26/09/2026
In loving memory of Datu Victorino Migkitay Saway, Datu Vic
Five years ago, Uswag Pilipinas TV Show & Media Production had the honor of producing a documentary feature on Datu Victorino Migkitay Saway, supreme chieftain of the Talaandig Tribe of Bukidnon, capturing his story and his tireless devotion to his people. Today, with a heavy heart, we honor his life as he passed at 72, closing a journey of unwavering service to Bukidnon and to the wider cause of Indigenous rights across the Philippines.
A graduate in Anthropology from Silliman University, Datu Vic became one of the pioneering commissioners of the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples and was a key voice behind the passage of the Indigenous Peoples' Rights Act of 1997, a law that affirmed the sovereignty of Indigenous tribes over their ancestral domains. He carried this fight closer to home as well, pushing for recognition of the entire Mount Kitanglad Range as ancestral domain shared by the Talaandig, Bukidnon, and Higaonon tribes.
In Songco, Lantapan, he founded the Talaandig School of Living Traditions, a living sanctuary where the tribe's music, dances, oral epics, and soil painting continue to be passed to the next generation. He also established the Talaandig Hall of Peace, spaces that remain hallmarks of the community today, keeping Lumad beliefs and practices alive while opening doors for dialogue and understanding.
Recognized in 2018 with the Fr. Francisco R. Demetrio SJ Award from Xavier University for his contributions to culture and the arts, Datu Vic was a scholar, peacemaker, environmentalist, and bridge builder who worked with government leaders, business groups, and fellow Indigenous peoples alike, always rooted in the wisdom of his community.
That documentary remains one of the pieces we are most proud to have made, a record of a leader who opened his home and his heritage to us so more Filipinos could understand and carry forward what he fought for. His legacy lives on in every young Talaandig who learns their heritage at the school he built, in every hectare of ancestral land protected because he stood his ground, and in every community he touched with his wisdom and his peace.
Rest well, Datu Vic.