The Baguio City Council is rallying behind the Indigenous Peoples (IPs) and Indigenous Cultural Communities (ICCs) in the city in their opposition to House Bill No. 9608.
Introduced by Representative of Camiguin’s lone district Jurdin Jesus Romualdo, House Bill No. 9608 seeks to reorganize the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP) and amend Republic Act No. 8371 or the Indigenous Peoples’ Rights Act of 1997.
Among its provisions, the bill proposed transferring the Ancestral Domains Office from NCIP to the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) and renaming it to Ancestral Land Registration and Administration Office (ALRAO); and creating the Ancestral Lands Administration and Adjudication Board (ALAAB) under the Executive Secretary of the Office of the President.
The council resolution states that the proposed changes outlined in the bill will significantly reduce the functions of the NCIP, rendering it ineffective in fulfilling its mandate.
The resolution also emphasizes that the proposed bill can have detrimental effects on the interests and welfare of the IPs and ICCs.
Baguio Indigenous Peoples Mandatory Representative (IPMR) Maximo Hilario Edwin Jr. who authored the resolution said the NCIP plays an essential role in protecting and promoting the rights of the IP communities, and any changes that weaken its functions could jeopardize their rights within the framework of national unity and development.**Jordan Habbiling
