BAGUIO CITY (PIA) — Indigenous peoples (IPs) across Southeast Asia continue to face common struggles over ancestral lands, violation of their rights, and the extraction of natural resources.
Dr. Maileenita Peñalba, director of the Cordillera Studies Center of the University of the Philippines Baguio, said these challenges are shared among IP communities in Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) member states.
While some countries have established legal mechanisms to protect IP rights, others continue to struggle for formal recognition and state protection, she said.
Peñalba noted that the Philippines stands out in the region for enacting the Indigenous Peoples’ Rights Act (IPRA) 1997, a legal framework for recognizing and protecting IP rights.
However, she stressed that the existence of a legal framework does not automatically translate into genuine empowerment or guarantee that IP communities are fully protected.
“Not because we have IPRA that we have won, and not because we have IPRA, indigenous empowerment and protection becomes automatic. It’s not. And ‘yan din siguro ang dapat nating pagtuunan ng pansin,” Peñalba said during ASEAN ALLUYON (Advancing Local Learning, Unity, Youth and Opportunities through Networks) culminating program held at the University of the Cordilleras on Oct. 13, 2026.
According to Peñalba, one important lesson the Philippines can learn from its ASEAN neighbors is the persistence and resourcefulness of IP communities that continue to assert their rights despite limited legal recognition.
“Their fight is continuous and they look for other avenues where they can win. If they cannot get the state to recognize them, they publish, they go to forum, they attend international conferences, they take it into their hands to actually voice their concerns and address their own issues even with minimal state protection. And ‘yun din ang dapat nating matutunan,” Peñalba said.
She also emphasized the importance of amplifying indigenous voices and building partnerships with communities to advance their concerns.
Advocates can also contribute by writing about indigenous issues, creating opportunities for indigenous representatives to participate in discussions, and empowering them, she added.
“The real empowerment is when you know IPs who were supposedly protected by IPRA become empowered in the most real sense of the word,” Peñalba emphasized.
The ASEAN ALLUYON 2026 culminating program was conducted by the Commission on Higher Education Cordillera, in partnership with the University of the Cordillera. The event gathered academic institutions, cultural workers, and youth leaders to showcase and reflect on the network built around indigenous knowledge, cultural heritage, and higher education in service of ASEAN connectivity and inclusive development. **JDP/DEG-PIA CAR
