THE House Committee on Government Reorganization, chaired by Bukidnon Rep. Jonathan Keith Flores, on Wednesday approved the creation of a technical working group (TWG) to further discuss the varying issues and comments of the resource persons/stakeholders on HB 9608, and to include a related bill HB 10996 which is also referred to the Committee on Indigenous Cultural Communities and Indigenous Peoples both aimed at reorganizing the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP).
These are: House Bill (HB) 9608, authored by Camiguin Rep. Jurdin Jesus Romualdo, rationalizing the ancestral lands administration and adjudication process, amending for the purpose Republic Act 8371, also known as the Indigenous Peoples’ Rights Act of 1997; and HB 10996 authored by AGRI Party-list Rep. Wilbert Lee, reorganizing the NCIP into the Department of Indigenous Peoples and defining its powers and functions.
Bukidnon Rep. Jose Manuel Alba, who presided over the meeting, said the two bills are very important and need to undergo thorough discussion and study by both resource persons and lawmakers to ensure the genuine protection of the rights and interests of indigenous peoples and communities.
He called on all government agencies concerned, including those without representatives during the meeting, such as the National Economic Development Authority, Department of Finance, Department of the Interior and Local Government and Department of Justice, to submit their respective position papers within 10 days.
Romualdo said HB 9608 makes imperative the establishment of an independent adjudication body to protect the rights of indigenous cultural communities/indigenous peoples (ICCs/IPs), ensuring that checks and balances are in place to prevent the fraudulent issuances of certificates of ancestral domain title and ancestral land title.
“No less than the 1987 Constitution provides for the protection of the rights of the Indigenous Peoples under Article 11, Section 22 and Article XIII, Section 6. … However, fraudulent claims to ancestral domains and ancestral lands undermine the IPs’ rights, leading to disputes and injustices,” Romualdo said.
HB 9608 transfers the Ancestral Domains Office under the NCIP to the Department of Environment and Natural Resources and renamed as Ancestral Land Registration and Administration Office (ALRAO). The measure will also place the NCIP under the Office of the Executive Secretary, which shall be responsible for settling disputes concerning ancestral lands and domains administration and adjudication.
HB 10996 on the other hand proposes to reorganize the NCIP into the Department of Indigenous Peoples, which will be the centralized national government agency attending to the needs of ICCs/IPs, providing them the necessary services, supervision, regulation and guidance in the pursuit of their welfare.
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