Manila: The Visayas State University (VSU) in Baybay City, Leyte, has developed the first supplemental learning workbook specifically designed for Minamanwa indigenous learners within the Mamanwa community in Southern Leyte. This initiative aims to preserve the Minamanwa language and indigenous knowledge systems while enhancing culturally responsive education, as stated by VSU on its website.
According to Philippines News Agency, the bilingual comic-style workbook is the primary outcome of the VSU Department of Philosophy and Social Sciences (DPSS) extension project titled "Saving Minamanwa: An Initiative to Preserve Minamanwa and the Mamanwa Indigenous Knowledge Systems and Practices (IKSP)." Project leader Maria Theresa Ponce explained that the initiative originated from her doctoral dissertation in Anthropology at the University of San Carlos, which explored the IKSP of migrant Mamanwa communities in Southern Leyte and assessed the impact of development interventions on their language and cultural preservation.
Ponce's seven-year ethnographic research revealed that while the Indigenous Peoples Education (IPEd) program aims to protect indigenous heritage, teachers often struggle to integrate indigenous knowledge into classroom instruction due to limited interaction with community elders, lack of proficiency in the Minamanwa language, and administrative workloads. The study also found that forced assimilation has contributed to a decline in Minamanwa language speakers. "Once a group starts to lose its culture, they risk losing their self-determination," Ponce stated.
The research findings inspired the development of the extension project, which transformed research outcomes into learning materials for indigenous learners. With funding from VSU, the project organized capacity-building workshops for Southern Leyte IPEd teachers, followed by consultative and evaluation sessions involving educators, the DepEd IPEd focal person, and representatives of the Mamanwa community. Ponce emphasized that culturally responsive education is crucial for protecting indigenous heritage. "Education is not a privilege but a fundamental human right. Culturally responsive education serves as a critical mechanism to safeguard heritage, prevent ethnocide, and empower marginalized communities," she noted.
Ponce further highlighted that integrating indigenous languages and IKSP into the curriculum promotes inclusivity, helps preserve cultural identity, and supports indigenous peoples' right to self-determination. She also emphasized the role of higher education institutions in advancing indigenous education, acknowledging their unique societal responsibility and the resources necessary to protect marginalized heritage.
The workbook features stories based on actual ethnographic data, authored by writer and literary critic Associate Professor Michael Carlo Villas of VSU's Department of Arts, Languages, and Literature. These stories were translated into the Minamanwa language by selected members of the migrant Mamanwa community, with assistance from DPSS members. Assistant Professor Dean Ruffel Flandez created the illustrations using original research photographs as references. Presented in both English and the Minamanwa language, the comic-style workbook aims to make learning more culturally relevant and encourage greater classroom participation among indigenous learners.
The Mamanwa, one of the oldest indigenous peoples in the Philippines, inhabit parts of Panaon Island and the mountainous hinterlands of Southern Leyte, having migrated across the Surigao Strait from northeastern Mindanao.
