
being taught in different Mangyan schools of Oriental Mindoro. The Hanunó’os also
practice their own traditional poetry called the Ambahan, a rhythmic poetic expression with
a meter of seven syllables presented through recitation and chanting or inscribed on
bamboo.
❖ Poetic Expression- The Hanunó’os also practice their own traditional poetry called the
Ambahan, a rhythmic poetic expression with a meter of seven syllables presented through
recitation and chanting or inscribed on bamboo.
❖ Marriage Traditions- Fixed marriage happens in the Hanunuo because parents of both
porspective bride and groom decide on the sustainability of the couple. Their culture is
relatively similar to the Tagalogs most especially in terms of courtship. Just like the
concept of the Tagalog courtship, tge prospective groom lives witg the woman's family for
onr to six months, helping out in different activities, such as, kaingin, house building, food
gathering and other. In the tagalog culture they have the concept of bigay kaya. The
payment on the parrnts of the bride for everything that they did to the bride. Just like the
bigay kaya, the Hanunuos practice the concept of "duti", payment if the bride's family when
the woman's parents disapprove the union but the couple whishes to push through with it.
 Possible Livelihoods

Livelihood are one of the primary source of income among indigenous people or even locals
including the Mangyan tribe. They tend to rely their daily living with the environment where they
live. They sell their native-made arts and crafts and exchange it for money. Some Mangyan men
also hunt fish and sell it to the market and sometimes, they used it to be their meal. Since Mangyan
in Mindoro is rich when it comes to production making from the large variety of fruits, livestock,
poultry up to their crafts these are the possible livelihoods:

• Farming- Mangyans are mainly subsistence agriculturalists, planting a variety of sweet

potato, upland (dry cultivation) rice, and taro, their daily activities like farming can be one
of their possible livelihood if the products harvested were marketed nearby their
neighboring provinces and import it in some province here in the Philippines. Large
varieties of fruits, livestock and poultry can be sold in the market and can serve as one of
their possible livelihood.
• Fishing- Since Mindoro was blessed having its pristine bodies of water and hunting and
fishing is also one of the Mangyans activities in their daily lives, they may used their
gathered products to be sold in the market as form of livelihood too.
• Nito weaving- Weaving baskets with the use of nito has always been a traditional craft
for the Iraya-Mangyans of Puerto Galera, Oriental Mindoro.Raw materials like nito grass
and thick, dried forest vines are laced in a circular motion that results to an intricate pattern
solely distinct to the tribe can be their livelihood and source of income.
• Amurit making- Since making of amurit that has been passed on through generation is
present, they may used their skills to produce more and endorse it to the local government
to be included in their tourists destinations' souvenir shops.
• Hog raising- Mangyan always love to trap wild pig, they can use it to start a livelihood of
hog raising, where in, they can raise hogs not just the wild one, but also the so called
native hog.
• Poultry- Since Mangyan villages is commonly located at remote areas, it will be a suitable
location in putting up a poultry since it will not cause any trouble like the smell or the flies
since it is far from urban areas.
• Local tour guiding- Tourism in Mindoro is prestigious, native Mangyans have been
established a local formal education for them to learn, with that, they may also serve as
local tour guide for those tourists who seek authentic experience and to those who want
activities like trekking, cycling and mountain climbing.
• Basket making- It is mentioned that Mangyans relies their livelihood within the
environment they live, it is a good idea to use natural and indigenous resources and turn
it out into something purposeful, dried palm leaves can become baskets that also supports
sustainability, it not just bring livelihood but it also supports sustainability on its bright side.
• Pottery making- Since Mangyans are classified to be artisans since they know how to
make unique artistic things, pottery making can also be one of the possible livelihood they
can have since they love to form things that are from natural environment, pottery making
uses clay and ceramic materials that then fired at high temperature in order to become
hard.
• Handicrafts- Mangyans are widely know to be handicraftmakers, an arts and craft, or
trade in which the skilled use of one's hands is required. This unique ancestral skill from
the Mangyans can open them the opportunity to have a livelihood by just doing their
passion and the activities they usually do.
• Unique souvenir making- Since the Hanunó’os also practice their own traditional poetry
called the Ambahan, a rhythmic poetic expression with a meter of seven syllables was
then presented and inscribed on bamboo can also be a unique souvenir item that might
be one of the possible livelihood that the Mangyans can have.
• Hotel utility personnel- Some Mangyan people are already being civilized, since tourism
keeps booming in the place, and hotel accommodations are also sprouting, they can apply
as utility aide, a utility personnel or a helper.
• Logging and mining- Logging and mining of copper and marble are also Mangyans
activity that might be a possible livelihood for Mangyan men and their family.
• Textile weaving and tailoring- Their authentic clothing for men is ba-ag and balukas and
for women is ramit and lambung, mostly accentuated by pakudos, cross-shaped designs
on the back of their shirts which they believe to keep them out of harm’s way, they can
also sell it as a souvenir item. TheThe Mangyan is also versed in weaving or habilan,
where they use cotton. Non-Mangyans recognize their handiwork for both remarkably
complex designs and neat execution, most tourists seek authentic and unique items to
serve as their souvenir or memorabilia from the destination they visited, this skill that
Mangyans had can possibly turn out into a livelihood.
 State of Tourism

With its white sand beaches, crystal clear turquoise waters, lush mountains, and rich wildlife,
Mindoro, the island just an hour off Batangas Port by boat, seems to have it all. The most famous
of all its tourist destinations is Puerto Galera, a town famous for its natural beauty. It’s the go-to
beach paradise for Manileños who need a quick getaway. The state of tourism in mindoro
accordingly to the Puerto Galera mayor, Hubbert Dolor, the town has seen a steady increase of
tourist arrivals since 2010. The average year-on-year rise is at 30 to 40 percent. It’s not only
Filipinos who are taking notice, more foreigners are coming to the island, and some are even
staying for good. You will see foreign tourists all around the town—riding motorcycles, walking on
busy streets, buying fish at the local market. Despite the fast development and the rise of foreign
migrants, the locals, specifically the Iraya Mangyan indigenous people, still thrive. The Iraya
Mangyan is one of the seven Mangyan groups in Mindoro. This denotes that the tourism in the
place is stable and in positive progress.
The Mangyans are the native indigenous group of the island. Originally, the group lived by the
coast, but they were forced to move inland and upland due to the influx of foreign migrants like
the Tagalog and Spanish. This is one of the major issues of indigenous peoples (IPs) around the
world—they are driven away from their own land due to urbanization and the demand from the
majority. One example would be the Kalumaran of Mindanao are being driven away from their
ancestral land because of mining operations. In Puerto Galera, however, the Mangyans are still
a big part of the community. Since the tourism boom started, the Mangyans have adapted to the
changes. From being simple upland farmers, they are now an integral part of the community,
especially in the tourism industry. “Before they (Mangyans) are the copra and coconut farmers,
cultivating the uplands. But when tourism came, somehow, their cultural landscape also changed
because some of them are now involved in the tourism industry. For example some are into tour
guiding for mountain trekking, while others are involved in hotel operations as utility personnel.
The local government has also established the Municipal Development Technical and Vocational
Institute (MDTVI), a tech-voc school that is open to locals including IPs. The school has partnered
with the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) and has trained several
young Mangyan group members who are now active members of the community. Puerto Galera
strictly implements that 90 percent of the staff of business establishments must be locals. They
are also making sure to incorporate the traditional culture of the Mangyans in their tourism. Every
October, during the Philippine Indigenous Peoples Week, they celebrate the Kaaldawan Iraya
Festival, a three-day celebration dedicated to the Mangyans. It showcases the rich, often unheard
of culture of the Mangyan like their traditional sport and traditional hunting practices. “‘Kaaldaawan
Iraya’ literally means ‘Araw ng mga Mangyan.’ It’s their day and they deserve it,” the mayor says.
On the foot of Mt. Talipanan lies the Mangyan Village, a community of Iraya Mangyans.
Native houses are neatly arranged like a well-planned village. A stream flows through the center
of the townlet. And upon entering one will notice an open bungalow with a group of women busy
weaving baskets and floor mats inside. The Mangyan Village, which sits on 4.5 hectares of land,
is a project of Ayala Foundation. The organization has been building houses for the 250 families
who live in the area. Today, the foundation has built a total of 73 houses since it started in 2009.
It has likewise provided livelihood, trainings, a school, and a safe environment for the Mangyans.
Hospitalization is free and there’s free lunch for senior citizens. The community has its own
basketball court and a computer shop. The major source of income for the community is
handicrafts. The women make baskets and other products made of nito, a forest vine found in the
mountains. The Iraya Mangyans of this village are also active participants in Puerto Galera’s
community activities like the festival. The management says they are making sure the Mangyan’s
culture and traditions are still intact despite being exposed to the modern world.
The above-mentioned facts only denotes one thing, no matter how progressive the tourism in
the area, it doesn’t compromise the daily living of the native inhabitants in the name of Mangyans.
Most of the situations today in new boom tourists attractions, the indigenous people seems driven
away from their own native land where in social displacement can be related and their used way
of living seems invaded by the foreign tourists in the sense that they lost their privacy, but there’s
a total different thing with that of the Mangyans in Mindoro, instead that tourism will mostly cause
them negative impacts, on the bright side, it rather gives them livelihood to earn income to be use
in their daily needs, the chance to showcase their cultural traits and inspire people to make them
feel empowered and a valued group of the society and lastly, tourism gives them the chance to
showcase what they can where in in the workplace where they are present, cultural sensitivity is
being observed.
 Suggestions/Proposals

Based on our research, balancing the value of the tourism of the place and its native
inhabitants is not that easy as we think, it takes courage, patience, good decision-making, and
perseverance since dealing with native people might be hard since we can’t understand them in
just a click, we need to learn first everything about them to come up with the best possible
solutions we can without putting in compromised the other one. Giving respect and right value to
the native inhabitants of the place like the Mangyan tribes of Mindoro will help the tourism of the
place reach the peak of progress that it seeks since it is one of the key component on how to
achieve a peaceful operation in the place. The natives can also help in providing tourists the
satisfaction they need as they witness their unique and inspiring culture through their cultural traits
as it was mold by the series of times. In this activity, we as a group had learned the very important
lesson that I teaches us, where in, development in the place itself could not be considered as
successful if there are individuals or groups that are left behind like the Mangyan Tribes of
Mindoro, we must give the value that are right for them and the opportunities they supposed to
have must be granted to them so that they will feel the empowerment and they can consider
themselves to be truly part of the community. With this, therefore, we come up to the following
viable tourism programs/businesses that will help improve the state of tourism in the destination
and the livelihoods of indigenous tribes that is assigned to us, these are the following:
❖ By making the Mangyan Villas as a primary accommodation, with the use of this, tourists
will experience the ambience of staying in this unique type of accommodation with
hospitable Mangyans socializing them. In this proposal, we will help the Mangyan tribe of
having the opportunity to have a job like Bellboy, Front desk, Waiters, Room Attendant
and such. The Local Government Unit (LGU) and the Department of Tourism (DOT) can
help them to have the knowledge on how to manage and to accommodate tourists so by
this, we will not only help locals to get and opportunity but also for them to showcase their
traits like being pure, hospitable, and genuine.
❖ By creating or implementing policies to protect the preservation of their culture, to keep its
cultural authenticity and to achieve sustainability in their traditional aspect.
❖ Building or putting up a cooperative that will showcase and market the local products just
like clothes of the tribes, since it is authentic and unique. We can make a bag, pouch,
modern fashion clothes and their agri-products such as pottery, nito, etc. And sell it to the
local souvenir store.
❖ A tour guide must know a lot of cultural traditions, culture and knowledge about the place
where they lead and bring the tourist. It is an advantage for the tourist that they can learn
a lot from the tribe. To be enable to have the knowledge tour guide, the Local Government
Unit can make a resolution to hire a tour guide that is from the tribe since they have the
power of authority, this will empower the tribe and will soon contribute a sustainable
development to the place.
❖ Since Mangyans are hereby granted fomal local education, the accommodations
surrounding the place must have at least two (2) Mangyan worker or employees to work
with them as support to indigenous people’s existence and value.
❖ There must be at least one (1) facility within the area to be constructed to cater Mangyan
nito weavers where in they can exhibit their finish products and be marketed to the tourists
 who might be interested and also if there are some tourists who wants to learn how to
make it, the Mangyans will take charge of teaching them.
❖ We can make the village of the Mangyan Tribe as a living museum just like the Motag
Loving Museum in Malay, Aklan. Through this, tourists will have the opportunity to know,
experience and practice the culture and traditions of the Mangyan Tribe though engaging
and socializing with the locals from visiting their homes, cooking their delicious foods and
showcasing their traditional farming process. Through this kind of tourist activity, the locals
could present their culture to the tourists and at the same time, the tourists will experience
how the locals or the Mangyans live their traditionand culture. In addition, the Mangyans
will have employments and to help them have the income to feed and sustain the needs
of their families.
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