Saturday, August 29, 2009

Minorities shine in Tribal Games

Mangyans, Aeta, and Dumagat athletes showcased their skills in the field of sports such as archery, foot race, and spear throwing during the series of elimination rounds for the 1st POC-ACB MAD (Mangyans, Aeta, Dumagats) Regional Tribal Games: Protecting our Natural Heritage held in Pampanga, Occidental Mindoro, and General Nakar, Quezon held from August – November 2009.

The Tribal Games is a joint project of the Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) and the ASEAN Center for Biodiversity (ACB) to showcase how indigenous people conserve their natural environments and generate a greater awareness for biodiversity conservation among the people of the ASEAN region.

The ACB and the POC embarked on this project in recognition of the key role that indigenous peoples (IP) play in conserving flora, fauna, and other biological resources. For millennia, indigenous peoples have developed a relationship with their environment that has sustained and nourished their bodies, fostered community relations, and strengthened their culture.

The project brought together students, youth, and the general public on a personal encounter with the tribes to get first-hand information on how to protect and appreciate the environment.

Top contenders from each of the minority groups faced one other during the National Finals held on November 6 in Clark Field, Pampanga. Winners from the finals will compete during the International Year of Biodiversity next year with tribal groups from ASEAN Member States: Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, LAO PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam. The exact date and place to determined.

Other partners are POC Athletes’ Commission, National Commission of Indigenous People, Philippine Tri-Media Agencies and UP Los BaƱos Community and ASEAN Member States for 2010.

For more details, please contact The Asean Center for Biodiversity at (+6349) 536-1044 local 501 or thru their website http://www.aseanbiodiversity.org and the Philippine Olympic Committee at (+632) 632-1254, (+632) 631-5417; fax (+632) 637-7104; email jose_cojuangco@yahoo.com,
philolympic@smartbro.net or thru their website http://www.olympic.ph

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