TABUK CITY, Kalinga – Bangad indigenous cultural communities (ICC) finally received their Certificate of Ancestral Domain Title (CADT), which gives them valid entitlement with security and ownership over their ancestral land.
National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP) Chairperson Jennifer Pia Sibug-las handed over the certificate to Bangad ICC members during the 2023 Indigenous Peoples Month and the 26th Indigenous Peoples Rights Act (IPRA) Commemoration at the Kalinga Sports Center on Monday, October 23.
The ancestral domain of Bangad, covering an area of approximately 1,654.1780 hectares, encompasses the communities of Centro, Lower, and Upper Bangad.
RA 8371, or the Indigenous Peoples’ Rights Act of 1997, provides that ICC’s who have occupied and utilized their land since time immemorial be granted CADT. Said certificate acknowledges indigenous peoples’ rights to own, develop, control, manage, and utilize their ancestral domain collectively for the betterment of all generations within the community.
Bangad ancestral land is recognized as private community property but is not to be sold, disposed of, or destroyed.
As per 2017 NCIP data, there are at least 41 identified ancestral domain areas in the province; some are yet to secure CADT. By Rod Asurin
