Douglas M. Fraiser’s scientific contributions

Until the middle of the twentieth century, the Cotabato Manobo people lived in relative isolation in the highlands in the southern Philippines. Today they are experiencing land conflicts as the movement of logging and settlers into their area has made it increasingly difficult for the Manobo to retain sufficient land to make a living. This paper models the conflict using the analytic hierarchy approach. This approach is used to facilitate understanding of the process and underlying causes of the conflict, to determine the probable outcome if the status quo is maintained, and to see how the most satisfactory and equitable solution to all the parties concerned might be achieved. The analysis suggests there is hope for the Manobo, particularly if they can network with others sharing their interests.