Cinemalaya 2024: Review of TUMANDOK: Imperative Indigenous Issues

August 6, 2024

Chieftain (Felipe Ganancial) was the leader of their indigenous Tumandok tribe who lived in the mountain village of Banaya. His eldest son Dino (Jimboy Sangher) became a soldier, but his 18 year-old daughter En-en (Jenaica Sangher) remained to assist him. One day, a little boy named Kikim was hit by a stray bullet in the leg while playing in the cornfield. He was just the latest victim of shootings which had been plaguing their village recently. 

This film written and directed by real-life couple Richard Jeroui Salvadico and Arlie Sweet Sumagaysay was a virtual immersion in the difficult lives of indigenous people living in mountain villages. The cast were all Ati tribespeople, who spoke in their native tongue of Inati. Being non-professional actors, this cast gave the film authenticity and sincerity in its advocacy to shed light on the pressing issues surrounding the Tumandok in reality. 

It was not enough that they lived in poverty, or that they walk a very far distance to reach the city. Now, safety is also a concern, as tribesmen have been killed or injured by shootings. They tried to reach out to politicians for help, but all they get is lip service, but no action. That whole part about the Mayor Emmanuel Lerona (Jay Trenas) was frustrating -- from his scrolling his phone during the dance program to his ignoring of an appointed meeting. 

Fiction segued into fact as documentary segment brought awareness to the case of nine Tumandok leaders who had been gunned down in cold blood. The filmmakers bravely implicate the Philippine Military in their death. The encroachment of lowlanders into the ancestral lands of indigenous people is a topic that had been discussed in several indie films before, particularly how natives were duped into signing documents they did not read.

Even as the film showed the natives moving out of their lands out of fear for their lives, the character of En-en provided hope for the future for these proud people. This young woman had vision and dedication to preserve their community with a five-year working plan. Even if she had to stop formal education after her high school graduation, she knew that their people were not born to beg, and she was willing to lead their cause like her father did. 7/10.