18/08/2026
Balaw-Balaw: Impact Storytelling
When Indigenous Knowledge Systems and Practices (IKSP) and Indigenous languages disappear, a part of a culture disappears with them.
For the Indigenous Manobo and Blaan communities of Jose Abad Santos (JAS), Davao Occidental, these are not distant concerns. Climate vulnerability, deforestation, the loss of IKSP, endangered Indigenous languages, and long-standing conflicts continue to shape the realities of our communities.
After long years of waiting, Indigenous leaders and communities secured the Certificate of Ancestral Domain Title (CADT)—a historic victory in recognizing and safeguarding our ancestral lands. But the work does not end there. JAS remains a Geographically Isolated and Disadvantaged Area, where climate vulnerabilities continue to deepen poverty and create barriers to education and opportunities for young people.
One of the most important forms of knowledge at risk of being lost is IKSP—ancestral wisdom passed down through generations that teaches our people how to live with and protect the environment.
Our stories carry this knowledge. Stories of busaw te keba (deities of the caves), busaw te te lawud (deities of the sea), and imameteng (mermaids) are not simply folklore. They reflect Indigenous ways of understanding nature, setting boundaries against exploitation, and teaching younger generations to respect the places that sustain us.
Our Indigenous languages are equally important. They are vessels of culture, identity, history, and environmental knowledge. When young people lose their connection to these languages, they can also lose access to the knowledge and traditions embedded within them.
This is where BALAW-BALAW comes in.
Through storytelling, arts, and intergenerational learning, BALAW-BALAW creates pathways for elders to pass stories and knowledge to younger generations. It is an effort to ensure that IKSP does not remain only in the memories of our elders, but continues to live through the voices, creativity, and actions of our youth.
During the Képiyaan Festival, the Pagsébad Indigenous Peoples Youth Organization collaborated with the Kabpapagariya Ensemble of the Cultural Affairs Office, Mindanao State University – General Santos City, and Southern Philippines Agri-Business and Marine and Aquatic School of Technology - JAS Extension for an Arts Workshop funded by UNDP through YECAP. This marked the second year of our partnership in creating spaces where Indigenous youth can reconnect with culture and express it through the arts.
The initiative is also supported by the Municipal Tourism Office and the Local Youth Development Council of the Local Government Unit of Jose Abad Santos, Davao Occidental.
Most importantly, BALAW-BALAW is a project for and with the Indigenous Peoples of Jose Abad Santos.
By reconnecting with the past, we empower a new generation to become storytellers, cultural bearers, and frontline climate defenders.
Our stories carry our knowledge.
Our languages carry our identity.
Our youth carry them forward.
-GenSan
