BARLIG, Mountain Province – After some years of delay when supporting papers where being complied by Lias Elder George Almeda aimed at Lias Ancestral Domain Recognition, he died. With significant initial beginning, the council of elders in Lias gathered recently to renew the required documents in accordance to the new guidelines issued by the Nation Commission of Indigenous People Organization (NCIP).
Atty. Wilson Kalangeg, NCIP Provincial officer of Mt. Province provided updates leading to the issuance of Certificate of Ancestral Domain Title (CADT).
Juan Falinchao, NCIP staff as he lectured listed items of requirements for Lias ethno linguistic group to comply with after which to be submitted to NCIP for processing.
“Territorial survey will be conducted,” Falingchao emphasized. “By so doing, Lias Ancestral Domain shall be determined in agreement with its neighboring villages,” he enjoined.
Records showed that Lias barangay have a wide area of 14,000 hectares mostly virgin mossy forests totaling to 36,000 hectares.
In order to proceed with CADT application, an association must be established, hence, Lias Indigenous People Organization(LIPO) was organized. Arbee Talastas, an active and dynamic native of tribe was elected to spearhead in the work.
Virgina Bocalan, a retired public-school teacher was selected to oversee the different Technical Working Groups (TWG) to fast track the works to meet deadlines of submission.
I’ll try my best to choose members gifted with talents to perform particular tasks assigned to them,” Bocalan assured.
On the order hand, Kadaclan CADT had been approved 3 years ago. The IPMR-Barlig assisted by NCIP-provincial level are now complying to specific validations to be an independent tribe once indorsed by the NCIP-regional officer to the central office en banc approval.
By Dionie Chungalan
