Development Gridlock and Ethnicity in the Philippines: The Benguet Experience

Cerebral scrutiny on the pivotal events that hampered development among ethnic communities is worthy of investigation considering the growing clamor among indigenous communities as indispensable partners in national development. The experience of the Igorot tribes of Benguet in the Cordilleras of northern Philippines was historically entrenched with the irreversible effects of foreign intervention, which in a way contributed to the marginalization of its indigenous peoples. The impacts of the democratization process, however, led the post-war regimes to embark on national policies intended to strike the balance between national integration and cultural pluralism, geared towards mutual growth and development. Consequently, an assimilation crisis ensued as an ethnocentric view of development among the IPs clashed with the ideals of national development, with an outgrowth of ethnic nationalism strongly engrossed in the daily grind of their political struggle. This study, therefore, looked into the intricacies built into these national policies as it interfered with the indigenous peoples’ clamor for inclusive development. It proved, however, that complexities arising from crucial issues directly affecting them must be thoroughly re-examined. Thus, in aid of the ethno-phenomenological approach, an indigenous developmental model is seen as an exigent measure to help address the problem through an arduous yet compelling task of an in-depth investigation and analysis of the pressures of IP development. In the end, the IPs in the grassroots unanimously demand an urgent comprehensive review of IP-related developmental policies.