By: Jam Jaramilla Abergas and Butz Muyco
Photo Credits: Jam Jaramilla Abergas
“Being a Subanen woman does not mean that your world ends within the four walls of your home.”
At 65, Anita Tumbao, a Subanen and resident of Poblacion, Lakewood, Zamboanga del Sur, has seen how Subanen women in her community have quietly carried the responsibilities of family – caring for their children, working in the garden, harvesting and processing copra, farming, cooking, and taking care of the home.
But for Anita, a Subanen woman’s role does not have to end there.
“A Subanen woman can lead, learn, and stand on her own feet for herself and for her community,” Anita says.
This belief became the foundation of the Thindegan Dlibon Subanen Association Inc. (TDSAI), an Indigenous Peoples Organization (IPO) in the Lakewood Ancestral Domain that she helped establish in 2009 with support from several government agencies. TDSAI started with 16 Subanen women who came together with a shared purpose. In 2012, the organization was registered with the Department of Labor and Employment.
“Thindegan” means to stand in Bisaya, while “Dlibon” means woman. Even in its name is the message that Anita has long stood for: Subanen women must rise.
“TDSAI aims to encourage Subanen women to go beyond their usual roles, learn new skills, and contribute to the development of their families and community,” Anita says.
For Anita, however, the organization’s greatest achievement is not its registration. It can be seen in the growing confidence of women who once hesitated to stand up and speak, take leadership roles, or join activities outside their homes.
“We are no longer ashamed to be Subanen women of Lakewood,” Anita says.
But starting TDSAI was not easy.
Most of its members were women who had long been focused on their families and farms. Some had limited formal education. Others had never experienced being part of an organization before.
They also faced discrimination, limited opportunities because of a lack of financial support, and times when some members became discouraged and stopped attending meetings.
But none of these stopped Anita.
“Keep going, be patient, have a lot of patience even when there are many people around you who try to bring you down,” is how she describes her way of facing challenges.
For her, leadership is not simply about giving orders. A leader must be willing to become an example for her members. Anita showed them that she was willing to give her time and resources, work alongside them, learn with them, and stand with them.
One of the first areas they focused on was Indigenous Knowledge Systems and Practices (IKSP) in 2012. The members supported the effort because they were concerned that their culture was slowly being lost—their dances, language, traditional clothing, and other Subanen traditions passed down from one generation to another.
This was something Anita firmly stood for.
“Improving livelihoods should not come at the cost of losing our identity as Subanen. Development must go hand in hand with the preservation of our culture.”
They started making handicrafts that reflected Subanen culture.
Over the years, TDSAI received support in the form of training and livelihood assistance from various agencies, including the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA), DSWD, DA, DOLE, DTI, NCIP, and other partners.
What began as a simple effort to come together slowly grew into an organization with 70 active members—65 women and five men.
Through the Department of Agriculture, including the 4K Program, and later through the Mindanao Inclusive Agriculture Development Project (DA-MIADP), TDSAI received various training and capacity-building opportunities.
These experiences changed how they saw themselves.
They were no longer simply beneficiaries waiting for assistance.
They became partners in development.
“We are not just beneficiaries. As an IPO, we have our own role and our own way of moving forward and improving our lives,” Anita says.
When TDSAI became part of DA-MIADP, they took on greater responsibilities.
They participated in the development of the Ancestral Domain Agricultural Implementation Framework (ADAIF) together with leaders of their Indigenous Political Structure. They also joined trainings on Good Agricultural Practices, commodity production, entrepreneurial mindset, leadership, and organization management.
Every activity became an opportunity to learn. Every project requirement became another challenge for them to work through.
One of the most difficult stages they experienced under MIADP was preparing the requirements for the Regional Project Advisory Board (RPAB) deliberation of their proposed agriculture enterprise subproject.
TDSAI was not familiar with preparing a business plan.
But they did not stop.
With guidance from DA-MIADP, the Provincial and Municipal Agriculture Offices, and other partners, they learned how to organize their proposal and prepare a business plan for their Copra Consolidation and Marketing Enterprise.
The enterprise aims to help members consolidate their copra harvest and improve their access to markets and buyers—an important support for members, most of whom are coconut farmers who continue to face challenges in marketing and transportation.
For Anita, the process was not just about completing documents.
It was a lesson in leadership, responsibility, and perseverance. They had to work together, make decisions, and keep going even when the process became difficult.
They stood together and kept standing.
In the end, their perseverance paid off.
The RPAB approved TDSAI’s agriculture enterprise subproject under Component 3 of DA-MIADP RPCO IX.
For Anita, the approval was more than permission to start a business. It was proof that Subanen women can lead when given the opportunity, support, and trust.
“This proves that we, Subanen women, can stand for our community, and most of all, for all Subanen women in our ancestral domain here in Lakewood.”
It was a victory for TDSAI, but also another challenge.
As Chairman of TDSAI, Anita sees it as a question of possibility – that women who once mostly stayed within the home can manage an organization, run and grow a business, make decisions, and contribute to the development of their ancestral domain.
From Thindegan—to stand—TDSAI has become more than just a name.
It has become a movement and a cause for women learning to stand, lead, and create opportunities not only for themselves but also for the next generation of Subanen women.
Their story is still unfolding.
But one thing is clear: the Subanen women of Lakewood are no longer waiting for the future to come to them.
They are standing up to build it themselves.
Because for Anita and the women of TDSAI, to stand is not simply to rise. It is to stand for who they are – and to make sure that the Subanen culture they carry today will still be alive in the generations to come.
