The National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP) continues to advance the welfare of indigenous peoples (IPs) through land titling efforts for ancestral domains and providing aid to IP mendicants in the region.
NCIP Regional Director Atanacio Addog said that protecting ancestral domains is really the primary mandate of their agency, which they pursue through the issuance of Certificates of Ancestral Domain Title (CADTs).
“Since the passage of the Indigenous Peoples’ Rights Act (IPRA) 27 years ago, it has been our [NCIP] priority to award these ancestral lands to the IPs. In Central Luzon, we have 54 ancestral domains. We have completed land titling for 10 of these, while the others are ongoing,” he said.
Addog added that because of financial limitations, there are instances when the IPs in a certain ancestral domain shoulder the financial aspects that come with issuing CADTs.
“For some IPs, since there are investments coming into their ancestral domains, they shoulder the financial aspect including expenses to be used for documenting, measuring, and titling so that their ancestral domain will be awarded to them,” the official shared.
He added that aside from issuance of CADTs, the NCIP also guide IPs in developing their ancestral domain development program to help them identify the kinds of investments o industries they will allow in their respective land and what are their needs in their new community that can be provided by NCIP and other government agencies.
The NCIP also continues to look after the welfare of IPs by trying to combat mendicancy among them.
The director said that NCIP, together with various government agencies, recently reactivated the Task Force Kalinga: Sagip Katutubo in the region to strengthen awareness and advocacy towards the full implementation of Presidential Decree 1563, otherwise known as the “Anti-Mendicancy Law”.
“This is our response to the influx of IP mendicants, especially during the Holiday season. The work of the task force is not focused on penalizing them or putting them inside jails, but to address the cause of why they engage in alms begging, so that we can provide the necessary support and interventions to them,” Addog said.
He added that NCIP has already started discussions with the IP chieftains and IP mandatory representatives to identify the needs of their constituents and prevent mendicancy among them.
Among the initiatives of the Task Force Sagip Katutubo, is the conduct of IP profiling by the Department of Social Welfare and Development.
He also mentioned that government agencies need to institutionalize “Operation Pag-Abot” to reach out to the IPs and identify what they need.
“We coordinate with various government agencies to provide livelihood programs to IPs. In fact, we have a model community in Capas, Tarlac, where the DSWD piloted its Operation Pag-Abot. Aside from that, agencies like the Cooperative Development Authority and Technical Education and Skills Development Authority are also active in giving skills training to our IP communities to help them with their livelihood,” Addog said.
With this, he also reminded the public that instead of giving alms to mendicants on the streets, they can channel their donations to appropriate government agencies and institutions to ensure that this will not only benefit individuals, but the whole community.
Data from the NCIP shows that there are 44, 048 IP families or around 208,081 individuals currently residing in the region.
These belong to four major ethno-linguistic groups including Aytas from Tarlac, Pampanga, and Zambales; Dumagats from Aurora and Bulacan; Ilongot from Aurora; and Kalanguya from Nueva Ecija. (CLJD/MJSC-PIA Region 3, Pampanga)