LAMUT, Ifugao – Representatives of the different ancestral domains in the province participated in a dialogue and workshop held Aug. 22 and 23 here.
The National Commission on Indigenous Peoples-led event is among the efforts of the government to identify action points to prepare indigenous communities to face challenges now and in the coming years.
The workshop bannered the theme “Healing reconciliation and operationalizing the 11 building blocks in the ancestral domain in support to the whole of government/whole of nation approach by empowering former rebels, IP youth and IP
NCIP Chair and National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict Executive Director and Secretary Allen A. Capuyan said the current administration has many programs for indigenous cultural communities but the challenge is if ICCs are prepared to face changes in the future.
Capuyan said the basic foundations towards stronger indigenous communities are already provided in the Indigenous Peoples Rights Act. These include the 11 building blocks which at present needs to be reinforced and recalibrated with not only the ICCs but also with government agencies, security forces, and other stakeholders.
Officials of the NCIP, board members, and other government agency representatives engaged the participants composed of mandatory IP representatives, former rebels, IP leaders, and elders in a dialogue on issues that concern funds, boundary disputes, and IP representation.
A workshop to identify and implement actions in each ancestral domain and a signing of commitment with the different government offices and stakeholders also highlighted the activity. The NCIP held the same dialogue and workshop for Kalinga and will also be holding the activity for Baguio, Benguet, Mountain Province and Abra for the operationalization of the 11 building blocks which include confirmation of indigenous political structure; registration and accreditation of indigenous peoples organizations; certificate of ancestral domain title and certificate of ancestral land title delineation process; establishment of an Ancestral Domain Management Office; formulation of ancestral domain sustainable development and protection plan; formulation of IP wealth management-community resource management development plan; institutionalization of certificate of precondition: free, prior and informed consent and exercise of priority rights; effective IP mandatory representation in local legislative bodies; efficient and enhanced memorandum of agreement/memorandum of understanding/memorandum of confirmation formulation, socio-economic activities with IP cooperatives, and ancestral domain defense system. – Jamie Joie Malingan