The filing of Parliament Bill No. 380, which seeks to rename the municipality of South Upi in Maguindanao del Sur into “Teduray Municipality,” is indeed a welcome development. For years, the Non-Moro Indigenous Peoples (NMIPs)—particularly the Teduray and Lambangian—have been pushing for genuine recognition within the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM). That this measure is even being considered in the Bangsamoro Parliament speaks volumes: it acknowledges that the voices of NMIPs are finally entering the halls of policymaking.
But while the move carries symbolic weight, it is not without its complications. Symbols are powerful, yes, but symbols alone cannot substitute for justice. And unless approached carefully, this renaming might unintentionally deepen existing divides and distract from more fundamental struggles that the Teduray, Lambangian, and other NMIPs in the region have been waging for decades.
The Problem of Naming
First, the proposed name—Teduray Municipality—raises legitimate concerns. While Tedurays indeed form a significant population in South Upi, they are not the majority across all its barangays. Out of eleven barangays, only four are dominated by Tedurays. The Lambangian tribe, in fact, forms the majority population in the municipality. Renaming the area exclusively after one tribe risks alienating the Lambangian and other NMIP communities who also claim the same history, struggles, and rights.
This is not merely about semantics. Names carry political, cultural, and emotional weight. They can empower, but they can also marginalize. To rename South Upi without thorough consultation and discernment is to risk privileging one group over another. Perhaps a more neutral name—one that embraces both Teduray and Lambangian identities—would be a more inclusive step toward recognition. After all, both peoples have long histories in the land, and both have endured the same hardships under colonization, land grabbing, and displacement.
Beyond Symbolism: The Ancestral Domain Struggle
Second, and more critically, there is the matter of ancestral domain. The Teduray and Lambangian have an existing ancestral domain claim that spans across ten municipalities in Maguindanao del Norte and Sur. For years, they have been demanding recognition of this claim, yet the BARMM has refused to acknowledge it. Their struggle is not about a single municipality; it is about the vast lands their ancestors occupied, cultivated, and defended long before any state or political arrangement existed.
If renaming South Upi is framed as the “recognition” that NMIPs have been fighting for, then it risks becoming a dangerous compromise. It risks asking the NMIPs to exchange a larger, more substantive claim for a smaller, symbolic one—like being asked to vacate a bigger room in return for a tiny space with their name on the door. That is not recognition. That is tokenism.
A Long History of Struggle and Betrayal
We must not forget: the Teduray and Lambangian are among the original inhabitants of the region. They have lived through generations of dispossession—land grabbing, harassment, and even killings. Their history is marked by resilience, but also by betrayal. During the fight for self-determination, they stood alongside their Moro brothers and sisters in pursuit of liberation. Yet when the Bangsamoro Organic Law was enacted and the BARMM was established, their aspirations were set aside.
Today, it sometimes feels as though the same Bangsamoro Government that once promised to champion their rights has instead become another layer of their struggle. By overlooking their ancestral domain claims, by failing to institutionalize meaningful participation for NMIPs, and by offering only symbolic gestures, BARMM risks perpetuating the very injustices that Non-Moro Indigenous Peoples fought against.
Recognition Must Go Deeper
Renaming South Upi is not inherently bad. In fact, it could be the start of a broader process of recognizing and respecting the cultural identity and political rights of NMIPs in BARMM. But let us be clear: it cannot and must not be the end of the process. A mere change of name is not enough.
Recognition must mean more than labels. It must mean concrete legal recognition of ancestral domain, genuine political participation in governance, protection from land grabs and violence, and resources for preserving culture and traditions. Without these, a new name is nothing but a new coat of paint on an old structure of marginalization.
A Call for Inclusion and Justice
The path forward requires sincerity and inclusiveness. The Bangsamoro Parliament should ensure that consultations on the renaming are wide, transparent, and respectful of all NMIP groups in the area. The Lambangian must not be erased. Their voices, alongside the Teduray, must shape the outcome. And more importantly, the Parliament must confront the larger issue: ancestral domain. Recognition must extend to land, governance, and justice—not just nomenclature.
If BARMM truly wants to honor its NMIPs, it must go beyond symbolic acts. It must remember that NMIPs are not simply “minorities” within the Bangsamoro—they are original inhabitants, co-architects of the region’s identity, and partners in the struggle for freedom and self-determination. Their struggle is not for a name on the map, but for a rightful place in their ancestral land.
Until then, every gesture, however well-meaning, will ring hollow.