The Right to Life (2021)

This documentary tells the story of the current situation of the indigenous peoples from Talaingod and Kapalong, Davao del Norte, who have been evacuated and relocated to UCCP Haran in Davao City, in the midst of the unfolding global pandemic. It follows the tale of two mothers, an elderly one trying to preserve their culture, and a younger homemaker. They recount their best efforts to battle the pandemic within their small community of evacuees. There is a tribal medical volunteer that tends to their needs. And there is a Datu and a Babaylan within their community who illustrates how they live and follow health protocols, while practicing the ancient herbal healing practices of their tribe as well. All this is seen from the point of view of Arbi Barbarona, a cultural worker and filmmaker from the Davao Region who once made a documentary about the evacuees of Haran from the years 2014 to 2016. This is the follow-up to that story, showing how the evacuees are doing now.