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CAMP SIONGCO, Cotabato City — Stakeholders gathered here for a consultative meeting on Thursday, July 3, in a bid to ensure the welfare and protect the rights of Non-Moro Indigenous Peoples (NMIPs) in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).
The consultation, presided by Presidential Peace Adviser Secretary Carlito G. Galvez, Jr., was participated by representatives from national line agencies and BARMM ministries, IPs’ groups, local government units (LGUs), non-government organizations (NGOs), and the security sector.
In particular, the gathering aimed to look into reported acts of violence committed against NMIPs in the BARMM and come up with recommendations on how to best address them through a whole-of-government, whole-of-society approach.
In his statement released during the celebration of 2024 National Indigenous Peoples’ Day, President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. called them “invaluable guardians” and “worthy protectors” of the nation’s heritage, lands, and resources.
“We are truly blessed to have such a distinct and lively roster of indigenous groups from the northern mountains of Luzon down to the southern islands of Mindanao,” Marcos Jr. said.
Respect for IPs
“Our IPs have been here long before Mindanao had become the developed and progressive island-region that it is today,” Galvez noted in his remarks.
“They have tilled the soil, protected the environment, and most of all, reminded us of who we truly are as a people. We must, therefore, accord them the respect, compassion, and dignity they rightfully deserve,” he stressed.
Major Gen. Donald Gumiran, commander of the 6th Infantry Division (ID) of the Philippine Army (PA), emphasized the significance of the event in light of the current challenges the IPs are facing.
“We are gathered today for a significant purpose…to address serious concerns that have long affected our Non-Moro Indigenous People in the BARMM,” Gumiran said.
“These include the right to ancestral domain, the killings and displacements of communities, threats to their safety and property, and their lack of representation and decisions that impact their lives and lands,” he pointed out.
Former North Cotabato governor Nancy Catamco, who is also the Ethnographic Commissioner for the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP) in Central Mindanao, highlighted the efforts of the national government in upholding the rights of the IPs, as she also lauded Galvez for his efforts to help uplift the plight of NMIPs.
“…may mga gains na tayo although we still have [problems]. [Huwag] nating kalimutan ‘yung mga gains na nakukuha natin dito. And I am happy to see Secretary Galvez, up to now, ay hindi [sumusuko] talaga para ito ay ma-achieve natin,” Catamco said.
Support for NMIPs
BARMM’s Ministry of Indigenous Peoples’ Affairs (MIPA) Minister Melanio Ulama thanked the national government for the support it has given to IPs in the Bangsamoro.
“Hindi pala tayo iniwanan ng ating mga kapatid dito sa Bangsamoro. Brothers and sisters, your concern (for) us, hindi po namin malilimutan ‘yan,” Ulama said.
Bangsamoro Government Cabinet Secretary Mohammad Asnin Pendatun, who represented the interim Chief Minister Abdulraof A. Macacua, expressed the full support of the BARMM government to the national government’s efforts to address the issues NMIPs are facing in the region.
“Itong ating pagpupulong is a significant step towards peace. And rest assured that the full support and participation of the Bangsamoro government under the leadership of Chief Minister Abdulraof Macacua ay hundred percent nandyan,” Pendatun said.
Meanwhile, Galvez underscored the need to always include IPs in the peace and development process, as he cited their major contribution to nation-building.
“When we say all Filipinos, we must always include our indigenous peoples and their communities. Their rich history and culture are not only a source of great pride but are the very foundations of our identity as a people and as a nation,” the head of the Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation and Unity (OPAPRU) said.
“It is my hope that the insights and recommendations we have made to address the key concerns of NMIPs are facing will be effectively translated into concrete interventions that will, once and for all, end the acts of violence committed against our NMIPs in the BARMM,” he concluded.
Ways forward
Among the recommendations and ways forward made during the day-long consultations included the following:
- For the Philippine National Police (PNP) to update the document and assessment of the Police Regional Office – Bangsamoro Autonomous Region (PRO BAR) on the security situation of Datu Hoffer;
- For the Timuay Justice and Governance (TJG) to sit down with PNP and 6ID to review and harmonize the reports of violence against IPs;
- For the PNP and AFP to conduct regular visits and dialogues in IP communities;
- For LGUs to take the lead in maintaining peace and order in their respective communities as mandated by the Local Government Code, and to immediately organize the Municipal Peace and Order Council;
- For the MIPA to establish an IP Desk for security as well as provide legal assistance to IPs;
- For the MIPA and the security sector to establish a mechanism for monitoring and case build up, as well as to conduct capacity building activities on advancing IP rights and empower law enforcers on their roles in the protection of rights of the IPs; and,
- For LGU of Datu Odin Sinsuat to relocate the IP families affected by the flash floods during typhoon Paeng in 2022.
Also in the consultation meeting were OPAPRU Presidential Assistant Cesar Yano, head of the Government Peace Implementing Panel (GPIP); Presidential Assistant David Diciano of OPAPRU’s Office for Bangsamoro Transformation; Joint Peace and Security Committee (JPSC) Co-Chair Major Gen. Francisco Ariel Felicidario III (ret); Executive Director Jordan Bayam of OPAPRU’s Office for Bangsamoro Transformation Cluster; Joint Normalization Committee (JNC) Co-Chair Ariel Hernandez; and GPH-Coordinating Committee on the Cessation of Hostilities (CCCH) Acting Chair BGen. Patricio Ruben P. Amata. (/)
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Source: OPAPRU