After Ka Kano’s brutal murder, his remains were brought along the Southern Tagalog people’s march to Manila for the International Human Rights Day mobilization– a fitting tribute to an Indigenous hero, but also a grim image of the fascist and violent character of Arroyo’s regime.
In Sari, a community between the towns of Tanay in Rizal and General Nakar, Quezon Nicanor Delos Santos, commonly referred to as Kano was born. Ka Kano and many other Dumagat communities lived off what the mountains had to offer them, the mountains that Ka Kano would call home throughout his life, the same mountains and land that he would die fighting for.
In the latter years of the Marcos dictatorship, Ka Kano would be awakened to the harsh realities that Indigenous Peoples like him had to face amid a strongman, tyrannical rule. It was during this time that the government was pushing for the construction of a dam right in the heart of the Sierra Madre, thus threatening the very existence of Indigenous life in the mountains. Ka Kano and many of his fellow Dumagat were the foremost opponents of Marcos’ dam project.
In the 80s Ka Kano would be instrumental in the Dumagat struggle for land and self-determination, it was through his efforts and many others that the KKSM (Kaisahan ng Mga Katutubo sa Sierra Madre) would be established. KKSM served both as a mass organization to unite Indigenous communities in their area, but also as a body to implement programs of education, livelihood, and health and nutrition– programs that provided services to Dumagat communities, communities that are too often neglected by the state. KKSM played an integral part in arousing the consciousness of the Dumagat, and making them realize the value of collective struggle, and their united aspirations for land and the right to self-determination. Through KKSM, and their linking with supporters from the broadest sections of society, they were able to forge a potent force to block the construction of the Kaliwa and Laiban dams.
In February of 1986 Ka Kano and the Dumagat communities of Sierra Madre took part in the historic EDSA People Uprising. This event paved the way to the supposed “restored democracy”, and signaled a new chapter in Ka Kano’s continuing struggle for his people.
Under the new government, the Dumagat were left disappointed. The surveying of their land continued, military forces continued to be deployed in their area, and the threat on their land carried on into the “new” democracy. Nonetheless, Ka Kano and his community stood their ground. They remained vigilant in guarding their ancestral land. Through their efforts, the dam projects that would’ve sunk their community were once again put aside.
While continuing his work in defending their ancestral land, Ka Kano broadened his scope of the struggle. He played a key role in strengthening the alliance between farmers at Indigenous Peoples, relating to each others’ struggle for land and human rights.
Fifteen years after EDSA, Ka Kano would once again lead Dumagat in battle. This time calling for the resignation of then-president Erap Estrada, successfully toppling the corrupt and plunderous regime.
Gloria Arroyo now in power launched a violent campaign against progressives viewed as “enemies of the state”, during GMA’s first few months in power countless murders, and even massacres were left and right in the Southern Tagalog region of the Philippines. To protest the fascist and brutal nature of the regime people from all over CALABARZON and MIMAROPA have been preparing to traverse through mountains, water, and highways toward Metro Manila in time for International Human Rights Day. Back in Antipolo, Rizal Ka Kano along with other peoples’ organizations, were busy preparing to join the caravan to Manila. On the morning of December 8, as everyone was busy polishing placards, statements, and streamers, Ka Kano was tasked to fetch their breakfast from a nearby bakery. It was during this time that military men saw Ka Kano and went after him– to his instinct, Ka Kano fled the scene out of fear, but he was immediately met with violence when the soldiers shot bullets through his body and accused him of as hitman assigned to assassinate GMA, who happened to be in Antipolo that same day.
Ka Kano bereaved eight children and his wife Adelinda, along with the thousands of Dumagat he chose to dedicate his life to, and the land he defended with all his will.
After Ka Kano’s brutal murder, his remains were brought along the Southern Tagalog people’s march to Manila for the International Human Rights Day mobilization– a fitting tribute to an Indigenous hero, but also a grim image of the fascist and violent character of Arroyo’s regime.