BAGUIO CITY – The Cordillera Regional Development Council (RDC-CAR) Committee on Indigenous Peoples’ Concerns (CIPC), during its 2nd Quarter Meeting on May 24, 2024, created a technical working group (TWG) to craft the guidelines on the use of Cordillera indigenous attires and to study the salient features of House Bill 9608, “An Act Rationalizing the Ancestral Lands Administration and Adjudication Process Amending for the Purpose RA 8371, Otherwise Known as the Indigenous Peoples’ Rights Act of 1997 or IPRA Law”.
Atty. Tomas Kiwang, Jr., who represented CIPC Chairperson and Mountain Province Governor Bonifacio C. Lacwasan, Jr. during the meeting, was elected as the Chairperson of the said TWG. Members of the TWG are the representatives of the regional offices of Commission on Higher Education, Commission on Human Rights, Department of Agrarian Reform, Department of Environment and Natural Resources, Department of Education, Department of Trade and Industry, National Commission on Indigenous Peoples, and private sector representatives Rafael Gayaso, Judith Maranes, and Edna C. Tabanda. The TWG is mandated to come up with a position paper on HB 9608 affording protection to the welfare and rights of the indigenous peoples, and draft the resolution urging the local government units (LGUs) of the region to issue an ordinance on the use of their respective indigenous attires aligned with the guidelines.
DTI Regional Director Juliet P. Lucas emphasized the urgent need for LGUs to develop and implement resolutions and ordinances addressing the misuse of Cordillera indigenous attires.
“Our cultural attire must be treated with respect, and our Cordilleran designers must be given patents for their works”, she stressed. Furthermore, Victor Luacan, RDC Geographic PSR for Benguet, mentioned that tapping the assistance of Indigenous Peoples’ Mandatory Representatives shall facilitate dissemination of the guidelines.
Updates on the Certificate of Ancestral Domain Title (CADT) and Certificate of Ancestral Land Titles (CALT) applications, the Ancestral Domain Sustainable Development and Protection Plans (ADSDPPs), the Free and Prior Informed Consent (FPIC) process applications, and Indigenous Knowledge Systems and Practices (IKSPs) were also presented and discussed in the meeting. By Mikka Ella F. Soriano, Belinda D. Lucas and Senior Economic Development Specialist