March 29, 2024

The National Commission on Indigenous Peoples is not turning a blind eye to the existence of ancestral land titles whose issuance is marred by controversies.

NCIP-Cordillera Commissioner for Cordillera and Region 1 Gaspar  Cayat acknowledged there are oversight in the issuance of some ancestral land titles, which is why the commission en banc has created a technical working group to investigate and recommend measures on how to avoid instances where the certificates of ancestral land titles (CALTs) issued by the previous NCIP commissions are being declared null and void.

Cayat made the remarks in relation to the Supreme Court’s recent annulment of the CALTs and derivative titles covering prime lots in Baguio City, including the Casa Vallejo property along Upper Session Road, Pacdal circle, Wright Park, and the city government’s titled property in Lualhati barangay.

The nullification has been finalized as the SC issued an entry of judgment on the case docketed as General Register 208480.

Cayat said there are problems in the issuance of the CALTs declared as null and void by the SC.

“The titles issued to these areas are unaccounted forms. There’s a problem with the deliberation,” Cayat said during a press conference for the Indigenous Peoples Month recently.

NCIP-Cordillera Director Marlon Bosantog said while the agency acknowledges there are questionable CALT issuances, the other CALT’s should be treated as “regularly issued.”

“We recognize the existence of ancestral lands in Baguio, but we are not closing our eyes to issuances marred by controversies or those that are procedurally infirm,” Bosantog said.

“The other CALTs in Baguio should be treated as regularly issued. We don’t want to create further injustices to the indigenous peoples of Baguio City who have validly acquired their CALTs,” Bosantog said adding that NCIP, contrary to portion of the recent SC decision that said Baguio is not covered by the Indigenous Peoples Rights Act.

He said NCIP will continue to process and forward the claims of legitimate IPs, especially if they have been in possession of their land since time immemorial.

In its recent decision, the SC said Baguio is not covered by IPRA, pursuant to Section 78 that provides Baguio “shall remain to be governed by its charter and all lands proclaimed as part of its townsite reservation shall remain as such until other reclassified by appropriate legislation.”

But NCIP officials said Section 78 of the IPRA should not be interpreted to mean there are no ancestral lands in Baguio.

Cayat said they want to fix the interpretation of Section 78 of the IPRA.

“We want Baguio to be the source of correct interpretation of native title issues since it (where the) Native Title Doctrine originated,” Cayat said. – Jane B. Cadalig