The National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP) has vowed to take action on longstanding ancestral domain concerns raised by Indigenous Peoples (IPs) in Bukidnon, committing to work closely with relevant government agencies to address issues involving land registration, overlapping claims, and the implementation of Indigenous Peoples’ rights.

The commitment was made during a community dialogue on June 11 at the Cronin Hall of the St. Augustine Cathedral Compound, Cagayan de Oro City, where representatives from Indigenous communities, government agencies, church groups, and civil society organizations gathered to discuss challenges affecting IP communities in the province.

Organized by Amnesty International Philippines, the dialogue provided a platform for IP leaders to raise concerns on the registration of Certificates of Ancestral Domain Title with the Land Registration Authority (LRA), overlapping claims involving ancestral domains and other land tenure instruments, implementation of the Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC) process, and questions surrounding community representation within ancestral domains.

NCIP Chairperson and Secretary Nancy A. Catamco acknowledged the complexity of the issues, particularly cases involving overlapping claims between ancestral domains and land tenure instruments such as certificates of land ownership award and original certificates of title.

“We can see that the issues are complex. For concerns about LRA registration, we can look into it immediately. For overlapping claims, we have to determine the nature of the overlap, whether these can be resolved by the commission or require the intervention of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources,” Catamco said.

She noted that difficulties in resolving ancestral domain concerns often stem from policy and implementation gaps at the community level. Nevertheless, she assured IP representatives that the commission would carefully review the issues and coordinate with concerned agencies to identify appropriate interventions.

Catamco said the four major concerns raised during the dialogue would remain among the agency’s priorities and emphasized that, although these may be challenging, they are not impossible to resolve. She added that addressing these concerns would require sustained attention and follow-through from the concerned stakeholders.

The NCIP chief also acknowledged that previous efforts to resolve some cases may not have yielded the desired outcomes due to limitations in the agency’s mandate, particularly in disputes involving non-IP individuals and corporations, as well as resource constraints.

Despite these challenges, she reaffirmed the commission’s commitment to advancing the welfare of Indigenous communities and safeguarding their rights.

“We will continue to pursue our aspiration of building prosperous Indigenous communities as pillars of national development,” Catamco said. (Press Release from PIA)

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