Story by: Mohammad M. Guiapar and Butz Muyco
Photo credits: Josua Edward
“We, the IPs, are always the victims of conflict, even when we have nothing to do with it.”
This is the experience of Mercy Gunsi Mandi, 53, married, a mother of four, and a member of the Teduray-Lambangian indigenous group. She was born in Pandan, South Upi, Maguindanao. She is the second of eleven siblings. Mercy finished only elementary school.
Her family later moved to Barangay Ahan in Guindulungan, Maguindanao. In 2008, she and her family moved to Barangay Limpongo in the municipality of Datu Hoffer Ampatuan, Maguindanao. Eventually, they settled in Sitio Kemeder, Barangay Maitumaig, Datu Unsay, Maguindanao.
Like many Indigenous people living in this part of Maguindanao, Mercy’s childhood and adulthood were shaped by years of conflict, repeated displacement, hunger, and fear.
Every displacement meant leaving their home, farms, and even their livestock. It also meant leaving behind friends and relatives. Communities were often scattered. Even after they were displaced, there was still no assurance of safety.
For Mercy, conflict and armed violence were not things she simply heard about. They were something she lived through for many years.
During times of conflict, they could not easily go to their farms. The children could not go to school. Finding food became difficult. Even going to the market, hospital, or municipal office meant crossing several hills and difficult roads just to reach the main road.
“We, the IPs, are always the victims of conflict, even when we have nothing to do with it.”
As Mercy put it, “We did not ask for war.” They were simple farmers whose only goal was to survive and provide for their families.
But as an Indigenous community situated in an area often affected by conflict and unrest, they also had very little power to protect themselves.
The experience was even harder for women like Mercy.
“Here in our place, we are full of fear. Not only because of the conflict, but also because of how lowly people looked at us as IPs, especially women like me.”
These words became a painful memory for Mercy.
But they also became a reason for her to act.
Mercy knew that the women in their community each carried their own struggles. Each had painful experiences from the past. So, as mothers, wives, and farmers, they came together to rise and move forward, trying to keep their families together even when tomorrow was uncertain.
“Most of those who work in our community are the husbands. So, we women also wanted to help.”
In 2016, Mercy brought the women in their area together and formed the Teduray Women’s Organization. Its members were mostly wives of farmers. In their farms, they planted corn, peanuts, mung beans, and upland rice.
Their aspirations were simple: to work, earn for their families, and show that women could also contribute to the improvement of their families and community.
“We also wanted to have an organization where we could support one another and be united, so we would not have to depend only on our husbands.”
But managing an organization was not that easy.
Their community was far from the highway. They had limited access to important information, especially information about government services. Very little assistance reached them, and only a few people would make the effort to go to their community.
Eventually, the women lost motivation and their gatherings stopped.
Mercy was saddened by what happened.
“I kept encouraging them, but they no longer believed. They had already lost the motivation and hope that our organization could grow.”
For Mercy, their failure was not because the women no longer wanted to work.
“We simply did not know how to develop our organization. We did not know whom to approach for help, or how to make our efforts reach and be known by people outside our community. No one was coming to us either.”
The women have land. They have skills and the willingness to work. What they lacked was the right information, opportunities, and support to turn their aspirations and efforts into reality.
A door opens.
The transition from the ARMM to the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) in 2019 brought new hope to the Teduray-Lambangian Indigenous communities.
With the establishment of the Ministry of Indigenous Peoples’ Affairs (MIPA), Indigenous communities like Mercy’s gained an opportunity to express their situation and concerns about their ancestral lands, security, livelihoods, and difficulties in accessing government services.
For Mercy, this brought new hope.
“Since we became part of BARMM, we now know where to go and whom to approach to express our needs and aspirations.”
It was at this point that Mercy revived the women’s organization and renamed it Sen Odoroy de Libon Teduray dub Datu Unsay (SOLTDU), which refers to an association of Teduray women in Datu Unsay.
It has 27 members based in Sitio Kemeder, Barangay Maitumaig, Datu Unsay. SOLTDU is registered with the Ministry of Labor and Employment (MOLE) and recognized by MIPA.
With this renewed hope, the women established a communal farm. Here, they planted peanuts, corn, and mung beans. These products helped meet some of their daily needs, but they were not enough to provide a reliable livelihood and stable income. This was partly due to their limited access to additional knowledge and technology in farming, as well as knowledge on how to get better prices for their products in the market.
As president of SOLTDU, Mercy believed that the time would come when they would receive support for their aspirations. She hoped that the women in their community would have a voice and opportunities to improve their lives, including their livelihoods. She also wanted their children to continue their education and succeed.
With support from the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, and Agrarian Reform (MAFAR) and MIPA, SOLTDU was selected as one of the Indigenous Peoples Organizations (IPOs) under the Department of Agriculture – Mindanao Inclusive Agriculture Development Project (MIADP) in the Teduray-Lambangian ancestral domain.
SOLTDU decided to pursue peanut enterprise development, with peanuts as their main product and one that they see as having strong potential in the market.
With the support of the Regional Project Coordination Office BARMM and the MIADP Project Support Office, SOLTDU completed the requirements for their planned business, including the concept note and business plan. These were new and additional knowledge for the Teduray women. Through the trainings they attended, they also gained more knowledge and confidence in themselves.
“Since we became part of MIADP, our fear, hesitation, and shyness have disappeared. We learned how to speak and express our thoughts in front of many people. We are also happy because, after such a long time, someone finally listened to us.”
The efforts of Mercy and her fellow SOLTDU members began to bear fruit.
On July 7, 2026, the Bangsamoro Project Advisory Board approved SOLTDU’s Business Proposal and Plan under the Micro-Enterprise component of MIADP.
Mercy hopes that through this support, they can improve and strengthen their peanut production, including processing and marketing, and, in this way, find a way out of hardship and improve their livelihoods.
“I do not want to go back to the time when our lives and livelihoods were uncertain, when everything was filled with fear and worry. I want our children and the generations after them to experience peace, to live with respect for the dignity of every person, especially us IPs, and above all, women.”
Mercy’s life is a story of perseverance. She is a woman who experienced hunger, displacement, fear, and uncertainty, yet continued to work for change.
From a community where few people paid attention or listened, she learned to stand, speak, and find ways to make the voices of women heard.
