BAGUIO CITY – “Mid tekteken” (there’s not much of a difference) were the words of most of the personnel of the Cordillera office of the National Commission on Indigenous People (NCIP–CAR) personnel to incoming NCIP–CAR Regional Director, Manuel Jaramilla during the turn-over ceremony last Monday (January 13, 2019) underscoring that indigenous peoples (IPs), former clients of Jaramilla from Region 1, are the same and/or traces their roots here in the Cordilleras.
In his turn-over message, outgoing NCIP–CAR Regional Director, Atty. Roland Calde assured Jaramilla that the latter will not be hard up in adjusting to CAR relative to the duties and responsibilities of NCIP. Calde, who will assume as Regional Director of NCIP–Region 1 informed Jaramilla that issues and concerns revolving the IPs in Region 1 are somewhat similar to Cordillera.
“IPs in Region 1, who ascribe themselves belonging to the ‘Bago’ IP groups were once part of Cordillera. It just so happened that they were separated by the mere political boundary,” explained Calde. Indigenous knowledge, systems and practices of the IPs from Region 1 according to Calde, share resemblances from the IPs of CAR.
Jaramilla in his acceptance message affirmed Calde’s take on the ‘Bago’ IP groups of Region 1. He likewise disclosed that he belongs to the ‘Bago’ IP groups of Region 1. He thanked NCIP – CAR for the warm welcome wherein he was treated as a brother within a common tribe. Further, he vowed to continue work started by Calde in CAR.
Jaramilla traces his roots from the ‘Bago’ IP group of Capariaan, Sta. Cruz, Ilocos Sur. He is married to a fellow civil servant at the Capariaan Elementary School. They are blessed with six children.
Jaramilla rose from the ranks of first-level civil servants. He first worked as a Livestock Inspector for the then Ministry of Agriculture in 1981. He then landed as a Storekeeper at the National Manpower Youth Council of Region 1. He then spent most of years from 1995 to 2018, still as a civil servant, jumping from one position to another at the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA). He appointed as the NCIP Regional Director for Region 1 last September 1, 2018.
Following the turn-over ceremony, Jaramilla was given a brief orientation by the heads NCIP–CAR as to the situation of IPs revolving in the Cordillera region. “I think my head will be doing a lot of brain calisthenics” jokingly said by Jaramilla after his brief orientation.
Calde rallied the NCIP–CAR personnel along his fellow Cordillerans in the Region to also mirror the same amount of support given to him to incoming NCIP–CAR Regional Director, Jaramilla.
The reassignment of the two Regional Directors according to NCIP Commissioner, Gaspar Cayat were the marching orders of NCIP Chairman, Allen Capuyan.
By Rocky Ngalob
