The Committee on Indigenous People’s Concerns (CIPC) of the Regional Development Council (RDC-CAR) supports the nationwide simultaneous launch of the Project Epanaw coffee table books held on Sunday, March 21. The regional launch was held at the same time in two venues, SM Baguio and BIMAAK Hall at Harrison Road, considering the pandemic health protocols.
Ryan Mangusan, Private Sector Representative of the RDC and Co-Chairperson of the CIPC, expressed the Committee’s support to Project Epanaw which is a collaboration of the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP) and Department of Tourism (DOT). He said that the “project is timely in the midst of the erroneous entries about Indigenous Peoples (IPs) specially about Igorots in learning materials, the use of IP terminologies to promote brands or products such as sandals, and the counterfeiting of our intricately woven fabrics”.
Kalinga Representative and House Committee on Indigenous Cultural Communities and Indigenous Peoples Chairperson Allen Jesse Mangaoang said that the books will bring awareness on the culture of IPs at a bigger scale and will educate especially the non-IPs on the cultural diversity of the Philippines.
The Project Epanaw is a collection of three coffee table books entitled Pagkilala (Recognize), Paggalang (Respect), and Pagtaguyod (Promote). Epanaw is a local dialect of the IPs in Mindanao which means journey.
Atty. Marlon Bosantog, Regional Director of NCIP, said that the IPs are on a journey towards the recognition of their self-identity and correction of historical injustices. He added that the history and identity of the Philippines as a nation cannot be determined without understanding the identity of IPs and their ancestral domain. Moreover, the IPs contributed to national patrimony through their set of self-governance systems and practices that protected their ancestral domains and resources.
The CIPC serves as the platform under the RDC for the promotion of development concerns of IPs in the Cordillera. NCIP is the Chair of the Committee while NEDA serves as its secretariat. **Marissa M. Cabato
