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CENTRAL PHILIPPINES STATE UNIVERSITY

Kabankalan City, Negros Occidental
College of Arts and Sciences
GEC ELECTIVE
PHILIPPINE INDIGENOUS COMMUNITIES
Course Description: (CMO 42, S 2017)

Indigenous groups in the Philippines, their way of life, role in and contribution to Filipino
society.
UNIT I
Introduction: The Indigenous Peoples’ in the Philippines: Background
Unit 1: Introduction: The Indigenous Peoples’ in the Philippines: Background
Lesson 1: Family Life
Lesson 2: Health, Sanitation and Nutrition
Authors: Mellizo and Palma
“Since the beginning, Native Peoples lived a life of being in harmony with all that surrounds us. It is a belief that all
humankind are related to each other. Each has a purpose, spirit and sacredness. It is an understanding with the
Great Spirit or Creator that we will follow these ways. And in this understanding we believe we are related to all
other living species” Dennis Banks
Learning Outcomes:
● Discussed the different representations and conceptualizations of the Indigenous family life.
● Compare and contrast the characteristics and way of life in terms of their health, sanitation and
nutrition.
● Analysed the different influences, factors, and forces in the development of their traditional way of
life.
Introduction:
The Philippines consist of many upland and lowland indigenous ethnolinguistic groups living in the
country, with Austronesians making up the devastating majority, while full or
partial Australo-Melanesians scattered throughout the archipelago. The highland Austroneians and
Australo-Melanesians have co-existed with their lowland Austronesian kin and neighbor groups for
thousands of years in the Philippine archipelago. The primary difference is that they were not absorbed
by centuries of Spanish and United States colonization of the Philippines, and in the process have
retained their customs and traditions. This is mainly due to the rugged inaccessibility of
the mountains and established headhunting and warrior cultures, which discouraged Spanish and
American colonizers from coming into contact with the highlanders.
In the interest of clarity, the term indigenous as used in the Philippines refers to ethnolinguistic
groups or subgroups that maintain lt of partial isolation, or independence, throughout the colonial era.
CPSU – CAS GEC ELEC- PHILIPPINE INDIGENOUS COMMUNITIES
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The term indigenous when applied to the Philippine population can be a deceptive misnomer, connoting
alien migrant populations who have over time become the majority ethnolinguistic and cultural group in
the land and thereby pushing indigens to the fringes of socio-cultural inclusion, such as in the Americas,
Middle East, Australia, or New Zealand. Contrarily, the vast majority of people in the Philippines descend
from the same Austronesian and Australo-Melanesian ancestral populations indigenous to the
archipelago, regardless of cultural, religious, ethnolinguistic or tribal affiliations. (Ethnic groups in the
Philippines).
Learning Content:
Definition of indigenous peoples
The indigenous peoples in the Philippines are defined by the Indigenous Peoples‟ Rights Act
(IPRA) of 1997 as: “A group of people or homogeneous societies identified by self ascription
and ascription by others, who have continually lived as organized communities on
community-bounded and defined territory, and who have, under claims of ownership since
time immemorial, occupied, possessed and utilized such territories, sharing common bonds of
language, customs, traditions and other distinctive cultural traits, or who have, through
resistance to political, social and cultural inroads of colonization, non-indigenous religions and
cultures, become historically differentiated from the majority of Filipinos.
History
Before the advent of Spanish colonialism, the people of the islands in the archipelago were
independent communities or villages of tribes or clans. Spanish colonization from 1521 to
1896 succeeded in subjugating most of the islands of the archipelago, which eventually
formed the Philippines. However, within the islands some communities remained independent
from Spanish colonial rule. Throughout the 300 years of Spanish colonial rule, these
communities were able to defend their territories and evade the colonizers, maintaining their
relative independence while continuing to practice their own systems and ways of life. 3 This
disparate historical experience created a dichotomy between the colonized lowland Filipinos
and the uncolonized peoples. Thus, evolved a distinction between the majority Filipino
population who were colonized and subjugated early during the Spanish colonial period, and
those who resisted and withdrew to remote and inaccessible areas where they retained their
original ways of life. It is this latter group of peoples who today comprise the indigenous
peoples of the Philippines.
Population
There are no accurate figures on the population of indigenous peoples in the Philippines
because of the lack of any formal census. Disaggregation of data for indigenous peoples in
the national census has not yet been done because of the absence of specific questions on
indigenous ethnic identity in the national census survey questionnaires. The most recent
figures based on an unofficial survey conducted by the National Commission on Indigenous
Peoples (NCIP) estimates the population of indigenous peoples in the Philippines to be 12-15
million. But the actual population may be higher than the results of government surveys.
Indigenous peoples roughly constitute 10-15 per cent of the total population of the Philippines
and are present in 65 of the country‟s 78 provinces. The majority of indigenous peoples (61
per cent) are found in Mindanao, 33 per cent are found in Luzon, and 6 per cent are in
Visayas (NCIP 2009). Figure 1 shows the geographic distribution of major groups of
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indigenous peoples in the Philippines. Figure 1: Geographic distribution of Philippine

Indigenous Peoples.
Ethno-linguistic groupings
The IPRA identifies 8 ethnographic regions in the country, namely:
The Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR),
Region I
Region II
Region III
Island Group
Southern and Eastern Mindanao
Central Mindanao
Northern and Western Mindanao
However, these ethnographic regions were designated by the Government 4 primarily for
administrative purposes and for representation in its National Commission on Indigenous Peoples
(NCIP), rather than based on actual ethno-linguistic groupings. The Philippine indigenous peoples are
made up of widely diverse cultures. The estimated total number of distinct indigenous ethnic groups
ranges from 70 to 140. The NCIP website presents a list of 90 entries, while a compilation from various
sources shows 109 indigenous ethno-linguistic groups and subgroups. Each indigenous group has its
own distinct identity, language and indigenous socio-political and cultural systems and practices, with
some similarities between and among others. Particular generic terms are used to refer to indigenous
peoples in different regions of the country, although the indigenous peoples usually identify themselves
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as belonging to a particular ethno-linguistic group or subgroup. Among the major groupings of

indigenous peoples in the Philippines are the following:
Igorot is the generic and collective term for the

indigenous peoples of the Cordillera mountain range in
northern Luzon. Igorot is derived from the prefix i-
(people from) and golot (mountain) to literally mean
“people from the mountains.” This term was for a long
time considered derogatory, but it has increasingly been
accepted and appropriated by indigenous activists as a
term of pride in their identity as indigenous peoples. The
Igorot make up 99 per cent of the population in the
Cordillera region and live in the highlands, foothills,
plateaus and river valleys of the Cordillera mountain
range. They currently total about 1.5 million in
population and are composed of various ethnic groups
and subgroups or tribes. The major ethno-linguistic
groups in the Cordillera are the Kankanaey, Bontoc, Ifugao, Kalinga, Ibaloy, Isneg and Tingguian.
However, the people prefer to identify themselves as belonging to their own “ili”, which is an indigenous
community having its own defined territory or ancestral land and its own indigenous socio-cultural
systems.
Lumad is a generic term used by

others to refer to the indigenous peoples
of Mindanao, who make up the largest
number of indigenous peoples in the
country. It is a Visayan term meaning
native, indigenous, “of the land”. The
Lumad are composed of numerous
indigenous peoples scattered throughout
the Mindanao island. There are 18 major
Lumad groups namely: Subanen, B‟laan,
T‟boli, Mandaya, Mansaka, Tiruray,
Higaonon, Manobo, Bagobo, Bukidnon,
Tagkaolo, Ubo, Banwaon, Kalagan,
Dibabawon, Talaandig, Mamanwa and
Manguangan. They live in the
mountainous areas of Davao del Norte,
Davao del Sur, Bukidnon, Agusan del Norte, Agusan del Sur, Surigao, Zamboanga, Misamis Oriental,
Misamis Occidental, Cagayan de Oro, North Cotabato, South Cotabato and Saranggani Province (KAMP
2002). To simplify, the Lumad may be clustered as follows: the Manobo cluster, the BlaanT‟Boli-Tiduray
cluster, the Mandaya-Mansaka cluster, the Subanen who live largely in the hinterlands and coastal areas
of the Zamboanga Peninsula; the Higaonon or “mountain dwellers” in the plateaus of Bukidnon; and the
Mamanwa in Surigao del Norte (Erni 2008).In Mindanao, a distinction is made between the Lumad or
non-Muslim indigenous peoples and the Islamized population or Moro peoples. Many do not recognize
the Moro people as indigenous, although some of the Moro ethnic groups are listed by the NCIP in its list
of indigenous peoples. There are seven major ethnic groups among the Muslims in the Mindanao-Sulu
area. These are the Maranaw, Maguindanao, Tausug, Yakan, Samal, Iranun and Kalagan.
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. Mangyan is a generic term for the indigenous

peoples of the island of Mindoro and in Sibuyan
island. They are usually clustered into the northern
Mangyan (Tadyawan, Alangan and Iraya) and the
southern Mangyan (Buhid, Taobuid and Hanunuo).
There are also several indigenous peoples living in
the islands of Palawan. These are the Tagbanua
(Kalamianen), Palaw-an, Molbog and Batak.
Negrito is used as a generic term for

indigenous peoples with distinct physical
features – short, dark skin, curly hair – living
in different regions of the Philippines from
north to south. Around 30 groups of Negrito
have been identified. They live in dispersed
groups throughout the country, including the
Agta in the remote forested areas of
Cagayan in northern Luzon, the Dumagat
people in the Sierra Madre Mountains in
eastern Luzon and along the Pacific coast
down to the Bondoc and Bicol mountains.
Others are found in western and southern
Luzon, with larger populations living in the
Zambales-Bataan mountains (sometimes
called Hambal, Aeta, Sambal), the Baluga in
Pampanga and Tarlac, and in the Southern Tagalog foothills. Still other Negrito groups are the Ati in
Panay and Negros, Palawan, Guimaras, Romblon and northern
LIST OF INDIGENOUS PEOPLE IN THE PHILIPPINES
Ethno-linguistic Group Location of Domains

Cordillera and Region I
Eastern Bontok(Balangao, Tonglayon, Sakki, Mountain Province
Madukayan, Barlig)
Central Bontok (Bontok, Sadanga, Alab) Mountain Province
Isneg Apayao, Ilocos Norte
Tinggian ( Adasen, Binongan, Ilaud or Itneg,
Masadiit, Banao, Gubang, Mabaka, Maeng, Abra
Mayudan, Danak)
Northern Kankanaey(Kankanaey, Iyaplay) Mountain Province
Kankanaey Ibenguet Benguet
Kalanguya Benguet, Ifugao
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Karao Benguet
Mandek-ey Benguet
Ibaloy Benguet, Baguio City, Pangasinan
Ayangan Ifugao
Ifugao Ifugao
Tuwali Ifugao
Kalinga (Banao, Mabaka, Salegseg, Guilayon,
Cagaluan, Guinaang, Balatok, Lubuagan,
Malbong, Naneng, Taloctok, Mangali, Lubo, Kalinga, Apayao
Tinglayan, Tulgao, Butbut, Basao, Dacalan,
Sumadel, Dananao)
Apayao Kalinga Apayao
Bago La Union, Ilocos Sur:
Region II and Carabllo Mountains
Agta Cagayan, Quirino, Isabela
Kalanguya Nueva Viscaya
Bugkalot Nueva Viscaya, Quirino
Isinai Nueva Viscaya
Gaddang Nueva Viscaya, Isabela
Aggay Cagayan
Dumagat Isabela, Cagayan
Ibanag Cagayan
Itawis Cgayan
Ivatan Batanes
Rest of Luzon Sierra Madre Mountains
Aeta, Negrito, Baluga, Pugot Zambales, Bataan, Tarlac , Pampanga
Abelling Tarlac
Agta Aurora, Palayan City, Camarines Sur
Dumagat Quezon, Rizal, Aurora, Dumagat
Remontado Rizal, Laguna, Quezon
Bugkalot Aurora
Cimaron Camarines Sur
Kabihug Camarines Norte
Tabangon Sorsogon
Abiyan (Aeta) Camarines Norte, Sur
Isarog Camarines Norte
Itom Albay
Pullon Masbate
Island Groups
Agutaynon Palawan
Tagbanua Palawan
Dagayanen Palawan
Tao’t Bato Palawan
Batak Palawan
Palawanon Palawan
Molbog Palawan
Iraya Mangyan Mindoro Occidental/Oriental
Hanunuo Mangyan Mindoro Occidental/Oriental
Alangan Mangyan Mindoro Oriental
Buhid Mangyan Mindoro Occidental/Oriental

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Tadyawan Mangyan Mindoro Occidental/Oriental

Batangan Mangyan Mindoro Occidental
Gubatnon Mangyan Mindoro Occidental
Ratagnon Mangyan Mindoro Occidental
Ati Romblon
Cuyunon Romblon
Ati Iloilo, Antique, Capiz, Aklan
Sulud Bukidnon Iloilo, Antique, Capiz, Aklan
Magahat Negros Occidental
Korolanos Negros Oriental
Ata Negros Oriental
Escaya Bohol
Badjao Cebu, Bohol
Kongking Leyte, Samar
Southern and Eastern Mindanao
Manobo Agusan del Norte, Agusan del Sur
Mandaya Davao Oriental
Mansaka Davao del Norte
Dibabawon Davao del Norte
Banwaon Agusan del Sur
Bagobo Davao del Sur, Davao City
Ubo Manobo Davao del Sur, Davao City
Tagakaolo Davao del Sur
Talaingod, Langilan Dacao del Norte, Davao City
Mamanwa Surigao del Norte
Haigaonon Agusan del Norte, Agusan del Sur
Blaan Davao del Sur, Saranggani, South
Cotabato
T-boli South Cotabato
Kalagan Davao del Sur
Tagabawa Davao City
Manobo B’lit South Cotabato
Matigaslog Davao City, Davao del Sur, Davao del
Norte
Tigawahanon Agusan del Norte, Agusan del Sur
Sangil South Cotabato, Sarangani
Central Mindanao
Aromanon North Cotabato
Tiruray Sultan Kudarat, Maguindanao, Cotabato
City
Bagobo North Cotabato
Ubo Manobo North Cotabato
Higaonon Lanao del Norte, Lanao del Sur
Subanen Lanao del Norte
Maguindanao Maguindanao
Maranao Lanao del Norte, Lanao del Sur
Iranon Maguindanao, Lanao del Sur
Karintik North Cotabato
Blaan North Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat,
Maguindanao

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Lambangian Sultan Kudarat

Dulangan Sultan Kudarat
Northern and Western Mindanao
Subanen Zamboanga del Norte/Sur, Misamis
Occidental/Oriental, Zamboanga City
Talaandig Bukidnon
Higaonon Bukidnon, Misamis Oriental/Occidental
Matigsalog Bukidnon
Umayamnon Bukidnon
Manobo Bukidnon
Kamigin Camiguin
Yakan Basilan
Sama Tawi-Tawi
Badjao, Sama Laut Tawi-tawi, Basilan, Sulu Archipelago
Kalibugan Zamboanga del Sur/del Norte
Jama Mapon Sulu Archipelago
Sources: ECIP, NCCP-PACT , ONCC, OSCC, OMA, DENR, CPA
LIST OF INDIGENOUS PEOPLE BY REGION
Region Province ICC/IPs Community ICC/IPs

1 ARRM Maguindanao Barangay Labungan, Datu Odin Teduray
Sinsuat
2 Region IX Zamboanga del Barangay Lacarayan. Tigbao Subanen
Sur
3 Region III Aurora Barangay Diteki, San Luis Dumagat
4 Region X Bukidnon Sitio Kibuwa, Barangay Bukidnon
ImpalutaoImpasug-ong
5 Region XIII Agusan del Sur Barangay Plobalcion, Loreto Manobo
6 Region VII Negros Oriental Abaca, Barangay Sab-ahan, Bais City Ati/Ata
7 Region VII Cebu City Side B, South Reclamation Project, Badjao
Barangay Mambaling
8 Region XI Davao City Sitio Pigdalahan, Barangay Pandaitan, Matigsalig/Ata-
Paquiabto District Manobo
9 Region XII Saranggani Sitio Wali, Maitum T’boli
10 Region VIII Northern Samar Barangay San Isidro, Las Navaz Mamanwa
11 Region XII North Cotabato Amabel, Magpet Manobo
12 Region XII Sultan Kudarat Sitio Tanansang, Barangay Palavilla,
Lutayan
13 Region VI Guimaras Sitio Kati-Kati, Barangay San Miguel, Ati
Municipality of Jordan, Guimaras
14 Region VI Capiz Sitio Tag-ao, Dumarao, Capiz Ati
15 Region VI Antique Sitio Igcaputol, Poblacion North,
Barangay Tobias Fornier San Jose Ati
16 Region II Isabela Barangay Dalig Kalinga, Aurora Gaddang
17 CAR Mountain Barangay Caneo, Bontoc Bontok
Province

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Nature of the Family
Family Life Cycle

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The Unattached Young Adult

- Major tasks to master:
1. Selection of a way of life
2. Selection of a partner in life
- Emotional Process of Transition :
1. Accepting parent-offspring differentiation
- Second-Order Changes:
1. Differentiation of self in relation to family of origin.
2. Development of intimate peer relationships.
3. Establishment of self in respect to work and financial independence.
- Problems encountered
1. Medical
2. Emotional
3. Social
● The Newly Married Couple

- Joining of families through marriage
- Emotional Process of Transition: (Commitment to the new system)
1. Formation of the marital system
2. Realignment of relationships extended families and friends to include spouse.
- Problems encountered:
1. Medical
2. Emotional
3. Social
● Family with Young Children
- Begins with the birth of the couple’s first child
- Emotional Process of Transition (Accepting new members into the system)
1. Accepting marital system to make space for children.
2. Taking parenting roles.
3. Realignment of relationship with extended family to include parenting and grandparenting
roles.
1. Children
2. Parents
3. Grandparents
● Family with Adolescents
- Can be turbulent for both the adolescent and the family.
- Emotional Process of Transition: (Increasing flexibility of boundaries to include children’s
independence
1. Shifting of parent child relationships to permit adolescent to move in and out of the system.
2. Refocus on midlife marital and career issues.
3. Beginning shift toward caring for the older generation.
1. Adolescents
2. Parents
3. Grandparents
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● Launching Family
- Begins with the first child becoming a young adult and leaving home
- Ends with the empty nest as the last child leaves his or her family of origin.
- Emotional Process of Transition: (Accepting multitudes of entry and family system)
● The Family in Later Year
- During this final stage of the family lifer cycle, the elderly persons must accept the shifting of
generational roles.
- Children will create families of their own, be responsible for their own life decisions and play less
active roles in the family circle in which they grew up.
Family Structure
Family Needs and Resources

The five basic needs of a family are given below:
● Food
● Clothes
● Shelter
● Health
● Education
What do we mean by FAMILY RESOURCES?

This includes:
● Money
● Things non-working members of the
family may possess
- Energy, time and skills

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1. Human Resources – every able-bodied member of the family is considered an important human
resource.
People who came contribute their time, effort, skills, strength and expertise is considered part of
the family’s human resource.
2. Material Resources – tangible assets such as house and lot, furniture and appliances, jewellery,
automobiles and cash are referred to as the family’s material resources.
3. Non-material resources – Time, health and experience are intangible resources but are also
important.
Marriage Practices
Traditional marriage customs in the Philippines and Filipino wedding practices pertain to
the characteristics of marriage and wedding traditions established and adhered by them Filipino
men and women in the Philippines after a period of courtship and engagement. These traditions extend
to other countries around the world where Filipino communities exist. Kasalan is the Filipino word for
"wedding”, while its root word – kasal – means "marriage". The present-day character of marriages and
weddings in the Philippines were primarily influenced by the permutation of Christian,
both Catholic and Protestant, Chinese, Spanish, and American models.
Historical overview
A typical ancient traditional Filipino wedding, during pre-colonial times, is held for three days and
was officiated by a babaylan, a tribal priest or priestess The house of the babaylan was the ceremonial
center for the nuptial. On the first day, the couple was brought to the priest's home, where the babaylan
blesses them, while their hands are joined over a container of uncooked rice. On the third day, the priest
would prick their chests to draw a small amount of blood, which will be placed on a container to be mixed
with water. After announcing their love for each other three times, they were fed by the priest with cooked
rice coming from a single container. Afterwards, they were to drink the water that was mixed with their
blood. The priest proclaimed that they are officially wed after their necks and hands were bound by a cord
or, sometimes, once their long hairs had been entwined together. In lieu of the babaylan, the datu or a
wise elder may also officiate a pre-colonial Filipino wedding.
After the ceremony, a series of gift-exchanging rituals was also done to counter the negative responses
of the bride: if asked to enter her new home, if she refuses to go up the stairs of the dwelling, if she
denies to participate in the marriage banquet, or even to go into her new bedroom, a room she would be
sharing with her spouse.
Spanish colonialism brought changes to these marriage rituals because of the teachings and
conversion efforts of Spanish missionaries, which occurred as early as the 18th century. As a result, the
majority of current-day Filipino weddings became predominantly Christian or Catholic in character, which
is also because of the mostly Catholic population, although indigenous traditions still exist today in other
regions of the Philippines. Parts of Filipino wedding ceremonies have become faith-centered and
God-centered, which also highlights the concept that the joining of two individuals is a "life long
commitment" of loving and caring. In general, the marriage itself does not only signify the union of two
persons, but also the fusion of two families, and the unification of two clans.
Requirements
The following are the legal requirements that must be met in order to marry in the
Philippines. Specific requirements for marriage are detailed in Title I of the Family Code of the
Philippines.]Some of these requirements are:
● Legal capacity of the contracting parties who must be a male and a female, 18 years old and above
without any impediment to get married.
● Consent freely given in the presence of the solemnizing officer.
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● Authority of the solemnizing officer (only incumbent member of the judiciary; priest, rabbi, imam,

or minister of any church or religious sect duly authorized by his church or religious sect and
registered with the civil registrar general; ship captain or airplane chief, military commander of a unit
to which a chaplain is assigned, in the absence of the latter, during a military operation only in
marriages at the point of death; and consul-general, consul or vice-consul only between Filipino
citizens abroad are authorized by law to solemnize marriage).Article 35(2) of the Family Code,
however, specifies that marriages solemnized by any person not legally authorized to perform
marriages which were contracted with either or both parties believing in good faith that the
solemnizing officer had the legal authority to do so are neither void nor voidable.
In cases where parental consent or parental advice is needed, marriage law in the Philippines
also requires couples to attend a seminar] on family planning before the wedding day in order to become
responsible for family life and parenthood. The seminar is normally conducted at a city hall or a municipal
council.
Some officiating ministers or churches require the couple to present a Certificate of No Marriage
Record (CENOMAR), on top of or together with the marriage license and the authority of the solemnizing
officer. The CENOMAR can be secured from the Philippine Statistics Authority or its designated
sub-offices and branches.
Marriage proposal
The traditional marriage proposal takes the form of the pamanhikan or pamamanhikan or the
"parental marriage proposal", a formal way of asking the parents of the woman for her hand. The
would-be groom and his parents go to the would-be bride's home, and ask the parents for their consent.
Once the woman's parents accept the proposal, other matters will be discussed during this meeting
including among other things, the wedding plan, the date, the finances, and the list of guests. The
expenses for the wedding are generally shouldered by the groom and his family.
Pamamanhikan enforces the importance of the familial nature of the wedding, as traditionally a
marriage is the formation of an alliance between two clans as well as the joining of individuals. This is
sometimes further expressed in how the whole extended family goes with the groom and his parents,
using the occasion as a chance to meet and greet the other clan. In this situation, there is a feast held at
the bride's family home.
This event is separate from the Despedida de Soltera (Spanish: "Farewell to Single-hood") party
some families have before the wedding. The local variant of the Hispanic custom normally holds it for the
bride, and it is held by her family. It is similar in sentiment to the hen night, albeit a more wholesome and
formal version.
Wedding announcement
After the pamamanhikan, the couple performs the pa-alam or "wedding announcement
visitations." In this custom, the couple goes to the homes of relatives to inform the latter of their status as
a couple and the schedule of their nuptial. It is also during these visits when the couple personally
delivers their wedding invitations.
Wedding date and invitation

The typical Filipino wedding invitation contains the date and venue for the wedding ceremony and
for the wedding reception, as well as the names and roles of the principal sponsors of the bride.
Weddings in the Philippines are commonly held during the month of June.
Ceremonial protocol

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Attire
A Filipino groom wearing a collarless version of the Barong Tagalog.

Bride
The bride's attire is typically a custom-made white wedding gown and veil.[1] This is from the
Anglo-American influence of dressing the woman in white on her wedding day.[2] A popular alternative is a
white version of the Baro'tsaya, a form of national dress for Filipino women.
Groom
The groom is traditionally clothed in the Barong Tagalog, the formal and traditional transparent,
embroidered, button-up shirt made from jusi (also spelled as husi) fabric made from pineapple fibers. This
formal Filipino men's dress is worn untucked with a white t-shirt or singlet underneath, and commonly
worn together with a black pair of trousers.
Wedding Guests
Males guests typically wear the Filipino Barong, or a suit. Women wear a formal or semi-formal
dress, the length and color determined by the wedding theme.
It is discouraged for female guests to wear white since this competes with the bride's traditional
wedding dress color. For Chinese Filipino weddings, it is customary for the bride to wear red. It is frowned
upon to wear this color as a guest, for the same reason.
Black and white ensembles are also considered impolite in traditional Chinese Filipino weddings.
These colors symbolize death and mourning, and are deemed to have no places in a festive celebration
like weddings. However, using these as accents is acceptable.
Wedding ceremony
Generally, the wedding ceremony proper includes the celebration of an hour-long Mass or
religious service. The groom arrives an hour earlier than the bride for the purpose of receiving guests at
the church or venue. The groom could be waiting with his parents; the bride will arrive later with her father
and mother on board a wedding car. Afterwards, the wedding party assembles to enter the church for the
processional. During the nuptials, Catholic and Aglipayan brides customarily bear an ornate, heirloom
rosary along with their bridal bouquet.
Ceremonial sponsors, witnesses, and participants
The principal wedding sponsors (also termed "godparents," "special sponsors," "primary
sponsors," "counselors," or "witnesses"), are often chosen by the betrothed, sometimes on advice of their
families. Multiple pairs of godparents are customary, with six godmothers (ninang) and six godfathers
(ninong)

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Ritual objects
Ceremonial paraphernalia in Filipino weddings include the arrhae, the candles, the veils, the cord,
and wedding rings. The ring bearer acts as the holder and keeper of the rings until the exchanging of
rings is performed, while the coin bearer acts as the holder and keeper of the arrhae until it is offered and
given by the groom to his bride. Among the secondary sponsors or wedding attendants, three pairs –
each pair consists of a male and a female secondary sponsor – are chosen to light the wedding candles,
handle the veils, and place the cord.
Rings and arrhae
After the exchange of wedding rings by the couple, the groom gives the wedding arrhae to his
bride. The arrhae is a symbol of his "monetary gift" to the bride because it is composed of 13 pieces of
gold, or silver coins, a "pledge" that the groom is devoted to the welfare and well-being of his wife and
future offspring. Both rings and arrhae are blessed first by the priest during the wedding.
Candles
Candle Sponsors are secondary sponsors who light the pair of candles, one on each side of the
couple. For Christians, this embodies the presence of God in the union. An old folk belief holds that
should one of the candles go out during the rite, the person beside it will die ahead of the other.
Many weddings add the ritual of the "unity candle", which signifies the joining of their two families.
The couple takes the two lighted candles and together lights a single candle. For Christians, lighting this
single candle symbolizes the inclusion of Christ into their life as a married couple. The practice is rooted
in American Protestantism, and is sometimes discouraged by Catholic parishes for theological reasons.
Veils
After the candle ritual, a pair of secondary sponsors known as the Veil Sponsors will pin the veil(s)
on the couple. The veiling ritual signifies the clothing of the two individuals as one.
Two variants of this custom exist: a long, white, rectangular veil is draped over the shoulder of the groom
and above the bride's head; two smaller veils may also be pinned on the groom and bride's shoulders.
Cord
After the veiling, the last pair of secondary sponsors will then drape the yugal over the shoulders
of the couple. The cord is customarily shaped or looped to form the figure "8" (a lucky number; the figure
is also interpreted as the infinity sign), to symbolize "everlasting fidelity." Each loop of the cord is placed
around the individual collar areas of the bride and the groom.
Apart from silk, popular materials used to make the wedding cord are strings of flowers, links of
coins, or a chain designed like a long, double rosary.
Bible
Catholic and Protestant weddings include the entrustment to the couple of a copy of the Bible.
Wedding reception
During the wedding reception, it is typical to release a pair of white male and female doves,
symbolizing marital harmony and peace. These are placed in a cage or receptacle, which can be opened
by pulling ribbons or cords or manually opened and released by the couple themselves. After their
release from their cage, the person who catches them may take them home to rear as pets.
It is also a common practice to have the "Money Dance." This is where the bride and groom dance to
slow music while the guests pin money (notes) on the couple. The monetary gift from the dance is a way
to help the new couple get started with their married life.
Tossing the bouquet is for the most part uncommon for the bride to do, though it is increasingly being
observed by younger women. Instead, the bride traditionally offers it at a side altar of the church before
Page | 16
an image of either the Blessed Virgin Mary or a patron saint, or offers it at the grave of an important
relative or ancestor.
Filipino Muslim wedding
A wedding dance performed by a Yakan couple from Mindanao.

Filipino Muslims in the Mindanao region of the Philippines commonly
practice pre-arranged marriages and betrothal. The Tausog people's wedding include the pangalay, a
celebration or announcement performed by means of the playing of percussion instruments like as
the gabbang, the kulintang, and the agong. Included in the wedding ceremony that is officiated by an
Imam are readings taken from the Qur'an and the placement of the groom's fingerprint on the forehead of
the bride.
Pre-colonial Wedding Customs

Filipinos have pre-colonial customs based on the Indian Hindu wedding that are related to marriage and
weddings and still carried out even after colonial masters destroyed other customs after the imposition of
Christianity.
Pre-colonial customs include the groom or bride avoiding travel beforehand to prevent accidents from
happening. The bride must not wear pearls as these are similar to tears, and a procession of men
holding bolos and musicians playing a gongs must be done. This march was also done after the
ceremony until the newly-wed couple reaches their abode. The purpose of this procession is similar to
the current practice of breaking plates during the wedding reception, in order to dispel bad luck.
Spanish colonizers introduced new beliefs to the Philippines, with particular concern over banning
activities that may cause broken marriages, sadness and regret. Wedding gowns cannot be worn in
advance, as any black-colored clothing during the ceremony, and sharp objects such as knives cannot be
given as gifts.
Other beliefs include a typhoon on the wedding day being an ill omen; that after the ceremony the bride
should walk ahead of her husband or step on his foot to prevent being dominated by him; and an
accidentally dropped ring, veil, or arrhae will cause marital misery.
Superstitious beliefs on good fortune include showering the married couple with uncooked rice, as this
wishes them a prosperous life together.[3] The groom's arrival at the venue ahead of his bride also
diminishes dire fate In addition, a single woman who will follow the footsteps of a newly married couple
may enhance her opportunity to become a bride herself.
Siblings are not permitted to marry within the calendar year as this is considered bad luck. The remedy to
this belief, called sukob, is to have the one marrying later pass through the back entrance of the church

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instead of its main doors. Bride and groom cannot have marital relations starting from the 60th day prior
to the wedding.
Gender Concerns and Children’s Rights

Indigenous Peoples' Rights Act of 1997
Women, Children and Youth
The law also emphasizes that these rights are also to be afforded to indigenous women and children. The
provisions should not result in "the diminution of rights and privileges already recognized and afforded to
these groups under existing laws of general application."The government through NCIP must provide
support to organizations which are geared towards empowering women and the youth to involve
themselves in community/nation building.
In accordance to the customary laws of each tribe, the government must provide mechanisms that
facilitate deeper understanding of indigenous culture for women and youth while their human dignity. The
law ensures the full realization of women's and youth rights but requires all mechanisms and programs to
be culturally sensitive and relevant to the ICCs/IPs needs.
An example of the programs geared towards the execution of this particular provision in the IPRA is the
culturally sensitive day-care program for both IP children and their mothers which NCIP mentions in its
first administrative order.
Nature of the Family
GET TO KNOW YOU MORE
Instructions: Fill in the needed information to complete the Diagram below.

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Family Life Cycle

You Write, I Read
Instructions: In 5-10 sentences, create a paragraph about the “Life Cycle”
Family Structure
Draw your Family
Instructions: Draw in the box, the kind of family structure that you have and label them.

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Family Needs and Resources

Find and Attached It
Instructions: Look for some pictures in the newspaper, magazines or unused books and paste it on the
box.

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Marriage Practices
Tell Me Some Practices You Know
Instruction: List down 5 marriage practices that you know.
Example:
● Grooms should not see his bride before the wedding day.
1. _______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
2. _______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
3. _______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
4. _______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
5. _______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
Gender Concerns and Children’s Right

Arrange and Form A Word
Instructions: Arrange the scramble letters and form a word that relates to “Gender Concerns and
Children’s Right”
1. N O I T A C U D E ___________________________
2. I L Y F A M ___________________________
3. E N G E D R ___________________________
4. T H G I R ___________________________
5. O W M N A ___________________________
6. A M N ___________________________
7. E F L I ____________________________

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8. H M U N A ____________________________
9. O P L E P E ____________________________
10. D R E N C H I L D ____________________________
Lesson 2: Health, Sanitation and Nutrition
“Indigenous people made huge contributions to this country. The biggest is in sharing the land and resources.
People need to see that, understand that. Indigenous people should be viewed as the founding peoples of this
land” Perry Bellegarde
Learning Outcomes:
1. Compare and contrast the characteristics and way of life in terms of their health, sanitation and
nutrition.
Introduction
Proper sanitation promotes health, improves the quality of the environment and thus, the quality of life in
a community. Sanitation refers to the safe collection, transportation, treatment and disposal of human
wastes. In developing countries, improvements in practices of disposing of human excreta are crucial to
raising levels of public health. An increasing amount of literature suggests that health problems result
from lack of sanitation facilities, especially among the urban poor living in overcrowded informal
settlements. Invariably, it is the poor who suffer the most from the absence of water and sanitation
because they lack not only the means to provide such facilities but also the information on how to
minimize the ill-effects of the unsanitary conditions in which they live.
Learning Content:
What is HEALTH?
● The state of being free from illness or injury.
● A person’s mental or physical condition.
What is SANITATION?
● Refers to public health conditions related to clean drinking water and adequate treatment and
disposal of human excreta and sewage.
What is NUTRITION?
● Is the science that interprets the nutrients and other substances in food in relation to
maintenance, growth, reproduction, health and disease of an organism,
8 Indigenous Peoples in the Philippines
1. Aetas3. Palawan Group 5. Igorots7. Ati and Yumandok

2. Mangyans 4. Lumads 6.Dumagats
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1. AETAS GROUP
The Aeta’s way of Life
The life of the Aestas of Canawan revolves around the extended family. Aetas families free
intermarry so that almost all member of the tribe are related in some way and often share the same family
names. Community members are thus closely knit and mutually supportive.
Most traditional Aeta culture ( agriculture, working tools, manner of dress, decorative ornaments),
has been change, cherishing some aspects of their culture while abandoning others, has been influenced
largely by their interactions with the tagalogunat ( meaning straight-haired, in contrast to the Aetas who
called kulot or curly-haired).
Water, Sanitation and Hygiene

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The recent installation of water system ( steel pipers, rubber hoses, and faucets) through the assistance
of the World Relief Corporation (WRC) has facilitated the delivery of water from nearby spring to the
center of the village. Although the Aetas now hav running water to use for bathing and laundry, it has not
changed the way they maintain personal hygiene. They change their clothes only after several days of
wear. Children are allowed to play on the ground barefoot and clad only in dirty shirts. Food is handled
withouth washing, the soap is rarely used.
The few materials possessions of the Aeta family consist of some clothing, cookware, utensils,plates,
and homemade furniture, such as benches and tables. Their trash usually consists of organic wastes
from food preparation. Cigarette cartons and candy wrappers are seldom found in the trash because
these items beyond the reach of most members of the community.Since the aetas have minimal amount
of wastes, garbage disposal is not much of a problem.
Toilets are non-existent in Canawan. Aetas defecate and bury their stools in nearby fields.
Remarkably, there have been no reported major outbreaks of diarrhea! Disease in the area, the local
perception being that they have become immune to diarrhea- causing germs. As one tagalog remarked,
“Sanayna ang mgaiyansamarumi!”( they are used to being dirty!)
Health Status and Practices
The Aetas believe that evil spirits are the usual cause of illness. They still practice a ritual called kagon,
a form of spirit healing performed with dance, song, and guitar music to exorcise the dimonyo from ailing
individuals. It is customary to wear a necklace of stringed pieces of sticks to ward off bad spirits like
lamang-lupa, inhabitans of the earth believed to enter the body and cause disease.
When an illness persists, the Aetas seek medical help at the local clinic built by the WRC, an
evangelical organization based in the United States,in the Canawan Village. Other health facilities include
the PRPC hospital and the Rural Health unit (RHU) in the town proper. Generic drugs are given free
charge at the clinic by the nurse who comes once a week.
Malnutrition is a problem, particularly among children. It is common to find reddish or yellowish hair, a
sign of protein deficiency, among children three to eight years old. In fact, this s considered Karaniwanor
normal by the Aetas. This age group is no longer breastfed, but they are unable to successfully forage for
their own food. Readily available sources of animal protein are scarce. Except for a few chickens, no
other livestock is raised, and they seldom hunt for animals such as wild deer and pigs. As a result, the
Aetas are dependent on plant protein sources.

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Cases of diseases related to malnutrition (diarrhea, measles, pneumonia) have been reported
occasionally. Proximity to the forest has also led to outbreaks of malaria. In the course of our fieldworks
during the dry season, there was one month in particular when almost every household had a member
sick with malaria. During wet season, a wave of upper respiratory infections swept through the
community.
Although there are records of patients consulting at the RHU for eye symptoms, no signs indicative
of vitamin A deficiency were documented.
Leaves of Acasia and roots of cogon – boiled together. The mixture is an old solution to high fever
and malaria and is used to wash the patient down to lower his body temperature.
‘Kupit-Kupit” a highland grass that rises to a person’s knee used by the Aetas to cure dengue. The
leaves are heated and pressed on the forehead of a sick person. The roots are boiled to produce a
mixture for drinking.
Big Leaves of a tree called “dita” is a cure for a high fever and malaria.
On being Pregnant
Most of the informants expressed a passive attitude with regards to pregnancy. According to most of
them, they will know they were pregnant when they feel their abdomens getting bigger or heavier
although some younger informants say they suspected to be with a child when they stopped having
monthly menstruation. It is therefore not uncommon to see Aeta mothers visiting the rural health unit at
least once or twice for their prenatal check up but well beyond the first trimester of pregnancy. There is no
major diet restrictions prescribed by the informants except for anything sour. They believe that the sense
of smell plays a significant role during the prenatal phase of pregnancy. Smell or ingesting vinegar or
pepper ingestion is forbidden because it causes mental problems. The informants can have whatever
food they like but added that eating uncooked whole native eggs while pregnant help in easy delivery of
the baby.
The Aeta women preparation of the ‘banigan’ (beddings) is still done in some areas prior to delivery
especially for mothers who give birth by theme self with the husband or significant kin present only for
support in some provinces. The “banigan” is described as a mat where all the things that will be needed
is within reach such as the instrument for cutting the umbilical cord (the “buho” or skin of bamboo sliced
to give it a sharp edge), the container with warm water for washing the infant and clean set of clothes and
dried grounded coconut mixed with alcohol with they apply around the umbilicus.
Giving Birth
When I labor, the Aeta mothers use chilli pepper leaves and stroke the abdomen and the lower back
following the sign of the cross to avoid premature labor. The informants also wrap a piece of cloth or
“bigkis” above the waist just below the ribs so that the baby may continue its decent. On the other hand,
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when constriction become frequent and painful, the expectant mother is made to take one fresh whole
egg from a native chicken or “tanglad” (lemon grass) in the belief that this will hasten childbirth.
Based on the informants, the “inunan” (placenta) is either buried near or town in the river for varied
reasons. Burying so the baby will not be “mainitin ang ulo” (hot-headed). Majority of the Aeta mothers
follow a prescribed period of 5-7 days after giving birth before having flu-like symptoms.
Breastfeeding
Most of the informants have all breastfed their newborrns and are prohibited to eat salty foods which
they believe hinder the flow of milk. Eating vegetable is also belive to improve its flow. Furthermore, they
breastfeed their newborn for 6 months or until they eventually wean themselves. Weaning is by using chili
on her breast to wean her child. They all agree that breastfeeding is the best way to promote emotional
and physical bonding with their new born.
2. MANGYANS
Health and Nutrition Status and Hygiene

The Hanunu are swidden cultivators (unique tribal way of agricultural cultivation on mountain slopes)
and are one of seven indigenous ethnic minorities in the forested interior of Mindanao, collectively
referred to as Mangyans. Mangyans have poor health, are generally malnourished and continually
faced with communicable diseases and threats of malaria infection. The need to develop viable
strategies to counter their health problems is pressing since Mindoro suffers from insufficient health
care facilities and personnel. The situation is especially bleak for Mangyans, particularly those living
in the hinterlands.
Baseline information on the health and nutritional status of the Hanunuo population of almost
1,00 in the two project villages was obtained from the sources, a household health survey, a clinical
assessment and interviews with health service providers. The health survey indicated high rates of
fertility and mortality in the population. The average number of pregnancies is 6.7, while the average
number of live births is 4.6. Foetal death occurs in 13.8% of all pregnancies, and childhood mortality
(deaths in the first five years of life) represents a high 46.2% of all live births. The major causes of
childhood death are preventable: 52.3% from respiratory distress, 15.6% from gastrointestinal
disorder, 10% from nutrition related causes (vitamin B deficiency, anaemia) and 9.0% from malaria.
The absence of medical personnel and the unhygienic practices of the Hanunuo contribute to
their high mortality and morbidity rates. Despite their growing acceptance of modern medicine, health
facilities are non existent in their communities. The more significant health problem that confronts the
Hanunuo are the following:

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● Environmental Sanitation: the lack of sanitary toilets, the absence of a portable water supply
and improper storage of water result in the widespread incidence of diarrhea, skin diseases
and tuberculosis.
● Lack of medical personnel and drugs
● Inadequate knowledge of curative and preventive health care that emanates from ignorance
of the aetiology of illness and from its subsequent improper management.
● Lack of adequate prenatal care and sanitary delivery practices
● Poor nutritional status due to lack of food supply and improper dietary practices.
● Lack of health education.
Traditional Cures, Healing and Herbal
The Alengan Mangyans of Oriental Mindoro depends solely on the wisdom and leadership of Elders
called Aplaki. The Mangyan Alangan elders serve as the primary provider, consultand and decision
maker. They are the one who decide what to do on particular matters and everything that lays concerns
on the people and to the whole Ancestral Domain.
Maintaining Good health: The primary aspect looked into by the Alangan Mangyan regards on Food.
The Aplaki decides what to plant, when to plant, and where to plant. Alangan Mangyan are mainly
subsistence agriculturist. The Alangan Mangyans depend on the environment for their foods.
Healing System: Some are the common ways of the healing rituals among the Alangan Mangyans:
1. Agpansula- a ritual praying to God through offering a pig or a chicken (dark or black in color)
2. Pangakuan/Panata- laying promises to KapwanAgalapet (God)
3. Agpamana- hitting the bad spirits through the use bow and arrow.
4. Agloop- burning of materials (food and other things that might cause discomfort) to relieve from
pain.
5. Salabong– driving away the bad energy from other people or unseen creatures.
6. Agpanagwala- restoring of good energy of sick person.
Medicinal Plants used by Alangan Mangyans:
Indigenous Tagalog Term Parts Used Disease/illness Ways of Using It

Terms Treated
1. Lubidan Lubigan Stem, leaves Stomach ache, Chewing the stem,

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2. alibakwaw Leaves Head ache, Placing the Alibakwaw

fever leaf on the forehead
3. Geta Dita Bark of the Loss Bowel Boil the bark of Dita
Tree Movement tree and drink the
(LBM) juice.
4. Sibukaw Stem Lack of red Apply the juice to the

blood cells, aching body
aching body
5. Mamen Ikmo/Buyuo Leaves,stem Cold,kabag Extract the juice and

drink.
6. Kulutan DamongKambing Leaves Grind it and pour or

place on the boil
7. Kudyapa Mayana Leaves Asthma Extract and drink the

juice
8. Tibanwa Stem Injured bone Together with oil, place

on the injured part.
9. Balagasa Leaves Woman who Heat the leaves on fire

give Birth and place on womb.
10. Kusor Duso Stem and Wound Place on wound to

leaves remove foreign
material.
Mangyan’s Maternal and Child Services
Mangyan tradition calls women to give birth at home, assisted by their husbands and untrained birth
attendants- a practice that usually leads to pregnancy-related problems and complications. To make the
maternal and new born health care accessible to Mangyans while acknowledging their culture and
traditions, ADB supported the development of a culturally sensitive maternal and new born care program.
This includes the establishment of traditional birthing facilities called Balaymangyan (home of Mangyans)
in the community.
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Pregnant Mangyan women and their family members are admitted to Balay Mangyan on the week they
are due to deliver and can stay there until they give birth and recover. This ensures that they have access
to the services of skilled health staff that are respectful of their culture and tradition.
3. Palawan Group
Health Care in Palawan Group

Providing health care to indigenous peoples in remote areas is tricky at the best of time. Imagine,
though, situations in which some of the patients are living in the caves and the primary means of
transportation for patients is riding a water buffalo. Those are among the challenges faced by
physicians seeking to provide care to members of the seven tribes: Cuyunin, Cagayanen, Aguytaynin,
Molbog, Tagbanua, Pala’wans and Batak abiding on Palawan Island in the Phiippines
The scale of unmet health needs is considerable, says Wilner. “Primary considerations for the
indigenous people include the problems of hygiene, dental care, proper use of water, hand-washing,
toilet and sanitation.”
Malnutrition is also a major problem in remote communities. These communities only have access
to certain types of foods that they can grow like sweet potato, in root crops in mountains, and thus
lack access to sources of proteins and vitamins.
Many health problems are a function of the fact that many indigenous people are not aware of
sanitary hygiene. There’s been a recent outbreak of cholera, while roughly 900 cases of dengue fever
were reported in the Palawan region during the first nine months of 2011. Moreover, fungal skin
infections, known locally as “buni” are highly prevalent and the likely product of river and creek
bathing. Also malaria is one of the problems of indigenous people because they can’t afford mosquito
nets. They often attribute mosquito bites to “evil spirits’ anger”.
How do they live?: The Palawan grow most of their food on small plots of land in the forest. Before
clearing an area for planting, they consult and appease various spirits and interpret omens in their
dreams. Palawan’s favourite meat and they must make a request to a pig animal ‘master’ before
catching it. Some communities perform a ceremony every seven years to ‘cleanse the world’ and
restore the cosmic balance. The Palawan collects and sells resin, rattan canes, and wild honey. The
more settled of the Palawan also grow rice and coconut oil to sell, and raise domestic animals such
as cows, buffalos, and pigs.

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Personal Hygiene and Sanitation
In coastal and waterfront communities, disposal of the human waste into the surface water or ground
without treatment is prevalent. This traditional habit has become unhygienic since there are cases
wherein the surface water is also the source of water for drinking as well as for personal and
domestic cleaning. Such practice is also becoming questionable in communities with increasing
densities. In other communities, the surface water is stagnant, thus pollution problem is increases.
Aggravating this problem is the disposal of other domestic wastes, specifically wastewater and solid
waste, both bio-degradable and no degradable, into the surroundings.
Common Disease: Palawan’s indigenous peoples have been the most vulnerable sector in the past
years, prompting the government and its partner organizations to assist them in following treatment
against malaria to prevent deaths and recurrences. To combat malaria, health officials remind
residents particularly those in the upland areas to follow preventive measures, including
stream-clearing, using insect repellent and insecticide-treated nets, wearing long sleeved shirts and
plants, and indoor residual spraying. Malaria is a parasite-caused disease usually acquired through
the bite of the Anopheles mosquito, but can also be transferred through the blood transfusion from an
infected person and sharing of intravenous needles. It can also be Trans placental or through the
transfer of parasites from an infected mother to her unborn child.
1. Disease from the Environment- can be cured by the botanical

2. Spiritual health (soul) disease given by God the creator usually refers to psychological wellness
3. Sumpa or Bati
a. Diwata they are deities everywhere
b. Panyaen, fairies
c. The spirit world (dead) that we cannot see
d. Person

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Traditional Cures, Healing and Herbal Medicines

1. Allium sativum ( Garlic or Bawang) has been used as a spice, food, and medicine for over 5, 000
years, and is one of the earliest documented herbs utilized for the maintenance of health and
treatment of diseases such as controlling of level of cholesterol and blood regulation of blood
pressure.
2. TsaangGubat is one of the 10 medicinal plants approved by the Republic of the Philippines DOH to
treat different ailments. The leaves are traditionally used for medicinal purposes as an
anti-spasmodic, mouthwash and body cleanser.
3. Guava or Bayabas is a phytotherapic plant used in folk medicine that belive to have active
components that help to treat and manage various disease. The many parts of the plant have been
used in traditional medicine to manage conditions like malaria, vomiting, diarrhea,wounds,ulcer.
Healing: The principle on which the Palawan base their life is called ingasiq, meaning ‘compassion’.
This underlies all the actions and emphasizes the importance of behaving with generosity and sympathy
towards others. Their ceremonies, prayers, chanting and healing dances are all part of what they call
adet et kagurangurangan, or the ‘customs of the ancestors’. For the Palawan, the universe is vertical
and divided into fourteen different layers. The souls of the beljan (shamans) are able to travel to these
other levels in order to ‘heal the world’ and to re-establish the cosmic balance. They can see and extract
impurities that are causing sickness from a patient’s body. They are also usually experts in the use of
medicinal plants.
Maternal and Child Services
Indigenous people in Palawan women are not concerned about observing the cycle of their menstruation.
They can easily determine if they are pregnant if their monthly menstruation stops and their Bely begin to
swell. When they are pregnant, they experience loss of appetite, nausea and vomiting, body weakness,
and almost always, sleepiness.
The Molbogs believe in bad spirits such as: the busaw who kill infants; the wakwakwho sucks the
blood of the babyinside the mother’s womb; the kikik, which is a little flying creature; the balbal, which is
a monkey-liked creature who has the ability to change its image; and theengkantowho also lives in the
Baletetre together with the busaw. They believe that these spirits can do harm both to pregnantmothers
and babies. Also, the pregnant women are not allowed to wait at night or dawn. They should not walk
during the rainy season or if there is a rainbow or else the baby will melt. Intercourse between the
husband and wife during pregnancy is prohibited for the belief that doing so will kill the baby inside.

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Birthing:
At childbirth, the midwife ties birth charm herbs, stones, and other items given to her by the spirit
guardian, around the mother’s waist. The pregnant woman is advised to lie down. When the baby comes
out, the panday (traditional birth attendant) cuts the umbilical cord of the child using a small knife or
blade know asilab or, a bamboo stick. The cord is wrapped in an old mat and buried under the stairs of
the house. The relatives wait outside the house.
4. Lumads Group
Practices and Beliefs Different inhabitants in Mindanao result in big differences of practices and beliefs.
Discrimination is common and this happen everywhere. Despite this, Lumands, Catholic Christian, and
Muslims are free to express their beliefs and practices. Lumands have not succumbed to the modern
ways of living. Up to this day, they prefer to live in the mountainsides of Mindanao, living the traditional
life. Their beliefs can be seen through the woven dresses they wear. They believe in spirits and gods.
There’s a god for land, another for water, another for harvest, to name a few. For them, the mountain is
scared. Deaths and illness or bad faith is believed to be the god’s way of showing anger. Offering of live
animals like pigs and chicken are common during tribal ceremonies for a good harvest, health and
protection, and thanksgiving.
Common Diseases: Left out in the situational reports on Mindanao is the continuing experience of its
Lumad groups. Centuries of violent conflicts and the escalating aggression have dispossesses the IPs of
their ancestral lands. The dispossession has been tantamount to a lethal attack on the Lumand way of
life, rendering tribes unable to say together to practice and sustain their traditional way of life. As a result,
many Lumands migrate to the urban centers to beg.
The consultation s on the health situation in the six regions of Mindanao covered in the report
revealed that the leading causes of illness and deaths are predominantly preventable. This emphasizes
the general inadequacy of health care service delivery, as well as the failure on the part of the health
information and education system to serve its function.
Endemic diseases such as dengue, tuberculosis and malaria have yet to be contained. In addition,
common infections that could have been prevented through vaccination, hygienic and sanitary practices,
and timely educational interventions, continue to claim high number of causalities. Filth- and
lifestyle-related diseases rank among the leading causes of illness and deaths in the zone. There is an
increasing concern to work- and industry- related risks.

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Lumads Poverty of Nutrition:
An important issue to resolve is whether indigenous people s in the Philippines are incidence of material
poverty for indigenous communities more serious than for other sectors of the national population? It
would also be useful to determine poverty trends over a period of time. A crucial issue, of relevance for
the formulation of future poverty reduction measures., is whether there are arguments for targeting
programs specifically at indigenous populations.
In this important point, owing to existing data limitations, the evidence can only be anecdotal. It is
obvious that indigenous communities that have been relocated from their land, natural resources, and
other assists, are likely to bear the burden of material poverty as well as sociocultural deprivation. The
same is true for communities who have lost their livelihood. As a consequence of mining, logging, and
similar extractive activities.
TraditionaMedecine:
Traditional medicine remained as the most affordable and easily accessible source of treatment in the
primary health care system among diverse communities in the Philippines. However, comprehensive
study conducted on the knowledge and practices of traditional healer’s medicine in the island of
Mindanao are few and poorly documented. Thus, a comprehensive assessment study with the aim of
identifying and documenting the medicinal plants used by the traditional folk healers in Mindanao
Indigenous people was carried out. Purposive sampling method was used to select traditional medicinal
practitioners of the study area. Leaves were the most commonly used plan and decoction was the most
commonly used method preparation which was mostly administered internally.
Local Names Plant Parts Used Mode of Preparation Medicinal Uses
1. Mango/Mangga Leaves Decoction diarrhea

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2. Coconut/Niyog Fruit (juice) Drink directly every Kidney stone,

day, extraction of the constipation
endosperm
3. Aloe Vera Leaves Poultice then apply dandruff

directly all over the
scalp
4. Alugbati Leaves Poultice, extraction Local swelling or

apply on the affected implication
area
5. Melon Tree/ Papaya Shoot Extraction, apply Bleeding Woods

directly to the wound.
Maternal and Child Services:
Most indigenous people in Mindanao are not aware of lacking of experience on how to take good care of
their pregnancy and delivery of their babies. Women in Mindanao mostly do not have a stable occupation
and are mostly hilot, or traditional touch therapists, who treat minor illness such as fever, coughs and
colds, sprains, and some bone dislocations through alternative medicine massage. They just receive a
small amount of money or agricultural products of any kind for their services.
Women in Lumads area practice the modern and ideal birthing interventions only sometimes. This
implies that they have fair performance in terms of modern birthing interventions and their
practices are not parallel with the safe and ideal birthing protocol set by DOH. Mostly women in
Lumads always practice are to wash their hands before handling delivery and encouraging the
postpartum mothers to breastfeed their babies. Hand washing is very important to reduce
transmission of pathogenic microorganisms to patients. This concept applies to all settings where
health care is performed, such as home care by birth attendants. Encouraging mothers to
breastfeed is very good practice, since breastfeeding is not only beneficial to the health of the baby
but also it develops the physical and emotional bond between mother and child and even helps the
mother recover from childbirth more quickly.
5. Igorots

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Personal Hygiene and Sanitation
In the traditional houses there are no lavoratories or latries. Even today children from early age are told to
urinate in the yard and defecate in the pigs’ troughs. This is done for hygienic reasons but to produce
more pig food.
This way of disposing of human excrement has always been the target of well-intentioned moves
of the part of the government.
The levels of sanitation and water services coverage as well as health attainment are low among
indigenous peoples. This exclusion from basic service has not been sufficiently studied. The present
review has analyse185 articles dealing with indigenous peoples and water, sanitation and hygiene
complex. The literature is dramatically skewed towards water resources, and overwhelmingly focused on
conflicts, at the expense of basic sanitation and hygiene.
Compared to the challenges and conflicts around competing water uses and water resources
management, there is far less attention paid literature to the challenges related to the provision of water
services to indigenous populations.
The issue of sanitation and hygiene are closely related to perceptions of population and dirt, as
well as wholesomeness or cleanliness. This implies that there is no universal specification of dirt itself,
rather, what are considered dirty are items out of place in that society’s classification system or
hierarchies. Hence, dirt is referred to as ‘disorder’ and exists only in the eye of the beholder. Such values
are immense importance for how sanitation can be organized and upheld in society.
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Health and Sickness
The Igorot have an excellent conception of the topographical arrangement of human organ. They have
gleaned their knowledge from watching animals being slaughtered for sacrifice. From a very early age
children have the opportunity to learn about the anatomy of pigs, dogs and carabaos at disembowelling
ceremonies. My own survey on the cognitive classification of illness among the Kankanaey Igorot
revealed that illness is first of all characterized with anatomical terms. Many names for diseases consist
of the name of the part of the body and the appendage Manskit, which means painful or unhealthy.
Mansakit di dubdub, chest or heart pain in the leg, mansakit di tong-a, aching limbs. They also classify
according to the course of the disease.
Staple Foods and Nutrition
Ifugao’s diet over one year reflects the situation about 1920; 42% sweet potatoes, 32% rice, 6.6% meat
and fish, 4% maize, 15.4% fruit and vegetables, 84 % of the foods stem frm crop-farming, 4.2% from
stock-farming. However the rice harvest often do not yield enough for a whole year’s consumption and so
this shortage has to be compensated by sweet potatoes.
Traditional Cures, Healing and Herbal Medicine
The natives’ methods of treating disease as described by him and as mentioned in the other Spanish
accounts were for the most part magic in kind. Pigafettawitnessedanimals being sacrificed to cure the
sick. Typical offerings were pigs,dogs, and hens. However, not only foodstuffs such as rice, meat, fish,
bananas, and rice wine were included in the sacrifices but also Chinese porcelain bowls and beads. In
the early accounts the healing specialists were referred to as priests or media who, in a state of trance,
established contact with the next world and who often divined the future and interpreted omen. From
earliest times the natives wore amulets and beads to protect themselves against disease, and this is still
the custom today.
The religious belief are expressed in a system of ritual called Baki, presided over the native priest,
Mumbaki. Among the Ifugao, illness is belived to caused by an ancestral spirit and nature spirits residing
in trees, stones and rivers. The healing rituals are chosen according to who is believed to be causing the
illness.
● Ketama – a divination ritual performed for illnesses caused by ancestral spirits, using a diety-
possessed medium, through which the spirit expresses his grievances and demands.
● Ayag– the ritual for illnesses caused by vengeful evil spirits.
Pregnancy and Childbirth

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We ourselves have witnessed and describe pregnancy customs among the Kankanaey-Igorot. This
information, which is based on our experience with one Igorot tribe, cannot really be applied to other
groups. Amongst the Southern Kankanaey, there are no longer any special taboos during pregnancy or
confinement, although women are generally recommended to avoid eating sweet thing during pregnancy.
The Bontoc- Igorot, on the other hand, observe taboos on certain foods for a whole week after the birth,
for instance, they are not allowed to eat any fresh fish, fruits or vegetables. We could not find any
evidence any more of the pre-natal marital customs described by the Augustinian. If the woman wears a
chain made of a snake’s vertebrae around her head, it is thought that the pregnancy will be free of
complication. The Kankanaey never laugh at the deformities of others because they think it would lead to
the same kind of deformities.
Birth
The date of birth is calculated in lunar months. When a woman missed her menstrual period for the
first time, the registers the shape of the moon and adds nine lunar months plus seven days. Thus the
duration of pregnancy is 273 to 280 days, depending on when the woman first notices the absence of her
period. The pregnant woman works in the fields and caries heavy loads until shortly before giving birth,
although in the last two months of pregnancy the loads are less heavy. It is not uncommon for the
constrictions to start unexpectedly when she is out in the fields, and many babies are either born on the
way home.
6. Dumagats
Way of Living: The Dumagat is a subgroup of the Aeta people, who are more commonly called
Negritos here in the Philippines. This is because of their very dark skin and kinky hair. The Aeta are
thought to be among the earliest inhabitants of the Philippines, preceding the Austronesian
migrations. As was explained to us the Agta people mostly live in the mountains or forest while the
Dumagat live close to the shore, although they frequently migrate to either location as they still
Page | 37
seminomadic people. Other side of there Dumagat women traveling in a kuli-kulig(a modified
farming truck to carry passenger). These women are on their way to the Blos River where they will
was cloths, bath and wait for their husband while they fish.
Agtawomen and children walking on nearby road. The Agta and Dumagat live simple semi-nomadic
lives working just to provide for their daily needs. If they cannot grow or find food they will transfer to
another location. Although much of their original lifestyle is still practiced, influences from the modern
Filipino (such as wearing clothes and practicing Christianity) are starting to change the way they live.
A Dumagat family takes shelter in there home during a light rain storm. This is a typical nomadic
home of the Dumagat people.
The men spend more of their days either fishing, hunting or tending to agricultural crops. The
Agta men will hunt or see traps in the forest for deer, wild pig or monitor lizards, although they often
have to go very far into the forest to find these animals. Fishing for eels, shrimp, and small rivers fish
is also a very common practice among the Agta men. The Dumagats living close to the oceans fish
use spear guns or single rod spear. Sometimes the Dumagats will venture into the forest to hunt as
well.
Practices:
The Agta are skillfull in wearing and planting, women exclusively weave winnows and mats. Only men
make armlets. They also produce raincoats made of palm leaves whose bases surround the neck of
the wearer, and whose topmost parts spread like a fan all around the body.
Medicine: Agta women are known around the country as expert of the HERBAL medicines. Among
the Agta community in Luzon, for example, banana leaves are used to cure toothache. They also
bathe themselves with cooled-down water boiled with camphor leaves (subusob) to help alleviate
fever or they make herbal teasot of the camphor leaves that they then drink thrice a day if the fever
and cold still persist. For muscles pains, they drink herbal teas extracted from kalulong leaves and
have the patient take it thrice a day. In order to prevent relapse after giving birth, women also bathe
themselves in cooled-down water boiled with sahagubit roots. The drinking of sahagubit herbal tea
is likewise recommended to deworn Agtachildren, or generally to alleviate stomachache. The Agta
also recommended drinking hebal tea out of wormwood (herbaca) leaves or stem to address
women’s irregular menstrual cycle. They take herbal teas from lemon grass (barbaraniw) extract
thrice a day to normalize blood pressure.
If the illness persists even after continuous drinking of recommended herbal medicine, that’s when
they seek the help of an herbolario (or Soothsayer). They do so because the Agta believe that their
illnesses caused by a spirit that they may offended.

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The Agta communities take pride in their use of herbal medicines and own natural ways of curing
the sick. Finding their main source of herbal medicines in their habitat rather than buying costly
medicines.
Maternal Services: In the Agta, a large number of individuals were involved in providing childcare,
coming from a range of kin and age categories. Based on the Chi-squared analysis, allomaternal
childcare was substitutive, as it reduced the mother’s investment in childcare. This can have positive
implications for maternal workloads, allowing her to spend more time at rest or in leisure activities,
and reducing energetic burdens. For instance, Brazilian women who had consistent social support
lost significantly less weight compared to those without support, indicating improved energetic status
among those with support. Different allomother’s, however, did not have a uniform effect on maternal
childcare. Here, childcare from grand mothers and playgroups appeared to be the most effective at
reducing the maternal childcare. The relationship between allomaternal investments and fitness
depend on how mother re-invest this ‘saved’ energy; mothers mayre-focus investment into childcare
and provisioning, increasing their children’s wellbeing. Or mothers may invest more in themselves,
speeding up the next reproductive event. Such trends are likely influenced ecological context,
dependent on which strategies have the highest fitness payoffs. Examining whether care is
substitutive is the first step in pulling about these complex pathways of how allomothering facilitates
human’s unique combination of life history traits.
7. Ate and Tumandok:
The Panay Bukidnon is the Tumandok, the native or Indigenous dwellers of the more interior portions
of Panay Island, covering the interior barangays of the four provinces. They speak the same
Kinaray-a language with very few semantical differences, and are similar in their farming and hunting
practices, in their spiritual beliefs and binabaylan (shamanistic) practices, in their having a
binukot(kept maiden) tradition, and in their tradition of epic chanting. Every activity, whether in
agriculture, fishing, hunting, and so on. There way of life mostly slash-and-burn farmers with bisaya
rice as the main crop, the Tumandok also engage in hunting, fishing, and foraging for fruits and root
crops.
Herbal Medicine:

Page | 39
The Ati have been using herbal medicine since the time they were pure nomadic hunters and
gatherers. Overtime, their herbal medicine practices have also taken the form of talismans and
amulets which aid in the protection from different spirits. A plant called ‘Anino” in the local dialect.
The leaves can be used to take away the pain of headaches while the fruit has cancer healing
properties.
Food and Nutrition: For these forest specialist – including Ati and Tumandok people wild gathered
foods from forest, rivers and coastal waters, are a healthy and enjoyable part of their diet. Wild foods
include ferns, yams, mushrooms, forest honey, wild banana flowers and palm heart, as well as bushmeat,
fish, clams, crabs and other aquatic animals. In the not so distant past, the forest was an excellent
provider for the communities, but today in many places the shrinking of ancestral domain lands,
degradation of forests, and cultural pressure, have contributed to a diminishing reliance on wild foods.
Until recently, social pressure discouraged wild food harvesting, and promoted ‘modern’ processed and
comparatively nutrient poor foods in even the remotest areas.
Maternal and Child Services:
Some study was conducted to document the native knowledge, beliefs and practices on maternal and
child health care along the areas of pregnancy, dietary system, birthing, feeding, baptismal, rituals,
illnesses and discipline among Ati and Tumandok. The Ati pregnant woman in orders to protect the
infants’ lives and health. They consult the babaylan, the traditional birth attendant. In their culture, the
children’s health in the womb depends on how the mothers take care of themselves, hence. They must
be free from worries and stressful activities. To be assured of the babies’ good health, the choice of food
s a very important factor to be observed. When the mother finally gives birth, the whole community
knows. The relatives and neighbors come to see and welcome the newly born baby who is considered as
the centre of care and affection. The Ati mothers need adequate knowledge in hygiene and nutrition to
Page | 40
improve their maternal and child health care. The local government should support the tribe in developing
the uses of herbal plants in their area. The tribe needs information to be guided in the improvement of
their life. Further studies about tribal groups in Tumandok are also encouraged.
Learning Assessment:
Part I: Instruction: Choose the letter of the correct answer. Circle the correct answer.
1. Refers to the public health conditions related to clean drinking water and adequate treatment
disposal.
a. Health b. Sanitation c. Nutrition d. Disease
2. Is the science that interprets the nutrients and other substances in ford relation?
a. Nutrition b. health c. Sanitation d. Disease
3. A form of spirit healing performed with dance, song, and guitar music.
a. Dimonyo b. Kamang-lupa c. Kagon d. Ritual
4. Aetas customary to wear necklace of stringed pieces of stocks toward off bad spirits.
a. Kagon b. Dimongo c. Lamang-lupa d. Illness
5. It is a common problem of all Indigenous People.
a. Disease b. Illness c. Malnutrition d. Nutrition
6. A highland grass that rises to a person’s knee used by the Aetas to cure dengue.
a. Kupit-Kupit b. Makahiya c. Guava eaves d. Alogbati
7. Mat used by the Aetas during birthing.
a. Clothes mat b. Container mat c. Buho mat d. Banigan
8. The Elderly leadership of Mangyan?
a. Mangyano b. Alangon c. Aplahi d. Mangyanisimo
9. Laying promises to KapawanAgalapet.
a. Pangakuan b. Agpansula c. Agpamana d. Agloop
10. Driving away the bad energy.
a. Agpanagwala b. Salabong c. Agpamana d. Aglaop
11. Medicinal plants of Mangyans that can be cure Colds.
a. Sibukar b. Geta c. Mamen d. Kulutan
12. Medicinal plants of Palawan people used as a spice, food, and medicine.
a. TsaangGubat b. Allium c. Guava d. Alogbati
13. Principle of Palawan Indigenous people base their life and its means “compassion”.
a. Healing b. Ill c. Services d. Ingasing
14. Medicinal plants that cure local swelling.
a. Aloevera b. Coconut c. Mangga d. Alugbati
15. Religions belief of Igorot that expressed a system of ritual.
a. Balki b. Ayag c. Mumbaki d. Ketema
16. Priest of Igorot.
a. Baki b. Ayag c. Mumbaki d. Ketena
17. The ritual for illness by vengeful evil spirits.
a. Ayag b. Ketema c. Mumbaki d. Baki
18. Is a subgroup of Aeta people, who are more commonly called Negritos?
a. Mangyans b. Dumagat c. Aeta d. Badjao
19. The native indigenous dwellers of Panay Bukidnon.
a. Bukidnon b. Mangyan c. Tumandok d. Aeta
20. Medicinal plant used leaves to take away the pain of headache.
a. Anino b. Atina c. Atino d. Nugon
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Part 2 : Matching Type: Match Column A to Column B. Write your answers on the space
provided before each number .
A. B.
D
_______1. Driving away the bad energy from a. allium sativum
other people.
_______2. Kind of medicinal plant that can be b. ayag
treat LBM.
A F
_______3. Medicinal plant that can be treat asthma. c. nutrition
_______4. Herbal medicines used as a spice, food d. salobong
E and medicine.
H
_______5. Herbal medicine that used for bleeding e. melon/papay
wounds.
B_______6. Ritual for illnesses caused by vengeful f. kudyapa
evil spirits.
J
_______7. Medical plants that can be used to cure
toothache.
g. alugbati
G
_______8. Herbal medicine used to cure swelling h. geta
I or implication.
_______9. State of being free from illness or injury. i. health
C
_______10. Is the science that interprets the nutrients. j. banana leaves
k. disease
l. illness
Learning Tasks
1. What is the important of Health? Sanitation? Personal Hygiene among Indigenous People in the
Philippines?
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________
2. How do sanitation practices affect human health of Indigenous People?

_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
3. What are the health issues that occur from using bad hygiene of Indigenous People?

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______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________.
4. Compare Herbal Plants to Medicine?
Medicinal Plants Oral Medicine

Page | 43
5. How women of Indigenous People take good care of their babies? What are the practices they are
going to prepare before birthing? What are the utensils they use during birthing? If women of
Indigenous People prefer to breastfeed their new born babies? What is the importance of
Breastfeeding?
6. Compare the Personal Hygiene, Sanitation, Medicinal plant, Common Disease and Maternal
services of 7 Indigenous People in the Philippines.
Indigenous Personal Sanitation Medicinal Common Maternal

People Hygiene Plant Disease Services
1. Aeta

Page | 44
2. Mangyan’s
3. Palawan
Groups
4. Lumands

Page | 45
5. Igorot’s
6. Dumagats
7. Ati and
Tumanduk
References:
1. https://en.wikepedia.org
2. https://www.jacoimages.com
3. https://www.mcgill.com
4. https:/www.sbchr.or PDF
5. https://www.hindawi.com
6. https://www.reseachgate.net
7. htpps://www.herdin.ph
8. htpps://www.culturalsurvival.org
9. htpps://www.arxiv.org PDF
10. htpps://www.adb.org
11. htpps://today.mimc.com
Page | 46
UNIT II
Recent Policy and Development of IPs
Unit II: Recent Policy and Development of IPs

Lesson 1: Indigenous Peoples Republic Act 8371
Lesson 2: Cultural Rights
Karla C. Salvallion, Ph.D, Mary Grace Sombe

Page | 47
Lesson I: Indigenous People’s Act 8371 (IPRA)

“For Indigenous peoples , the impact of separating us from our heritage goes directly to the heart that
pumps life through our peoples. To expect a people to be able to enjoy their culture without their cultural
heritage and their sacred belongings is equivalent to amputating their legs and digging up the ground and
asking them to run a marathon” Mick Dodson
Learning Outcomes:
1. Discuss and analyzed the provision of the Indigenous People Republic Act 8371.
2. Create a specialized program anchored to the Indigenous People Republic Act 8371.
Introduction
Up to 15 per cent of the Philippine population - about ten million people - belong to distinct
indigenous communities and retain a close link with their traditions. They avoided Hispanization during
Spain's 350-year colonization of the Philippines. In 1987, after the fall of the Marcos regime, a revised
Philippine Constitution recognized the ancestral land rights of indigenous people, and ten years later, in
1997, those rights finally became law in the Indigenous Peoples Rights Act.
The Indigenous Peoples' Rights Act (IPRA) is modelled on the provisions of the UN Draft
Declaration on Indigenous Peoples' Rights. In theory IPRA is one of the most enlightened laws dealing
with Indigenous Peoples, recognizing the free prior and informed consent (FPIC) of Indigenous Peoples,
and asserting that in the absence of such a clear level of consent, a project cannot proceed. In practice
however, this is regularly undermined, not least by legislation such as the 1995 Mining Code, which in
many cases gives mining claims to the same Indigenous land supposedly covered by IPRA. Indigenous
Peoples communities and organizations, and their supporters, have been vocal in fighting for their legal
rights for many years, and the struggle continues.
The Philippine Constitution and the IPRA serve as the primary legal framework of the safeguard
systems for the IPs. Moreover, there are several other Philippine laws and issuances that contribute to
the protection of IP rights such as the National Integrated Protected Areas System (NIPAS) Act, the
Philippine Mining Act, the Organic Act of Muslim Mindanao, the Philippine Environmental Impact
Statement (EIS) System, and the administrative orders of the NCIP and the Department of Environment
and Natural Resources (DENR).
In the cultural and heritage front, the protection of indigenous peoples is an interagency mandate
under the National Cultural Heritage Act of 2009, Law Creating the National Commission for Culture and
the Arts (NCCA), the National Museum Act and a slew of other cultural laws and policies. The National
Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) recognized the indigenous peoples as the core and the
backbone of the country‘s intangible cultural heritage making them an indispensable part of its mandate
under its law and the National Cultural Heritage Act of 2009.

Page | 48
The 1987 Philippine Constitution can be considered as either repressive or pro indigenous
document depending on one‘s philosophical conviction that guides the appreciation of its provisions. It is
impressed with explicit provisions for protection of indigenous peoples and that guarantee indigenous
peoples’ right to ancestral domains and lands. It marked the first change in the State‘s official attitude
towards Indigenous Peoples from attempting to integrate and assimilate them to one of recognition’ of
their rights, including ancestral domain rights and their traditional indigenous institutions and practices.
The Indigenous Peoples of the Philippines ICERD Shadow Report (2009) noted that the ruling in
Cruz case appeared to imply that the IPRA is only constitutional in so far as it is consistent with the
Regalian Doctrine, despite the fact that by definition the doctrine is incompatible with the concept of
Indigenous Peoples’ ancestral domains.
Learning Content
REPUBLIC ACT NO. 8371

AN ACT TO RECOGNIZE, PROTECT AND PROMOTE THE RIGHTS OF INDIGENOUS
CULTURAL COMMUNITIES/INDIGENOUS PEOPLES, CREATING A NATIONAL COMMISSION ON
INDIGENOUS PEOPLES, ESTABLISHING IMPLEMENTING MECHANISMS, APPROPRIATING
FUNDS THEREFOR, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES
CHAPTER I
General Provisions
SECTION 1. Short Title. — This Act shall be known as “The Indigenous Peoples’ Rights Act of
1997”.
SECTION 2. Declaration of State Policies. — The State shall recognize and promote all the
rights of Indigenous Cultural Communities/Indigenous Peoples (ICCs/IPs) hereunder enumerated within
the framework of the Constitution:
a) The State shall recognize and promote the rights of ICCs/IPs within the framework of national
unity and development;
b) The State shall protect the rights of ICCs/IPs to their ancestral domains to ensure their economic,
social and cultural well-being and shall recognize the applicability of customary laws governing
property rights or relations in determining the ownership and extent of ancestral domain;
c) The State shall recognize, respect and protect the rights of ICCs/IPs to preserve and develop their
cultures, traditions and institutions. It shall consider these rights in the formulation of national laws
and policies;
d) The State shall guarantee that members of the ICCs/IPs regardless of sex, shall equally enjoy the
full measure of human rights and freedoms without distinction or discrimination;
e) The State shall take measures, with the participation of the ICCs/IPs concerned, to protect their
rights and guarantee respect for their cultural integrity, and to ensure that members of the
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ICCs/IPs benefit on an equal footing from the rights and opportunities which national laws and
regulations grant to other members of the population; and
f) The State recognizes its obligations to respond to the strong expression of the ICCs/IPs for
cultural integrity by assuring maximum ICC/IP participation in the direction of education, health, as
well as other services of ICCs/IPs, in order to render such services more responsive to the needs
and desires of these communities.
Towards these ends, the State shall institute and establish the necessary mechanisms to enforce
and guarantee the realization of these rights, taking into consideration their customs, traditions,
values, beliefs, interests and institutions, and to adopt and implement measures to protect their
rights to their ancestral domains.
CHAPTER II
Definition of Terms
SECTION 3. Definition of Terms. — For purposes of this Act, the following terms shall
mean:
a) Ancestral Domains — Subject to Section 56 hereof, refer to all areas generally belonging to
ICCs/IPs comprising lands, inland waters, coastal areas, and natural resources therein, held under
a claim of ownership, occupied or possessed by ICCs/IPs, by themselves or through their
ancestors, communally or individually since time immemorial, continuously to the present except
when interrupted by war, force majeure or displacement by force, deceit, stealth or as a
consequence of government projects or any other voluntary dealings entered into by government
and private individuals/corporations, and which are necessary to ensure their economic, social and
cultural welfare. It shall include ancestral lands, forests, pasture, residential, agricultural, and other
lands individually owned whether alienable and disposable or otherwise, hunting grounds, burial
grounds, worship areas, bodies of water, mineral and other natural resources, and lands which
may no longer be exclusively occupied by ICCs/IPs but from which they traditionally had access to
for their subsistence and traditional activities, particularly the home ranges of ICCs/IPs who are still
nomadic and/or shifting cultivators;
b) Ancestral Lands — Subject to Section 56 hereof, refers to land occupied, possessed and utilized
by individuals, families and clans who are members of the ICCs/IPs since time immemorial, by
themselves or through their predecessors-in-interest, under claims of individual or traditional group
ownership, continuously, to the present except when interrupted by war, force majeure or
displacement by force, deceit, stealth, or as a consequence of government projects and other
voluntary dealings entered into by government and private individuals/corporations, including, but
not limited to, residential lots, rice terraces or paddies, private forests, swidden farms and tree lots;

Page | 50
c) Certificate of Ancestral Domain Title — refers to a title formally recognizing the rights of
possession and ownership of ICCs/IPs over their ancestral domains identified and delineated in
accordance with this law;
d) Certificate of Ancestral Lands Title — refers to a title formally recognizing the rights of ICCs/IPs
over their ancestral lands;
e) Communal Claims — refer to claims on land, resources and rights thereon, belonging to the whole
community within a defined territory;
f) Customary Laws — refer to a body of written and/or unwritten rules, usages, customs and
practices traditionally and continually recognized, accepted and observed by respective ICCs/IPs;
g) Free and Prior Informed Consent — as used in this Act shall mean the consensus of all members
of the ICCs/IPs to be determined in accordance with their respective customary laws and
practices, free from any external manipulation, interference and coercion, and obtained after fully
disclosing the intent and scope of the activity, in a language and process understandable to the
community;
h) Indigenous Cultural Communities/Indigenous Peoples — refer to a group of people or
homogenous societies identified by self-ascription and ascription by others, who have continuously
lived as organized community on communally bounded and defined territory, and who have, under
claims of ownership since time immemorial, occupied, possessed and utilized such territories,
sharing common bonds of language, customs, traditions and other distinctive cultural traits, or who
have, through resistance to political, social and cultural inroads of colonization, non-indigenous
religions and cultures, became historically differentiated from the majority of Filipinos. ICCs/IPs
shall likewise include peoples who are regarded as indigenous on account of their descent from
the populations which inhabited the country, at the time of conquest or colonization, or at the time
of inroads of non-indigenous religions and cultures, or the establishment of present state
boundaries, who retain some or all of their own social, economic, cultural and political institutions,
but who may have been displaced from their traditional domains or who may have resettled
outside their ancestral domains;
i) Indigenous Political Structures — refer to organizational and cultural leadership systems,
institutions, relationships, patterns and processes for decision-making and participation, identified
by ICCs/IPs such as, but not limited to, Council of Elders, Council of Timuays, Bodong Holders, or
any other tribunal or body of similar nature;
j) Individual Claims — refer to claims on land and rights thereon which have been devolved to
individuals, families and clans including, but not limited to, residential lots, rice terraces or paddies
and tree lots;
k) National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP) — refers to the office created under this Act,
which shall be under the Office of the President, and which shall be the primary government
Page | 51
agency responsible for the formulation and implementation of policies, plans and programs to
recognize, protect and promote the rights of ICCs/IPs;
l) Native Title — refers to pre-conquest rights to lands and domains which, as far back as memory
reaches, have been held under a claim of private ownership by ICCs/IPs, have never been public
lands and are thus indisputably presumed to have been held that way since before the Spanish
Conquest;
m) Nongovernment Organization — refers to a private, nonprofit voluntary organization that has been
organized primarily for the delivery of various services to the ICCs/IPs and has an established
track record for effectiveness and acceptability in the community where it serves;
n) People’s Organization — refers to a private, nonprofit voluntary organization of members of an
ICC/IP which is accepted as representative of such ICCs/IPs;
o) Sustainable Traditional Resource Rights — refer to the rights of ICCs/IPs to sustainably use,
manage, protect and conserve a) land, air, water, and minerals; b) plants, animals and other
organisms; c) collecting, fishing and hunting grounds; d) sacred sites; and e) other areas of
economic, ceremonial and aesthetic value in accordance with their indigenous knowledge, beliefs,
systems and practices; and
p) Time Immemorial — refers to a period of time when as far back as memory can go, certain
ICCs/IPs are known to have occupied, possessed in the concept of owner, and utilized a defined
territory devolved to them, by operation of customary law or inherited from their ancestors, in
accordance with their customs and traditions.
CHAPTER III
Rights to Ancestral Domains
SECTION 4. Concept of Ancestral Lands/Domains. — Ancestral lands/domains shall include
such concepts of territories which cover not only the physical environment but the total environment
including the spiritual and cultural bonds to the areas which the ICCs/IPs possess, occupy and use and to
which they have claims of ownership.
SECTION 5. Indigenous Concept of Ownership. — Indigenous concept of ownership sustains
the view that ancestral domains and all resources found therein shall serve as the material bases of their
cultural integrity. The indigenous concept of ownership generally holds that ancestral domains are the
ICC’s/IP’s private but community property which belongs to all generations and therefore cannot be sold,
disposed or destroyed. It likewise covers sustainable traditional resource rights.
SECTION 6. Composition of Ancestral Lands/Domains. — Ancestral lands and domains shall
consist of all areas generally belonging to ICCs/IPs as referred under Sec. 3, items (a) and (b) of this Act.

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SECTION 7. Rights to Ancestral Domains. — The rights of ownership and possession of

ICCs/IPs to their ancestral domains shall be recognized and protected. Such rights shall include:
a) Right of Ownership. — The right to claim ownership over lands, bodies of water traditionally and
actually occupied by ICCs/IPs, sacred places, traditional hunting and fishing grounds, and all
improvements made by them at any time within the domains;
b) Right to Develop Lands and Natural Resources. — Subject to Section 56 hereof, right to develop,
control and use lands and territories traditionally occupied, owned, or used; to manage and
conserve natural resources within the territories and uphold the responsibilities for future
generations; to benefit and share the profits from allocation and utilization of the natural resources
found therein; the right to negotiate the terms and conditions for the exploration of natural
resources in the areas for the purpose of ensuring ecological, environmental protection and the
conservation measures, pursuant to national and customary laws; the right to an informed and
intelligent participation in the formulation and implementation of any project, government or
private, that will affect or impact upon the ancestral domains and to receive just and fair
compensation for any damages which they may sustain as a result of the project; and the right to
effective measures by the government to prevent any interference with, alienation and
encroachment upon these rights;
c) Right to Stay in the Territories. — The right to stay in the territory and not to be removed
therefrom. No ICCs/IPs will be relocated without their free and prior informed consent, nor through
any means other than eminent domain. Where relocation is considered necessary as an
exceptional measure, such relocation shall take place only with the free and prior informed
consent of the ICCs/IPs concerned and whenever possible, they shall be guaranteed the right to
return to their ancestral domains, as soon as the grounds for relocation cease to exist. When such
return is not possible, as determined by agreement or through appropriate procedures, ICCs/IPs
shall be provided in all possible cases with lands of quality and legal status at least equal to that
of the land previously occupied by them, suitable to provide for their present needs and future
development. Persons thus relocated shall likewise be fully compensated for any resulting loss or
injury;
d) Right in Case of Displacement. — In case displacement occurs as a result of natural
catastrophes, the State shall endeavor to resettle the displaced ICCs/IPs in suitable areas where
they can have temporary life support systems: Provided, That the displaced ICCs/IPs shall have
the right to return to their abandoned lands until such time that the normalcy and safety of such
lands shall be determined: Provided, further, That should their ancestral domain cease to exist
and normalcy and safety of the previous settlements are not possible, displaced ICCs/IPs shall
enjoy security of tenure over lands to which they have been resettled: Provided, furthermore, That

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basic services and livelihood shall be provided to them to ensure that their needs are adequately
addressed;
e) Right to Regulate Entry of Migrants. — Right to regulate the entry of migrant settlers and
organizations into the domains;
f) Right to Safe and Clean Air and Water. — For this purpose, the ICCs/IPs shall have access to
integrated systems for the management of their inland waters and air space;
g) Right to Claim Parts of Reservations. — The right to claim parts of the ancestral domains which
have been reserved for various purposes, except those reserved and intended for common public
welfare and service; and
h) Right to Resolve Conflict. — Right to resolve land conflicts in accordance with customary laws of
the area where the land is located, and only in default thereof shall the complaints be submitted to
amicable settlement and to the Courts of Justice whenever necessary.
SECTION 8. Rights to Ancestral Lands. — The right of ownership and possession of the ICCs/IPs
to their ancestral lands shall be recognized and protected.
a) Right to transfer land/property. — Such right shall include the right to transfer land or property
rights to/among members of the same ICCs/IPs, subject to customary laws and traditions of the
community concerned.
b) Right to Redemption. — In cases where it is shown that the transfer of land/property rights by
virtue of any agreement or devise, to a non-member of the concerned ICCs/IPs is tainted by the
vitiated consent of the ICCs/IPs, or is transferred for an unconscionable consideration or price, the
transferor ICC/IP shall have the right to redeem the same within a period not exceeding fifteen
(15) years from the date of transfer.
SECTION 9. Responsibilities of ICCs/IPs to their Ancestral Domains. — ICCs/IPs occupying a
duly certified ancestral domain shall have the following responsibilities:
a) Maintain Ecological Balance. — To preserve, restore, and maintain a balanced ecology in the
ancestral domain by protecting the flora and fauna, watershed areas, and other reserves;
b) Restore Denuded Areas. — To actively initiate, undertake and participate in the reforestation of
denuded areas and other development programs and projects subject to just and reasonable
remuneration; and
c) Observe Laws. — To observe and comply with the provisions of this Act and the rules and
regulations for its effective implementation.
SECTION 10. Unauthorized and Unlawful Intrusion. — Unauthorized and unlawful intrusion
upon, or use of any portion of the ancestral domain, or any violation of the rights hereinbefore
enumerated, shall be punishable under this law. Furthermore, the Government shall take
measures to prevent non-ICCs/IPs from taking advantage of the ICCs/IPs customs or lack of
understanding of laws to secure ownership, possession of land belonging to said ICCs/IPs.
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SECTION 11. Recognition of Ancestral Domain Rights. — The rights of ICCs/IPs to their
ancestral domains by virtue of Native Title shall be recognized and respected. Formal recognition,
when solicited by ICCs/IPs concerned, shall be embodied in a Certificate of Ancestral Domain Title
(CADT), which shall recognize the title of the concerned ICCs/IPs over the territories identified and
delineated.
SECTION 12. Option to Secure Certificate of Title under Commonwealth Act 141, as
amended, or the Land Registration Act 496. — Individual members of cultural communities, with
respect to their individually-owned ancestral lands who, by themselves or through their
predecessors-in-interest, have been in continuous possession and occupation of the same in the
concept of owner since time immemorial or for a period of not less than thirty (30) years immediately
preceding the approval of this Act and uncontested by the members of the same ICCs/IPs shall have the
option to secure title to their ancestral lands under the provisions of Commonwealth Act 141, as
amended, or the Land Registration Act 496.
For this purpose, said individually-owned ancestral lands, which are agricultural in character
and actually used for agricultural, residential, pasture, and tree farming purposes, including those
with a slope of eighteen percent (18%) or more, are hereby classified as alienable and disposable
agricultural lands.
The option granted under this section shall be exercised within twenty (20) years from the
approval of this Act.
CHAPTER IV
Right to Self-Governance and Empowerment
SECTION 13. Self-Governance. — The State recognizes the inherent right of ICCs/IPs to self-
governance and self-determination and respects the integrity of their values, practices and
institutions. Consequently, the State shall guarantee the right of ICCs/IPs to freely pursue their
economic, social and cultural development.
SECTION 14. Support for Autonomous Regions. — The State shall continue to strengthen
and support the autonomous regions created under the Constitution as they may require or need.
The State shall likewise encourage other ICCs/IPs not included or outside Muslim Mindanao and
the Cordilleras to use the form and content of their ways of life as may be compatible with the
fundamental rights defined in the Constitution of the Republic of the Philippines and other
internationally recognized human rights.
SECTION 15. Justice System, Conflict Resolution Institutions, and Peace Building
Processes. — The ICCs/IPs shall have the right to use their own commonly accepted justice systems,
conflict resolution institutions, peace building processes or mechanisms and other customary laws
and practices within their respective communities and as may be compatible with the national legal
system and with internationally recognized human rights.
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SECTION 16. Right to Participate in Decision-Making. — ICCs/IPs have the right to

participate fully, if they so choose, at all levels of decision-making in matters which may affect their
rights, lives and destinies through procedures determined by them as well as to maintain and
develop their own indigenous political structures. Consequently, the State shall ensure that the
ICCs/IPs shall be given mandatory representation in policy-making bodies and other local
legislative councils.
SECTION 17. Right to Determine and Decide Priorities for Development. — The ICCs/IPs
shall have the right to determine and decide their own priorities for development affecting their lives,
beliefs, institutions, spiritual well-being, and the lands they own, occupy or use. They shall participate
in the formulation, implementation and evaluation of policies, plans and programs for national, regional
and local development which may directly affect them.
SECTION 18. Tribal Barangays. — The ICCs/IPs living in contiguous areas or communities
where they form the predominant population but which are located in municipalities, provinces or cities
where they do not constitute the majority of the population, may form or constitute a separate
barangay in accordance with the Local Government Code on the creation of tribal barangays.
SECTION 19. Role of Peoples Organizations. — The State shall recognize and respect the
role of independent ICCs/IPs organizations to enable the ICCs/IPs to pursue and protect their
legitimate and collective interests and aspirations through peaceful and lawful means.
SECTION 20. Means for Development/Empowerment of ICCs/IPs. — The Government
shall establish the means for the full development/empowerment of the ICCs/IPs own institutions and
initiatives and, where necessary, provide the resources needed therefor.
CHAPTER V
Social Justice and Human Rights
SECTION 21.Equal Protection and Non-discrimination of ICCs/IPs. — Consistent with the
equal protection clause of the Constitution of the Republic of the Philippines, the Charter of the United
Nations, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights including the Convention on the Elimination of
Discrimination Against Women and International Human Rights Law, the State shall, with due
recognition of their distinct characteristics and identity, accord to the members of the ICCs/IPs the
rights, protections and privileges enjoyed by the rest of the citizenry. It shall extend to them the
same employment rights, opportunities, basic services, educational and other rights and privileges
available to every member of the society. Accordingly, the State shall likewise ensure that the
employment of any form of force or coercion against ICCs/IPs shall be dealt with by law.
The State shall ensure that the fundamental human rights and freedoms as enshrined in the
Constitution and relevant international instruments are guaranteed also to indigenous women. Towards
this end, no provision in this Act shall be interpreted so as to result in the diminution of rights and
privileges already recognized and accorded to women under existing laws of general application.
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SECTION 22. Rights during Armed Conflict. — ICCs/IPs have the right to special protection
and security in periods of armed conflict. The State shall observe international standards, in
particular, the Fourth Geneva Convention of 1949, for the protection of civilian populations in
circumstances of emergency and armed conflict, and shall not recruit members of the ICCs/IPs against
their will into the armed forces, and in particular, for use against other ICCs/IPs; nor recruit children
of ICCs/IPs into the armed forces under any circumstance; nor force indigenous individuals to
abandon their lands, territories and means of subsistence, or relocate them in special centers for
military purposes under any discriminatory condition.
SECTION 23. Freedom from Discrimination and Right to Equal Opportunity and
Treatment. — It shall be the right of the ICCs/IPs to be free from any form of discrimination, with
respect to recruitment and conditions of employment, such that they may enjoy equal opportunities for
admission to employment, medical and social assistance, safety as well as other
occupationally-related benefits, informed of their rights under existing labor legislation and of means
available to them for redress, not subject to any coercive recruitment systems, including bonded labor
and other forms of debt servitude; and equal treatment in employment for men and women, including
the protection from sexual harassment.
Towards this end, the State shall, within the framework of national laws and regulations, and in
cooperation with the ICCs/IPs concerned, adopt special measures to ensure the effective
protection with regard to the recruitment and conditions of employment of persons belonging to these
communities, to the extent that they are not effectively protected by laws applicable to workers in
general.
ICCs/IPs shall have the right to association and freedom for all trade union activities and the
right to conclude collective bargaining agreements with employers’ organizations. They shall likewise
have the right not to be subject to working conditions hazardous to their health, particularly through
exposure to pesticides and other toxic substances.
SECTION 24. Unlawful Acts Pertaining to Employment. — It shall be unlawful for any
person:
a) To discriminate against any ICC/IP with respect to the terms and conditions of employment on
account of their descent. Equal remuneration shall be paid to ICC/IP and non-ICC/IP for work of
equal value; and
b) To deny any ICC/IP employee any right or benefit herein provided for or to discharge them for the
purpose of preventing them from enjoying any of the rights or benefits provided under this Act.
SECTION 25. Basic Services. — The ICCs/IPs have the right to special measures for the
immediate, effective and continuing improvement of their economic and social conditions, including
in the areas of employment, vocational training and retraining, housing, sanitation, health and
social security. Particular attention shall be paid to the rights and special needs of indigenous
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women, elderly, youth, children and differently-abled persons. Accordingly, the State shall guarantee
the right of ICCs/IPs to government’s basic services which shall include, but not limited to, water and
electrical facilities, education, health, and infrastructure.
SECTION 26. Women. — ICC/IP women shall enjoy equal rights and opportunities with men, as
regards the social, economic, political and cultural spheres of life. The participation of indigenous
women in the decision-making process in all levels, as well as in the development of society, shall
be given due respect and recognition.
The State shall provide full access to education, maternal and child care, health and nutrition,
and housing services to indigenous women. Vocational, technical, professional and other forms of
training shall be provided to enable these women to fully participate in all aspects of social life. As far
as possible, the State shall ensure that indigenous women have access to all services in their own
languages.
SECTION 27. Children and Youth. — The State shall recognize the vital role of the children
and youth of ICCs/IPs in nation-building and shall promote and protect their physical, moral, spiritual,
intellectual and social well-being. Towards this end, the State shall support all government programs
intended for the development and rearing of the children and youth of ICCs/IPs for civic efficiency
and establish such mechanisms as may be necessary for the protection of the rights of the
indigenous children and youth.
SECTION 28. Integrated System of Education. — The State shall, through the NCIP, provide a
complete, adequate and integrated system of education, relevant to the needs of the children and
young people of ICCs/IPs.
CHAPTER VI
Cultural Integrity
SECTION 29. Protection of Indigenous Culture, Traditions and Institutions. — The State
shall respect, recognize and protect the right of ICCs/IPs to preserve and protect their culture, traditions
and institutions. It shall consider these rights in the formulation and application of national plans and
policies.
SECTION 30. Educational Systems. — The State shall provide equal access to various cultural
opportunities to the ICCs/IPs through the educational system, public or private cultural entities,
scholarships, grants and other incentives without prejudice to their right to establish and control their
educational systems and institutions by providing education in their own language, in a manner
appropriate to their cultural methods of teaching and learning. Indigenous children/youth shall have the
right to all levels and forms of education of the State.
SECTION 31. Recognition of Cultural Diversity. — The State shall endeavor to have the dignity
and diversity of the cultures, traditions, histories and aspirations of the ICCs/IPs appropriately reflected in
all forms of education, public information and cultural-educational exchange. Consequently, the State
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shall take effective measures, in consultation with ICCs/IPs concerned, to eliminate prejudice and
discrimination and to promote tolerance, understanding and good relations among ICCs/IPs and all
segments of society. Furthermore, the Government shall take effective measures to ensure that the
State-owned media duly reflect indigenous cultural diversity. The State shall likewise ensure the
participation of appropriate indigenous leaders in schools, communities and international cooperative
undertakings like festivals, conferences, seminars and workshops to promote and enhance their
distinctive heritage and values.
SECTION 32. Community Intellectual Rights. — ICCs/IPs have the right to practice and
revitalize their own cultural traditions and customs. The State shall preserve, protect and develop the
past, present and future manifestations of their cultures as well as the right to the restitution of cultural,
intellectual, religious, and spiritual property taken without their free and prior informed consent or in
violation of their laws, traditions and customs.
SECTION 33. Rights to Religious, Cultural Sites and Ceremonies. — ICCs/IPs shall have the
right to manifest, practice, develop, and teach their spiritual and religious traditions, customs and
ceremonies; the right to maintain, protect and have access to their religious and cultural sites; the right to
use and control of ceremonial objects; and, the right to the repatriation of human remains. Accordingly,
the State shall take effective measures, in cooperation with the ICCs/IPs concerned, to ensure that
indigenous sacred places, including burial sites, be preserved, respected and protected. To achieve this
purpose, it shall be unlawful to:
a) Explore, excavate or make diggings on archeological sites of the ICCs/IPs for the purpose of
obtaining materials of cultural values without the free and prior informed consent of the
community concerned; and
b) Deface, remove or otherwise destroy artifacts which are of great importance to the ICCs/IPs for
the preservation of their cultural heritage.
SECTION 34. Right to Indigenous Knowledge Systems and Practices and to Develop own
Sciences and Technologies. — ICCs/IPs are entitled to the recognition of the full ownership and control
and protection of their cultural and intellectual rights. They shall have the right to special measures to
control, develop and protect their sciences, technologies and cultural manifestations, including human
and other genetic resources, seeds, including derivatives of these resources, traditional medicines and
health practices, vital medicinal plants, animals and minerals, indigenous knowledge systems and
practices, knowledge of the properties of fauna and flora, oral traditions, literature, designs, and visual
and performing arts.
SECTION 35. Access to Biological and Genetic Resources. — Access to biological and genetic
resources and to indigenous knowledge related to the conservation, utilization and enhancement of these
resources, shall be allowed within ancestral lands and domains of the ICCs/IPs only with a free and prior

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informed consent of such communities, obtained in accordance with customary laws of the concerned
community.
SECTION 36. Sustainable Agro-Technical Development. — The State shall recognize the right
of ICCs/IPs to a sustainable agro-technological development and shall formulate and implement
programs of action for its effective implementation. The State shall likewise promote the bio-genetic and
resource management systems among the ICCs/IPs and shall encourage cooperation among
government agencies to ensure the successful sustainable development of ICCs/IPs.
SECTION 37. Funds for Archeological and Historical Sites. — The ICCs/IPs shall have the
right to receive from the national government all funds especially earmarked or allocated for the
management and preservation of their archeological and historical sites and artifacts with the financial
and technical support of the national government agencies.
CHAPTER VII
National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP)
SECTION 38. National Commission on Indigenous Cultural Communities/Indigenous
Peoples (NCIP). — To carry out the policies herein set forth, there shall be created the National
Commission on ICCs/IPs (NCIP), which shall be the primary government agency responsible for the
formulation and implementation of policies, plans and programs to promote and protect the rights and
well-being of the ICCs/IPs and the recognition of their ancestral domains as well as the rights thereto.
SECTION 39. Mandate. — The NCIP shall protect and promote the interest and well-being of the
ICCs/IPs with due regard to their beliefs, customs, traditions and institutions.
SECTION 40. Composition. — The NCIP shall be an independent agency under the Office of the
President and shall be composed of seven (7) Commissioners belonging to ICCs/IPs, one (1) of whom
shall be the Chairperson. The Commissioners shall be appointed by the President of the Philippines from
a list of recommendees submitted by authentic ICCs/IPs: Provided, That the seven (7) Commissioners
shall be appointed specifically from each of the following ethnographic areas: Region I and the
Cordilleras; Region II; the rest of Luzon; Island Groups including Mindoro, Palawan, Romblon, Panay and
the rest of the Visayas; Northern and Western Mindanao; Southern and Eastern Mindanao; and Central
Mindanao: Provided, That at least two (2) of the seven (7) Commissioners shall be women.
SECTION 41. Qualifications, Tenure, Compensation. — The Chairperson and the six (6)
Commissioners must be natural born Filipino citizens, bona fide members of the ICCs/IPs as certified by
his/her tribe, experienced in ethnic affairs and who have worked for at least ten (10) years with an ICC/IP
community and/or any government agency involved in ICC/IP, at least 35 years of age at the time of
appointment, and must be of proven honesty and integrity: Provided, That at least two (2) of the seven (7)
Commissioners shall be members of the Philippine Bar: Provided, further, That the members of the NCIP
shall hold office for a period of three (3) years, and may be subject to re-appointment for another term:
Provided, furthermore, That no person shall serve for more than two (2) terms. Appointment to any
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vacancy shall only be for the unexpired term of the predecessor and in no case shall a member be
appointed or designated in a temporary or acting capacity: Provided, finally, that the Chairperson and the
Commissioners shall be entitled to compensation in accordance with the Salary Standardization Law.
SECTION 42. Removal from Office. — Any member of the NCIP may be removed from office by
the President, on his own initiative or upon recommendation by any indigenous community, before the
expiration of his term for cause and after complying with due process requirement of law.
SECTION 43. Appointment of Commissioners. — The President shall appoint the seven (7)
Commissioners of the NCIP within ninety (90) days from the effectively of this Act.
SECTION 44. Powers and Functions. — To accomplish its mandate, the NCIP shall have the
following powers, jurisdiction and function:
a) To serve as the primary government agency through which ICCs/IPs can seek government
assistance and as the medium, through which such assistance may be extended;
b) To review and assess the conditions of ICCs/IPs including existing laws and policies pertinent
thereto and to propose relevant laws and policies to address their role in national development;
c) To formulate and implement policies, plans, programs and projects for the economic, social and
cultural development of the ICCs/IPs and to monitor the implementation thereof;
d) To request and engage the services and support of experts from other agencies of government or
employ private experts and consultants as may be required in the pursuit of its objectives;
e) To issue certificate of ancestral land/domain title;
f) Subject to existing laws, to enter into contracts, agreements, or arrangement, with government or
private agencies or entities as may be necessary to attain the objectives of this Act, and subject to
the approval of the President, to obtain loans from government lending institutions and other
lending institutions to finance its programs;
g) To negotiate for funds and to accept grants, donations, gifts and/or properties in whatever form
and from whatever source, local and international, subject to the approval of the President of the
Philippines, for the benefit of ICCs/IPs and administer the same in accordance with the terms
thereof; or in the absence of any condition, in such manner consistent with the interest of
ICCs/IPs as well as existing laws;
h) To coordinate development programs and projects for the advancement of the ICCs/IPs and to
oversee the proper implementation thereof;
i) To convene periodic conventions or assemblies of IPs to review, assess as well as propose
policies or plans;
j) To advise the President of the Philippines on all matters relating to the ICCs/IPs and to submit
within sixty (60) days after the close of each calendar year, a report of its operations and
achievements;

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k) To submit to Congress appropriate legislative proposals intended to carry out the policies under
this Act;
l) To prepare and submit the appropriate budget to the Office of the President;
m) To issue appropriate certification as a pre-condition to the grant of permit, lease, grant, or any
other similar authority for the disposition, utilization, management and appropriation by any private
individual, corporate entity or any government agency, corporation or subdivision thereof on any
part or portion of the ancestral domain taking into consideration the consensus approval of the
ICCs/IPs concerned;
n) To decide all appeals from the decisions and acts of all the various offices within the Commission;
o) To promulgate the necessary rules and regulations for the implementation of this Act;
p) To exercise such other powers and functions as may be directed by the President of the Republic
of the Philippines; and
q) To represent the Philippine ICCs/IPs in all international conferences and conventions dealing with
indigenous peoples and other related concerns.
SECTION 45. Accessibility and Transparency. — Subject to such limitations as may be provided
by law or by rules and regulations promulgated pursuant thereto, all official records, documents and
papers pertaining to official acts, transactions or decisions, as well as research data used as basis
for policy development of the Commission shall be made accessible to the public.
SECTION 46. Offices within the NCIP. — The NCIP shall have the following offices which shall be
responsible for the implementation of the policies hereinafter provided:
a) Ancestral Domains Office — The Ancestral Domain Office shall be responsible for the
identification, delineation and recognition of ancestral lands/domains. It shall also be responsible
for the management of ancestral lands/domains in accordance with a master plan as well as the
implementation of the ancestral domain rights of the ICCs/IPs as provided in Chapter III of this
Act. It shall also issue, upon the free and prior informed consent of the ICCs/IPs concerned,
certification prior to the grant of any license, lease or permit for the exploitation of natural
resources affecting the interests of ICCs/IPs or their ancestral domains and to assist the ICCs/IPs
in protecting the territorial integrity of all ancestral domains. It shall likewise perform such other
functions as the Commission may deem appropriate and necessary;
b) Office on Policy, Planning and Research — The Office on Policy, Planning and Research shall be
responsible for the formulation of appropriate policies and programs for ICCs/IPs such as, but not
limited to, the development of a Five-Year Master Plan for the ICCs/IPs. Such plan shall undergo
a process such that every five years, the Commission shall endeavor to assess the plan and
make ramifications in accordance with the changing situations. The Office shall also undertake
the documentation of customary law and shall establish and maintain a Research Center that
would serve as a depository of ethnographic information for monitoring, evaluation and policy
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formulation. It shall assist the legislative branch of the national government in the formulation of
appropriate legislation benefiting ICCs/IPs;
c) Office of Education, Culture and Health — The Office on Culture, Education and Health shall be
responsible for the effective implementation of the education, cultural and related rights as
provided in this Act. It shall assist, promote and support community schools, both formal and
non-formal, for the benefit of the local indigenous community, especially in areas where existing
educational facilities are not accessible to members of the indigenous group. It shall administer all
scholarship programs and other educational rights intended for ICC/IP beneficiaries in
coordination with the Department of Education, Culture and Sports and the Commission on
Higher Education. It shall undertake, within the limits of available appropriation, a special program
which includes language and vocational training, public health and family assistance program and
related subjects.
It shall also identify ICCs/IPs with potential training in the health profession and encourage and assist
them to enroll in schools of medicine, nursing, physical therapy and other allied courses pertaining to
the health profession.
Towards this end, the NCIP shall deploy a representative in each of the said offices who shall
personally perform the foregoing task and who shall receive complaints from the ICCs/IPs and compel
action from appropriate agency. It shall also monitor the activities of the National Museum and other
similar government agencies generally intended to manage and preserve historical and archeological
artifacts of the ICCs/IPs and shall be responsible for the implementation of such other functions as the
NCIP may deem appropriate and necessary;
a) Office on Socio-Economic Services and Special Concerns — The Office on Socio-Economic
Services and Special Concerns shall serve as the Office through which the NCIP shall coordinate
with pertinent government agencies specially charged with the implementation of various basic
socio-economic services, policies, plans and programs affecting the ICCs/IPs to ensure that the
same are properly and directly enjoyed by them. It shall also be responsible for such other
functions as the NCIP may deem appropriate and necessary;
d) Office of Empowerment and Human Rights — The Office of Empowerment and Human Rights
shall ensure that indigenous socio-political, cultural and economic rights are respected and
recognized. It shall ensure that capacity building mechanisms are instituted and ICCs/IPs are
afforded every opportunity, if they so choose, to participate in all levels of decision-making. It shall
likewise ensure that the basic human rights, and such other rights as the NCIP may determine,
subject to existing laws, rules and regulations, are protected and promoted;
e) Administrative Office — The Administrative Office shall provide the NCIP with economical,
efficient and effective services pertaining to personnel, finance, records, equipment, security,
supplies and related services. It shall also administer the Ancestral Domains Fund; and
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f) Legal Affairs Office — There shall be a Legal Affairs Office which shall advice the NCIP on all
legal matters concerning ICCs/IPs and which shall be responsible for providing ICCs/IPs with
legal assistance in litigation involving community interest. It shall conduct preliminary investigation
on the basis of complaints filed by the ICCs/IPs against a natural or juridical person believed to
have violated ICCs/IPs rights. On the basis of its findings, it shall initiate the filing of appropriate
legal or administrative action to the NCIP.
SECTION 47. Other Offices. — The NCIP shall have the power to create additional offices as it may
deem necessary subject to existing rules and regulations.
SECTION 48. Regional and Field Offices. — Existing regional and field offices shall remain to
function under the strengthened organizational structure of the NCIP. Other field offices shall be created
wherever appropriate and the staffing pattern thereof shall be determined by the NCIP: Provided, that in
provinces where there are ICCs/IPs but without field offices, the NCIP shall establish field offices in said
provinces.
SECTION 49. Office of the Executive Director. — The NCIP shall create the Office of the Executive
Director which shall serve as its secretariat. The Office shall be headed by an Executive Director who
shall be appointed by the President of the Republic of the Philippines upon recommendation of the NCIP
on a permanent basis. The staffing pattern of the office shall be determined by the NCIP subject to the
existing rules and regulations.
SECTION 50. Consultative Body. — A body consisting of the traditional leaders, elders and
representatives from the women and youth sectors of the different ICCs/IPs shall be constituted by the
NCIP from time to time to advise it on matters relating to the problems, aspirations and interests of the
ICCs/IPs.
CHAPTER VIII
Delineation and Recognition of Ancestral Domains
SECTION 51. Delineation and Recognition of Ancestral Domains. — Self-delineation shall be
the guiding principle in the identification and delineation of ancestral domains. As such, the ICCs/IPs
concerned shall have a decisive role in all the activities pertinent thereto. The Sworn Statement of the
Elders as to the scope of the territories and agreements/pacts made with neighboring ICCs/IPs, if any,
will be essential to the determination of these traditional territories. The Government shall take the
necessary steps to identify lands which the ICCs/IPs concerned traditionally occupy and guarantee
effective protection of their rights of ownership and possession thereto. Measures shall be taken in
appropriate cases to safeguard the right of the ICCs/IPs concerned to land which may no longer be
exclusively occupied by them, but to which they have traditionally had access for their subsistence and
traditional activities, particularly of ICCs/IPs who are still nomadic and/or shifting cultivators.
SECTION 52. Delineation Process. — The identification and delineation of ancestral domains
shall be done in accordance with the following procedures:
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a) Ancestral Domains Delineated Prior to this Act. — The provisions hereunder shall not apply to
ancestral domains/lands already delineated according to DENR Administrative Order No. 2, series
of 1993, nor to ancestral lands and domains delineated under any other community/ancestral
domain program prior to the enactment of this law. ICCs/IPs whose ancestral lands/domains were
officially delineated prior to the enactment of this law shall have the right to apply for the issuance
of a Certificate of Ancestral Domain Title (CADT) over the area without going through the process
outlined hereunder;
b) Petition for Delineation. — The process of delineating a specific perimeter may be initiated by the
NCIP with the consent of the ICC/IP concerned, or through a Petition for Delineation filed with the
NCIP, by a majority of the members of the ICCs/IPs;
c) Delineation Proper. — The official delineation of ancestral domain boundaries including census of
all community members therein, shall be immediately undertaken by the Ancestral Domains Office
upon filing of the application by the ICCs/IPs concerned. Delineation will be done in coordination
with the community concerned and shall at all times include genuine involvement and participation
by the members of the communities concerned;
d) Proof Required. — Proof of Ancestral Domain Claims shall include the testimony of elders or
community under oath, and other documents directly or indirectly attesting to the possession or
occupation of the area since time immemorial by such ICCs/IPs in the concept of owners which
shall be any one (1) of the following authentic documents:
1) Written accounts of the ICCs/IPs customs and traditions;
2) Written accounts of the ICCs/IPs political structure and institution;
3) Pictures showing long term occupation such as those of old improvements, burial grounds, sacred
places and old villages;
4) Historical accounts, including pacts and agreements concerning boundaries entered into by the
ICCs/IPs concerned with other ICCs/IPs;
5) Survey plans and sketch maps;
6) Anthropological data;
7) Genealogical surveys;
8) Pictures and descriptive histories of traditional communal forests and hunting grounds;
9) Pictures and descriptive histories of traditional landmarks such as mountains, rivers, creeks,
ridges, hills, terraces and the like; and
10) Write-ups of names and places derived from the native dialect of the community.
e) Preparation of Maps. — On the basis of such investigation and the findings of fact based thereon,
the Ancestral Domains Office of the NCIP shall prepare a perimeter map, complete with technical
descriptions, and a description of the natural features and landmarks embraced therein;

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f) Report of Investigation and Other Documents. — a, shall be prepared by the Ancestral Domains
Office of the NCIP;
g) Notice and Publication. — A copy of each document, including a translation in the native language
of the ICCs/IPs concerned shall be posted in a prominent place therein for at least fifteen (15)
days. A copy of the document shall also be posted at the local, provincial and regional offices of
the NCIP, and shall be published in a newspaper of general circulation once a week for two (2)
consecutive weeks to allow other claimants to file opposition thereto within fifteen (15) days from
date of such publication: Provided, That in areas where no such newspaper exists, broadcasting
in a radio station will be a valid substitute: Provided, further, That mere posting shall be deemed
sufficient if both newspaper and radio station are not available;
h) Endorsement to NCIP. — Within fifteen (15) days from publication, and of the inspection process,
the Ancestral Domains Office shall prepare a report to the NCIP endorsing a favorable action
upon a claim that is deemed to have sufficient proof. However, if the proof is deemed insufficient,
the Ancestral Domains Office shall require the submission of additional evidence: Provided, That
the Ancestral Domains Office shall reject any claim that is deemed patently false or fraudulent
after inspection and verification: Provided, further, That in case of rejection, the Ancestral
Domains Office shall give the applicant due notice, copy furnished all concerned, containing the
grounds for denial. The denial shall be appealable to the NCIP: Provided, furthermore, That in
cases where there are conflicting claims among ICCs/IPs on the boundaries of ancestral domain
claims, the Ancestral Domains Office shall cause the contending parties to meet and assist them
in coming up with a preliminary resolution of the conflict, without prejudice to its full adjudication
according to the section below.
i) Turnover of Areas Within Ancestral Domains Managed by Other Government Agencies. — The
Chairperson of the NCIP shall certify that the area covered is an ancestral domain. The
secretaries of the Department of Agrarian Reform, Department of Environment and Natural
Resources, Department of the Interior and Local Government, and Department of Justice, the
Commissioner of the National Development Corporation, and any other government agency
claiming jurisdiction over the area shall be notified thereof. Such notification shall terminate any
legal basis for the jurisdiction previously claimed;
j) Issuance of CADT . — ICCs/IPs whose ancestral domains have been officially delineated and
determined by the NCIP shall be issued a CADT in the name of the community concerned,
containing a list of all those identified in the census; and
k) Registration of CADTs. — The NCIP shall register issued certificates of ancestral domain titles
and certificates of ancestral lands titles before the Register of Deeds in the place where the
property is situated.
SECTION 53. Identification, Delineation and Certification of Ancestral Lands. —
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a) The allocation of lands within any ancestral domain to individual or indigenous corporate (family or
clan) claimants shall be left to the ICCs/IPs concerned to decide in accordance with customs and
traditions;
b) Individual and indigenous corporate claimants of ancestral lands which are not within ancestral
domains, may have their claims officially established by filing applications for the identification and
delineation of their claims with the Ancestral Domains Office. An individual or recognized head of
a family or clan may file such application in his behalf or in behalf of his family or clan,
respectively;
c) Proofs of such claims shall accompany the application form which shall include the testimony
under oath of elders of the community and other documents directly or indirectly attesting to the
possession or occupation of the areas since time immemorial by the individual or corporate
claimants in the concept of owners which shall be any of the authentic documents enumerated
under Sec. 52 (d) of this Act, including tax declarations and proofs of payment of taxes;
d) The Ancestral Domains Office may require from each ancestral claimant the submission of such
other documents, Sworn Statements and the like, which in its opinion, may shed light on the
veracity of the contents of the application/claim;
e) Upon receipt of the applications for delineation and recognition of ancestral land claims, the
Ancestral Domains Office shall cause the publication of the application and a copy of each
document submitted including a translation in the native language of the ICCs/IPs concerned in a
prominent place therein for at least fifteen (15) days. A copy of the document shall also be posted
at the local, provincial, and regional offices of the NCIP and shall be published in a newspaper of
general circulation once a week for two (2) consecutive weeks to allow other claimants to file
opposition thereto within fifteen (15) days from the date of such publication: Provided, That in
areas where no such newspaper exists, broadcasting in a radio station will be a valid substitute:
Provided, further, That mere posting shall be deemed sufficient if both newspapers and radio
station are not available;
f) Fifteen (15) days after such publication, the Ancestral Domains Office shall investigate and
inspect each application, and if found to be meritorious, shall cause a parcellary survey of the
area being claimed. The Ancestral Domains Office shall reject any claim that is deemed patently
false or fraudulent after inspection and verification. In case of rejection, the Ancestral Domains
Office shall give the applicant due notice, copy furnished all concerned, containing the grounds for
denial. The denial shall be appealable to the NCIP. In case of conflicting claims among individuals
or indigenous corporate claimants, the Ancestral Domains Office shall cause the contending
parties to meet and assist them in coming up with a preliminary resolution of the conflict, without
prejudice to its full adjudication according to Sec. 62 of this Act. In all proceedings for the

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identification or delineation of the ancestral domains as herein provided, the Director of Lands
shall represent the interest of the Republic of the Philippines; and
g) The Ancestral Domains Office shall prepare and submit a report on each and every application
surveyed and delineated to the NCIP, which shall, in turn, evaluate the report submitted. If the
NCIP finds such claim meritorious, it shall issue a certificate of ancestral land, declaring and
certifying the claim of each individual or corporate (family or clan) claimant over ancestral lands.
SECTION 54. Fraudulent Claims. — The Ancestral Domains Office may, upon written request from
the ICCs/IPs, review existing claims which have been fraudulently acquired by any person or community.
Any claim found to be fraudulently acquired by, and issued to, any person or community may be
cancelled by the NCIP after due notice and hearing of all parties concerned.
SECTION 55. Communal Rights. — Subject to Section 56 hereof, areas within the ancestral
domains, whether delineated or not, shall be presumed to be communally held: Provided, That communal
rights under this Act shall not be construed as co-ownership as provided in Republic Act No. 386,
otherwise known as the New Civil Code.
SECTION 56. Existing Property Rights Regimes. — Property rights within the ancestral domains
already existing and/or vested upon effectively of this Act, shall be recognized and respected.
SECTION 57. Natural Resources within Ancestral Domains. — The ICCs/IPs shall have priority
rights in the harvesting, extraction, development or exploitation of any natural resources within the
ancestral domains. A non-member of the ICCs/IPs concerned may be allowed to take part in the
development and utilization of the natural resources for a period of not exceeding twenty-five (25) years
renewable for not more than twenty-five (25) years: Provided, That a formal and written agreement is
entered into with the ICCs/IPs concerned or that the community, pursuant to its own decision making
process, has agreed to allow such operation: Provided, finally, That the NCIP may exercise visitorial
powers and take appropriate action to safeguard the rights of the ICCs/IPs under the same contract.
SECTION 58. Environmental Considerations. — Ancestral domains or portions thereof, which are
found to be necessary for critical watersheds, mangroves, wildlife sanctuaries, wilderness, protected
areas, forest cover, or reforestation as determined by appropriate agencies with the full participation of
the ICCs/IPs concerned shall be maintained, managed and developed for such purposes. The ICCs/IPs
concerned shall be given the responsibility to maintain, develop, protect and conserve such areas with
the full and effective assistance of government agencies. Should the ICCs/IPs decide to transfer the
responsibility over the areas, said decision must be made in writing. The consent of the ICCs/IPs should
be arrived at in accordance with its customary laws without prejudice to the basic requirements of existing
laws on free and prior informed consent: Provided, That the transfer shall be temporary and will ultimately
revert to the ICCs/IPs in accordance with a program for technology transfer: Provided, further, That no
ICCs/IPs shall be displaced or relocated for the purpose enumerated under this section without the
written consent of the specific persons authorized to give consent.
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SECTION 59. Certification Precondition. — All departments and other governmental agencies
shall henceforth be strictly enjoined from issuing, renewing, or granting any concession, license or lease,
or entering into any production-sharing agreement, without prior certification from the NCIP that the area
affected does not overlap with any ancestral domain. Such certification shall only be issued after a
field-based investigation is conducted by the Ancestral Domains Office of the area concerned: Provided,
That no certification shall be issued by the NCIP without the free and prior informed and written consent
of ICCs/IPs concerned: Provided, further, That no department, government agency or government-owned
or -controlled corporation may issue new concession, license, lease, or production sharing agreement
while there is a pending application for a CADT: Provided, finally, That the ICCs/IPs shall have the right to
stop or suspend, in accordance with this Act, any project that has not satisfied the requirement of this
consultation process.
SECTION 60. Exemption from Taxes. — All lands certified to be ancestral domains shall be
exempt from real property taxes, special levies, and other forms of exaction except such portion of the
ancestral domains as are actually used for large-scale agriculture, commercial forest plantation and
residential purposes or upon titling by private persons: Provided, That all exactions shall be used to
facilitate the development and improvement of the ancestral domains.
SECTION 61. Temporary Requisition Powers. — Prior to the establishment of an institutional
surveying capacity whereby it can effectively fulfill its mandate, but in no case beyond three (3) years
after its creation, the NCIP is hereby authorized to request the Department of Environment and Natural
Resources (DENR) survey teams as well as other equally capable private survey teams, through a
Memorandum of Agreement (MOA), to delineate ancestral domain perimeters. The DENR Secretary shall
accommodate any such request within one (1) month of its issuance: Provided, that the Memorandum of
Agreement shall stipulate, among others, a provision for technology transfer to the NCIP.
SECTION 62. Resolution of Conflicts. — In cases of conflicting interest, where there are
adverse claims within the ancestral domains as delineated in the survey plan, and which cannot be
resolved, the NCIP shall hear and decide, after notice to the proper parties, the disputes arising from the
delineation of such ancestral domains: Provided, That if the dispute is between and/or among ICCs/IPs
regarding the traditional boundaries of their respective ancestral domains, customary process shall be
followed. The NCIP shall promulgate the necessary rules and regulations to carry out its adjudicatory
functions: Provided, further, That any decision, order, award or ruling of the NCIP on any ancestral
domain dispute or on any matter pertaining to the application, implementation, enforcement and
interpretation of this Act may be brought for Petition for Review to the Court of Appeals within fifteen (15)
days from receipt of a copy thereof.
SECTION 63. Applicable Laws. — Customary laws, traditions and practices of the ICCs/IPs of
the land where the conflict arises shall be applied first with respect to property rights, claims and

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ownerships, hereditary succession and settlement of land disputes. Any doubt or ambiguity in the
application and interpretation of laws shall be resolved in favor of the ICCs/IPs.
SECTION 64. Remedial Measures. — Expropriation may be resorted to in the resolution of
conflicts of interest following the principle of the “common good”. The NCIP shall take appropriate legal
action for the cancellation of officially documented titles which were acquired illegally: Provided, That
such procedure shall ensure that the rights of possessors in good faith shall be respected: Provided,
further, That the action for cancellation shall be initiated within two (2) years from the effectively of this
Act: Provided, finally, That the action for reconveyance shall be within a period of ten (10) years in
accordance with existing laws.
CHAPTER IX
Jurisdiction and Procedures for Enforcement of Rights
SECTION 65. Primacy of Customary Laws and Practices. — When disputes involve ICCs/IPs,
customary laws and practices shall be used to resolve the dispute.
SECTION 66. Jurisdiction of the NCIP. — The NCIP, through its regional offices, shall have
jurisdiction over all claims and disputes involving rights of ICCs/IPs: Provided, however, That no such
dispute shall be brought to the NCIP unless the parties have exhausted all remedies provided under their
customary laws. For this purpose, a certification shall be issued by the Council of Elders/Leaders who
participated in the attempt to settle the dispute that the same has not been resolved, which certification
shall be a condition precedent to the filing of a petition with the NCIP.
SECTION 67. Appeals to the Court of Appeals. — Decisions of the NCIP shall be appealable to
the Court of Appeals by way of a petition for review.
SECTION 68. Execution of Decisions, Awards, Orders. — Upon expiration of the period herein
provided and no appeal is perfected by any of the contending parties, the Hearing Officer of the NCIP, on
its own initiative or upon motion by the prevailing party, shall issue a writ of execution requiring the sheriff
or the proper officer to execute final decisions, orders or awards of the Regional Hearing Officer of the
NCIP.
SECTION 69. Quasi-Judicial Powers of the NCIP. — The NCIP shall have the power and
authority:
a) To promulgate rules and regulations governing the hearing and disposition of cases filed before it
as well as those pertaining to its internal functions and such rules and regulations as may be
necessary to carry out the purposes of this Act;
b) To administer oaths, summon the parties to a controversy, issue subpoenas requiring the
attendance and testimony of witnesses or the production of such books, papers, contracts,
records, agreements and other document of similar nature as may be material to a just
determination of the matter under investigation or hearing conducted in pursuance of this Act;

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c) To hold any person in contempt, directly or indirectly, and impose appropriate penalties therefor;
and
d) To enjoin any or all acts involving or arising from any case pending before it which, if not
restrained forthwith, may cause grave or irreparable damage to any of the parties to the case or
seriously affect social or economic activity.
SECTION 70. No Restraining Order or Preliminary Injunction. — No inferior court of the
Philippines shall have jurisdiction to issue any restraining order or writ of preliminary injunction against
the NCIP or any of its duly authorized or designated offices in any case, dispute or controversy arising
from, necessary to, or interpretation of this Act and other pertinent laws relating to ICCs/IPs and ancestral
domains.
CHAPTER X
Ancestral Domains Fund
SECTION 71. Ancestral Domains Fund. — There is hereby created a special fund, to be known
as the Ancestral Domains Fund, an initial amount of One hundred thirty million pesos (P130,000,000) to
cover compensation for expropriated lands, delineation and development of ancestral domains. An
amount of Fifty million pesos (P50,000,000) shall be sourced from the gross income of the Philippine
Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) from its lotto operation, Ten million pesos (P10,000,000) from the
gross receipts of the travel tax of the preceding year, the fund of the Social Reform Council intended for
survey and delineation of ancestral lands/domains, and such other source as the government may deem
appropriate. Thereafter, such amount shall be included in the annual General Appropriations Act. Foreign
as well as local funds which are made available for the ICCs/IPs through the government of the
Philippines shall be coursed through the NCIP. The NCIP may also solicit and receive donations,
endowments and grants in the form of contributions, and such endowments shall be exempted from
income or gift taxes and all other taxes, charges or fees imposed by the government or any political
subdivision or instrumentality thereof.
CHAPTER XI
Penalties
SECTION 72. Punishable Acts and Applicable Penalties. — Any person who commits violation of
any of the provisions of this Act, such as, but not limited to, unauthorized and/or unlawful intrusion upon
any ancestral lands or domains as stated in Sec. 10, Chapter III, or shall commit any of the prohibited
acts mentioned in Sections 21 and 24, Chapter V, Section 33, Chapter VI hereof, shall be punished in
accordance with the customary laws of the ICCs/IPs concerned: Provided, That no such penalty shall be
cruel, degrading or inhuman punishment: Provided, further, That neither shall the death penalty or
excessive fines be imposed. This provision shall be without prejudice to the right of any ICCs/IPs to avail
of the protection of existing laws. In which case, any person who violates any provision of this Act shall,
upon conviction, be punished by imprisonment of not less than nine (9) months but not more than twelve
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(12) years or a fine of not less than One hundred thousand pesos (P100,000) nor more than Five
hundred thousand pesos (P500,000) or both such fine and imprisonment upon the discretion of the court.
In addition, he shall be obliged to pay to the ICCs/IPs concerned whatever damage may have been
suffered by the latter as a consequence of the unlawful act.
SECTION 73. Persons Subject to Punishment. — If the offender is a juridical person, all officers
such as, but not limited to, its president, manager, or head of office responsible for their unlawful act shall
be criminally liable therefor, in addition to the cancellation of certificates of their registration and/or
license: Provided, That if the offender is a public official, the penalty shall include perpetual
disqualification to hold public office.
CHAPTER XII
Merger of the Office for Northern Cultural Communities (ONCC) and the Office for Southern
Cultural Communities (OSCC)
SECTION 74. Merger of ONCC/OSCC. — The Office for Northern Cultural Communities
(ONCC) and the Office of Southern Cultural Communities (OSCC), created under Executive Order Nos.
122-B and 122-C respectively, are hereby merged as organic offices of the NCIP and shall continue to
function under a revitalized and strengthened structures to achieve the objectives of the NCIP: Provided,
That the positions of Staff Directors, Bureau Directors, Deputy Executive Directors and Executive
Directors, except positions of Regional Directors and below, are hereby phased-out upon the effectivity of
this Act: Provided, further, That officials and employees of the phased-out offices who may be qualified
may apply for reappointment with the NCIP and may be given prior rights in the filling up of the newly
created positions of NCIP, subject to the qualifications set by the Placement Committee: Provided,
furthermore, That in the case where an indigenous person and a non-indigenous person with similar
qualifications apply for the same position, priority shall be given to the former. Officers and employees
who are to be phased-out as a result of the merger of their offices shall be entitled to gratuity a rate
equivalent to one and a half (1 ½) months salary for every year of continuous and satisfactory service
rendered or the equivalent nearest fraction thereof favorable to them on the basis of the highest salary
received. If they are already entitled to retirement or gratuity, they shall have the option to select either
such retirement benefits or the gratuity herein provided. Officers and employees who may be reinstated
shall refund such retirement benefits or gratuity received: Provided, finally, That absorbed personnel must
still meet the qualifications and standards set by the Civil Service and the Placement Committee herein
created.
SECTION 75. Transition Period. — The ONCC/OSCC shall have a period of six (6) months from
the effectively of this Act within which to wind up its affairs and to conduct audit of its finances.
SECTION 76. Transfer of Assets/Properties. — All real and personal properties which are
vested in, or belonging to, the merged offices as aforestated shall be transferred to the NCIP without
further need of conveyance, transfer or assignment and shall be held for the same purpose as they were
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held by the former offices: Provided, That all contracts, records and documents relating to the operations
of the merged offices shall be transferred to the NCIP. All agreements and contracts entered into by the
merged offices shall remain in full force and effect unless otherwise terminated, modified or amended by
the NCIP.
SECTION 77. Placement Committee. — Subject to rules on government reorganization, a
Placement Committee shall be created by the NCIP, in coordination with the Civil Service Commission,
which shall assist in the judicious selection and placement of personnel in order that the best qualified
and most deserving persons shall be appointed in the reorganized agency. The Placement Committee
shall be composed of seven (7) commissioners and an ICCs’/IPs’ representative from each of the first
and second level employees association in the Offices for Northern and Southern Cultural Communities
(ONCC/OSCC), nongovernment organizations (NGOs) who have served the community for at least five
(5) years and peoples organizations (POs) with at least five (5) years of existence. They shall be guided
by the criteria of retention and appointment to be prepared by the consultative body and by the pertinent
provisions of the civil service law.
CHAPTER XIII
Final Provisions
SECTION 78. Special Provision. — The City of Baguio shall remain to be governed by its
Charter and all lands proclaimed as part of its town site reservation shall remain as such until otherwise
reclassified by appropriate legislation: Provided, That prior land rights and titles recognized and/or
acquired through any judicial, administrative or other processes before the effectively of this Act shall
remain valid: Provided, further, That this provision shall not apply to any territory which becomes part of
the City of Baguio after the effectively of this Act.
SECTION 79. Appropriations. — The amount necessary to finance the initial implementation of
this Act shall be charged against the current year’s appropriation of the ONCC and the OSCC.
Thereafter, such sums as may be necessary for its continued implementation shall be included in the
annual General Appropriations Act.
SECTION 80. Implementing Rules and Regulations. — Within sixty (60) days immediately after
appointment, the NCIP shall issue the necessary rules and regulations, in consultation with the
Committees on National Cultural Communities of the House of Representatives and the Senate, for the
effective implementation of this Act.
SECTION 81. Saving Clause. — This Act will not in any manner adversely affect the rights and
benefits of the ICCs/IPs under other conventions, recommendations, international treaties, national laws,
awards, customs and agreements.
SECTION 82. Separability Clause. — In case any provision of this Act or any portion thereof is
declared unconstitutional by a competent court, other provisions shall not be affected thereby.

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SECTION 83. Repealing Clause. — Presidential Decree No. 410, Executive Order Nos. 122-B
and 122-C, and all other laws, decrees, orders, rules and regulations or parts thereof inconsistent with
this Act are hereby repealed or modified accordingly.
SECTION 84. Effectively. — This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days upon its publication in the
Official Gazette or in any two (2) newspapers of general circulation.
Approved: October 29, 1997
Learning Tasks
1. Direction: Based on the Indigenous People Republic Act 8371 create a special program that
will suit to your local Indigenous People Community. Make sure that this special program that
you will be making will be beneficial to the IP community. Thus, the program should include the
following:
I. Objectives
II. Rationale / Introduction

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III. Propose Program (description of the program)
IV. Expected Output
V. Financial Aspect
VI. The Task Ahead
Learning Assessment
Test II
Direction: Identify the correct answer for the following questions: Write the letter of your answers on
the space provided before each number.
1. This refer to all areas generally belonging to ICCs/IPs comprising lands, inland waters,
coastal areas, and natural resources therein, held under a claim of ownership, occupied
or possessed by ICCs/IPs.
2. This refers to land occupied, possessed and utilized by individuals, families and clans
who are members of the ICCs/IPs since time immemorial.
3. This refer to a body of written and/or unwritten rules, usages, customs and practices
traditionally and continually recognized, accepted and observed by respective ICCs/IPs.
4. This refer to organizational and cultural leadership systems, institutions, relationships,
patterns and processes for decision-making and participation, identified by ICCs/IPs.

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5. This refers to a private, nonprofit voluntary organization of members of an ICC/IP which

is accepted as representative of such ICCs/IPs.
6. This refers the right to claim parts of the ancestral domains which have been reserved
for various purposes, except those reserved and intended for common public welfare
and service.
7. This refers to the right to practice and revitalize their own cultural traditions and
customs.
8. These Office shall be responsible for the effective implementation of the education,
cultural and related rights as provided in this Act.
9. These office shall ensure that indigenous socio-political, cultural and economic rights
are respected and recognized.
10. These refers to a complete copy of the preliminary census and a report of investigation.
Test I. Identification
l) Direction: Read each statement carefully, identify what provision state in the Republic Act 8371
each statement needed. Write first the number of article and followed by the number / letter of
section. Write your answer in the space provided.
1. It is stated that the State recognizes its obligations to respond to the strong expression
of the ICCs/IPs for cultural integrity by assuring maximum ICC/IP participation in the
direction of education, health, as well as other services.
2. It is stated that to discriminate against any ICC/IP with respect to the terms and
conditions of employment on account of their descent.
3. It is identified that the remove or otherwise destroy artifacts which are of great
importance to the ICCs/IPs for the preservation of their cultural heritage.
4. In what article and section, which stated that to formulate and implement policies, plans,
programs and projects for the economic, social and cultural development of the ICCs/IPs
and to monitor the implementation.
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5. It is stipulated in the law that to hold any person in contempt, directly or indirectly, and
impose appropriate penalties.
REFERENCE/S
R.A 8371, An Act to Recognized, Protect and Promote the Rights of Indigenous Cultural Communities,
Indigenous People’s Creating a National Commission on Indigenous People Establishing
Implementing Mechanism, Appropriating Funds Therefore, and Other Purpose. Approved October
29, 1997.
Lesson 2: Indigenous People Cultural Rights
“We seem to have lost the wisdom of the indigenous people, which dictated that in any major decision, the first
consideration was 'How will this decision we're making today affect our people in the future? These days, decisions
are made based on the bottom line”
Jane Goodall
Learning Outcome/s:
1. Explore the impact of their cultural rights to their existing social condition.
Introduction
Indigenous peoples in the Philippines have retained much of their traditional, pre-colonial culture,
social institutions and livelihood practices. They generally live in geographically isolated areas with a lack
of access to basic social services and few opportunities for mainstream economic activities, education or
political participation. In contrast, commercially valuable natural resources such as minerals, forests and
rivers can be found primarily in their areas, making them continuously vulnerable to development
aggression and land grabbing. They depend on their will and determination to survive and bloom as a
distinct culture – as they have done in the face of existential threats in the past.

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Numerous issues and concerns of indigenous peoples have witnessed significant breakthroughs
both locally and internationally in recent decades. Defending ancestral lands and their resources remains
the major issue. Implicit in this battle to protect land and resources is the struggle to preserve indigenous
culture and traditions that are so often inextricably linked to the land itself.
Points to ponder
1. Are there beliefs, customs, songs, dances or language that is found only in your community?
Give an example.
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2. How are these beliefs, customs, songs, dances or language preserved?
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3. Are these beliefs, customs, songs, dances or language have a relation to the geographical
location of your community? Why?
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Activity 1
Create a poster that showcases the culture of your community.

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Learning Content
Republic Act 8371
The Republic Act 8371, known as the Indigenous Peoples’ Rights Act (IPRA), was promulgated in
1997. The law has been lauded for its support for respect of indigenous peoples’ cultural integrity, right to
their lands and right to self-directed development of those lands. More substantial implementation of the
law is still being sought, however, apart from there being fundamental criticism of the law itself.
The next section is an excerpt from RA 8371 on Indigenous Peoples cultural.

Chapter VI
Cultural Integrity
SECTION 29. Protection of Indigenous Culture, Traditions and Institutions. — The State shall
respect, recognize and protect the right of ICCs/IPs to preserve and protect their culture, traditions and
institutions. It shall consider these rights in the formulation and application of national plans and policies.
SECTION 30. Educational Systems. — The State shall provide equal access to various cultural
SECTION 31. Recognition of Cultural Diversity. — The State shall endeavor to have the dignity and
diversity of the cultures, traditions, histories and aspirations of the ICCs/IPs appropriately reflected in all
forms of education, public information and cultural-educational exchange. Consequently, the State shall
take effective measures, in consultation with ICCs/IPs concerned, to eliminate prejudice and
State-owned media duly reflect indigenous cultural diversity. The State shall likewise ensure the

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SECTION 32. Community Intellectual Rights. — ICCs/IPs have the right to practice and revitalize
their own cultural traditions and customs. The State shall preserve, protect and develop the past, present
and future manifestations of their cultures as well as the right to the restitution of cultural, intellectual,
religious, and spiritual property taken without their free and prior informed consent or in violation of their
laws, traditions and customs.
SECTION 33. Rights to Religious, Cultural Sites and Ceremonies. — ICCs/IPs shall have the right to
manifest, practice, develop, and teach their spiritual and religious traditions, customs and ceremonies;
the right to maintain, protect and have access to their religious and cultural sites; the right to use and
control of ceremonial objects; and, the right to the repatriation of human remains. Accordingly, the State
shall take effective measures, in cooperation with the ICCs/IPs concerned, to ensure that indigenous
sacred places, including burial sites, be preserved, respected and protected. To achieve this purpose, it
shall be unlawful to:
a) Explore, excavate or make diggings on archeological sites of the ICCs/IPs for the purpose of
obtaining materials of cultural values without the free and prior informed consent of the community
concerned; and
b) Deface, remove or otherwise destroy artifacts which are of great importance to the ICCs/IPs
for the preservation of their cultural heritage.
SECTION 34. Right to Indigenous Knowledge Systems and Practices and to Develop own Sciences
and Technologies. — ICCs/IPs are entitled to the recognition of the full ownership and control and
protection of their cultural and intellectual rights. They shall have the right to special measures to control,
develop and protect their sciences, technologies and cultural manifestations, including human and other
genetic resources, seeds, including derivatives of these resources, traditional medicines and health
practices, vital medicinal plants, animals and minerals, indigenous knowledge systems and practices,
knowledge of the properties of fauna and flora, oral traditions, literature, designs, and visual and
performing arts.
SECTION 35. Access to Biological and Genetic Resources. — Access to biological and genetic
resources and to indigenous knowledge related to the conservation, utilization and enhancement of these
community.
SECTION 36. Sustainable Agro-Technical Development. — The State shall recognize the right of
ICCs/IPs to a sustainable agro-technological development and shall formulate and implement programs
of action for its effective implementation. The State shall likewise promote the bio-genetic and resource
management systems among the ICCs/IPs and shall encourage cooperation among government
agencies to ensure the successful sustainable development of ICCs/IPs.
SECTION 37. Funds for Archeological and Historical Sites. — The ICCs/IPs shall have the right to
receive from the national government all funds especially earmarked or allocated for the management
and preservation of their archeological and historical sites and artifacts with the financial and technical
support of the national government agencies.
Points to ponder
4. Are there provisions in IPRA that contradicts to your communities’ culture? If yes, give an
example.

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5. Are these provisions implemented in your community? Why?
6. Do these provisions promotes cultural growth and development? Why?

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Learning Tasks
1. Interview an at least 3 elders on the implementation of IPRA in your community.
United Nations and Indigenous People

Base on the UN declaration on the rights of Indigenous People, Indigenous Peoples have the right of
self-determination. By virtue of that right they freely determine their political status and freely pursue their
economic, social and cultural development.
Next section are excerpts from the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People.
Article 2 Indigenous peoples and individuals are free and equal to all other peoples and
individuals and have the right to be free from any kind of discrimination, in the exercise of their rights, in
particular that based on their indigenous origin or identity.
Article 3 Indigenous peoples have the right to self-determination. By virtue of that right they freely
determine their political status and freely pursue their economic, social and cultural development.
Article 4 Indigenous peoples, in exercising their right to self-determination, have the right to
autonomy or self-government in matters relating to their internal and local affairs, as well as ways and
means for financing their autonomous functions.
Article 5 Indigenous peoples have the right to maintain and strengthen their distinct political, legal,
economic, social and cultural institutions, while retaining their right to participate fully, if they so choose, in
the political, economic, social and cultural life of the State.
Article 8
1. Indigenous peoples and individuals have the right not to be subjected to forced assimilation or
destruction of their culture.
2. States shall provide effective mechanisms for prevention of, and redress for: (a) Any action
which has the aim or effect of depriving them of their integrity as distinct peoples, or of their cultural
values or ethnic identities; (b) Any action which has the aim or effect of dispossessing them of their lands,
territories or resources;
Article 10 Indigenous peoples shall not be forcibly removed from their lands or territories. No
relocation shall take place without the free, prior and informed consent of the indigenous peoples
concerned and after agreement on just and fair compensation and, where possible, with the option of
return.
Article 11 1. Indigenous peoples have the right to practise and revitalize their cultural traditions
and customs. This includes the right to maintain, protect and develop the past, present and future

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manifestations of their cultures, such as archaeological and historical sites, artefacts, designs,
ceremonies, technologies and visual and performing arts and literature.
2. States shall provide redress through effective mechanisms, which may include restitution,
developed in conjunction with indigenous peoples, with respect to their cultural, intellectual, religious and
spiritual property taken without their free, prior and informed consent or in violation of their laws, traditions
and customs.
Article 12 1. Indigenous peoples have the right to manifest, practise, develop and teach their
spiritual and religious traditions, customs and ceremonies; the right to maintain, protect, and have access
in privacy to their religious and cultural sites; the right to the use and control of their ceremonial objects;
and the right to the repatriation of their human remains. 2. States shall seek to enable the access and/or
repatriation of ceremonial objects and human remains in their possession through fair, transparent and
effective mechanisms developed in conjunction with indigenous peoples concerned.
Article 13 1. Indigenous peoples have the right to revitalize, use, develop and transmit to future
generations their histories, languages, oral traditions, philosophies, writing systems and literatures, and to
designate and retain their own names for communities, places and persons. 2. States shall take effective
measures to ensure that this right is protected and also to ensure that indigenous peoples can
understand and be understood in political, legal and administrative proceedings, where necessary
through the provision of interpretation or by other appropriate means.
Summary
Indigenous peoples are entitled to maintain and develop their distinct cultural identity, their
spirituality, their language, and their traditional ways of life. They hold the right to political, economic and
social self-determination, including a wide range of autonomy and the maintenance and strengthening of
their own system of justice. Indigenous peoples have a right to demarcation, ownership, development,
control and use of the lands they have traditionally owned or otherwise occupied and used. Governments
are to honor and faithfully observe their treaty/commitments to indigenous communities.
Cultural rights thus include not only rights to culture narrowly conceived, as protection of
language, customs, and traditions, but also the culturally bounded right to property and the culturally
grounded right to self-determination.
Points to ponder
2. What is the part of the school in promoting Indigenous Peoples cultural rights?
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3. What is the effect of exposure to social media among Indigenous People on their culture?
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4. If you’re a part of an IP community, how would you use the social media to promote your culture
and protect your cultural rights?
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Learning Tasks
2. Create a short video on how to protect Indigenous Peoples’ cultural and land rights.
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3. Record a spoken poetry or a song that depicts your ideal IP community

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Learning Assessment:
Explore and write an essay on the impact of cultural and land rights to the existing condition of
ancestral domain on your local IP community.
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REFERENCES
29, 1997.
United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People (September 2007)
UNIT III
The Philippine Indigenous People and the Outside World
UNIT III: The Philippine Indigenous People and the Outside World
Lesson 1: Civic Consciousness
Lesson 2: Indigenous People in the Philippine and in the World
Lesson 3: Indigenous People Republic Act ( IPRA) An Overview

Janette T. Dejano, Ph.D Marjorie Cadayona
Lesson 1: Civic Consciousness
“In every Indigenous community I've been in, they absolutely do want community infrastructure and they do want
development, but they want it on their own terms. They want to be able to use their national resources and their
assets in a way that protects and sustains them. Our territories are our wealth, the major assets we have. And
Indigenous people use and steward this property so that they can achieve and maintain a livelihood, and achieve
and maintain that same livelihood for future generations”
Rebecca Adamson
Learning Outcome: at the end of the lesson, students must have:

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1. Identified the different forces and institutions that impact the development of the IP community.
Introduction
Mabuhay! As you learn more about the Philippine Indigenous People, please attune to
their uniqueness and beauty as you explore the real roots of our beginning. This lesson
will aid you in learning more of the Topic civic consciousness particularly on the lessons
about Indigenous People’s World view, life ways and Identity, RA 8371 and People’s Right
Act (IPRA).
Learning Content
Civic consciousness understood as the awareness of one’s rights and duties – it is of
concern to the more serious cultural and educational institutions. This undermine the very basis of
the democratic relationship that binds the citizen to the institutions, the origins of which may be
found in the profound transformation that words such as politics, participation, competence and
solidarity- J. Sandhal, 2015
Indigenous People in the Philippines came to its relevant protections because of the
common groups that support them. Aside from the United Nations goal towards improvement of
the Indigenous people in our country, IPs are protected by RA 8371.
www.sowip.partnering-with-ips.pdf
Indigenous Peoples Rights Act 1997 (Republic Act No. 8371 of 1997).
Philippine Task Force for Indigenous Peoples’ Rights (TFIP) Partners

Consortium of Christian Organizations in Rural Development (CONCORD)
The Consortium of Christian Organization for Rural-Urban Development is a 39–year old

community-based development arm of protestant churches, development services agencies and
church-related institutions of the United Church of Christ in the Philippines (UCCP), United Methodist
Church-Church and Society (UMC-CS), Episcopal Diocese of Southern Philippines (EDSP) and Christian
and Missionary Alliance in the Philippines (CAMACOP).
For 18 years (1990-September 2008), CONCORD, in partnership with Evangelischer
Entwicklungsdienste.V. (EED) in Germany, implemented the six (6) phases of the Integrated
Development Program in Mindanao (IDPM). This banner program impacted much in the formation of
cooperatives and peoples organizations in Mindanao and Cebu engaging on livelihood projects
and advocating on issues such as justice, peace, ecology, gender, interfaith and ecumenism. To
date, CONCORD, through its Advocacy and Networking program, is able to establish coordinated
undertakings with 64 networks coming from the civil society organizations, non-government organizations
and some local government units.
Cordillera Women’s Education and Action Research Center, Inc. (CWEARC)

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The Cordillera Women’s Education and Research Center (CWERC) Inc., was set up in March
1987 after the first Cordillera Regional Women’s Assembly identified the need to establish a
comprehensive program to serve and support women and women’s group in the region. The
efforts of CWERC bore fruit with the formation of Innabuyog in 1990, a regional federation of women’s
organizations in the Cordillera. Innabuyog now serves the umbrella organization and representative of the
progressive women’s movement in the Cordillera region.
In 2006, CWERC became Cordillera Women’s Education Action Research Center or CWEARC to
underline our role as a development organization that supports and continues to be an active participant
in the Cordillera women’s movement for liberation , democracy and self-determination. CWEARC
envisions a Cordillera society within a democratic and sovereign Philippines where social justice prevails
and where women’s rights and indigenous people’s rights are recognized.
As part of the Cordillera women’s movement, CWEARC is a grassroots oriented, not-for-profit,
non-government development organization providing support to various Cordillera women’s formations ,
particularly indigenous women’s organizations, in organizing, education, advocacy and direct social and
economic services.
website: www.cwearc.org/main/
The Episcopal Church in the Philippines (ECP)
The CBDP was formally launched in 1987 as a major programmatic expression of the vision and
mission of the Episcopal Church in the Philippines (ECP). It was launched based on ECP’s belief that,
“the goal of development is the improvement of the human condition through the empowerment of
people, the development of the people’s capacity to transform their own situation by their own
means. It also believes that development is God’s work of love and mercy. Development seeks to obey
the paradigm of salvation that began with the Exodus, was revealed in the ministry of Jesus Christ, and
will lead to the establishment of God’s Kingdom of love, justice and peace everywhere.
website: www.episcopalchurchphilippines.com/1ecp2/
Visayas Mindanao Regional Office for Development (VIMROD)

The Visayas Mindanao Regional Office for Development is a non-sectarian community
development program of the Philippine Independent Church (PIC or Iglesia Filipina Independiente). Since
1991, VIMROD through its programs on Community Organizing, Development Education, Advocacy and
Networking, Small Project Fund and the Institutional Development, has been able to serve the depressed
communities of farmers, fisherfolks, indigenous peoples and the Bangsa Moro peoples in Visayas and
Mindanao.

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Integrated Development Program for Indigenous Peoples in Southern Tagalog (IDPIP-ST)
The Integrated Development Program for the Indigenous People in Southern Tagalog is
a non-evangelical special development and service program for Indigenous Peoples under the United
Church of Christ in the Philippines-Southern Luzon Jurisdictional Area (UCCP-SLJA). UCCP-SLJA’s
expression of heeding the World Council of Churches’ “urgent call for the Churches to support
indigenous Peoples’ right to self-determination with regard to their political and economic future,
culture, land rights, spirituality, language, tradition and forms of organization, and the protection
of Indigenous Peoples’ knowledge including intellectual property rights.”(2.26. Rights of
Indigenous Peoples, World Council of Churches .Statement on Human Rights, December 1998, Hararo,
Zimbabwe).
It takes roots from the Mangyan Integrated Development Program (MIDP) in the Mindoro island.
Inspired by the positive impact MIDP has on its target partners that significantly contributed to the
strengthening of the IP island-wide federation-the SPMM, seeing the potential of threading through the
less organized and scattered initiatives of the IPs in other parts of the region, and armed with the learning
framework of MIDP’s work among the Mangyans, MIDP was transformed into a regional IP program of
the UCCP SLJ.
website: www.idpipst.wordpress.com
Montañosa Research and Development Center, Inc. (MRDC)

The Montañosa Research and Development Center, Inc. (MRDC), was established in 1978. Its
formation was a response to the realities of development aggression and the need to face the challenge
of searching for mechanisms that will promote peoples’ involvement in the development process. This
was premised on the view that progressive change can only occur with people’s full participation, in their
own interest, at their own pace and effectively integrated in their socio-cultural and political dynamics.
Moreover, MRDC fully recognize that, like other indigenous people’s, the Igorots of the Cordillera
Region possess the scientific knowledge of the biophysical conditions of the land and an understanding
of the balance of interactions between land and people. As such, they are crucial in giving substance to a
development strategy of resource utilization that will generate long term benefits for the greater majority.
Since then, MRDC has consistently pursued meaningful development concepts on sustainable
agriculture and renewable energy. Among its breakthrough projects are (1) documentation,
innovations and adoption of indigenous knowledge and practices (b)harnessing renewable
energies for community development; (c) forestry and grassland development; (d) narketing of
organically-grown products, etc.
Website: mrdcsagada.blogspot.com
KatinnulongDaguitiUmiliitiAmianan, Inc. (KADUAMI,Inc.)
KADUAMI, Inc. is a service institution that aims to contribute to the development of communities
in Northern Luzon. It was established in October 1983 after the 1st Conference on Development Issues
and Strategies in Northern Luzon was held. Participants of the conference recommended that a
development center for NL shall be put-up, thus its first name Regional Development Center-Northern
Luzon (RDC-NL).
In June 1984, the 1st General Assembly unanimously adopted the name Katinnulong Daguiti
Umiliiti Amianan, Inc. (KADUAMI,Inc.) with the approval of its Constitution and By-Laws. KADUAMI is
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being supported by Church Development Service (EED) of Germany as its funding partner since 1984.
KADUAMI, Inc. is a service institution that aims to contribute to the development of communities in
Northern Luzon. It envisions an empowered community that is able to assert their basic rights,
promotes self-reliant, equitable and sustainable development, and progressive culture.
website: kaduami.wordpress.com

Southern Christian College –Office of the Vice President for Research and Extension
(SCC-OVPRE)
The Office of the Vice President for Research and Extension (OVPRE)is a division of the
Southern Christian College of Midsayap, Cotabato. SCC- OVPRE envisions to be a partner in the
creation of a responsible society where individuals, organizations, and communities are free and
empowered in advancing their legitimate aspirations, value and dignity, aware and concern of
their well-being, socio-cultural and environmental heritage, and active participants in accelerating
development.
website: sccresearchcenter.southernchristiancollege.edu.ph
SibolngAgham at Teknolohiya (SIBAT)
SIBAT advocates and develops groundbreaking technologies using science and technology that
are appropriate for community development in service of the Filipino people.
SIBAT believes that Appropriate Technology (AT) application directly responds to the needs of
poor communities, thus, uplifts the people’s day-to-day living while preserving their natural
environment. To achieve its mission in serving poor communities.SIBAT uses AT as its main
instrument in doing its core competencies: the Community-Based Sustainable Agriculture
(CBSA) and the Community-Based Renewable Energy Systems (CBRES).
SIBAT had pioneered the complementation of these two competencies among and within different
non-government organizations (NGOs) and people’s organizations (POs) that pursue development work
in the Philippines and outside the country.
Presently, SIBAT promotes the community-based Village-Level Sustainable Development (VLSD) model
that integrates AT applications with sustainable agriculture programs based on community-crafted plans.
These plans result from the participatory approach characterized by the NGO-PO-SIBAT
collaboration.SIBAT does research and development on sustainable agriculture and renewable energy to
continuously improve its current competencies by working closely with poor communities in making
technologies relevant and responsive to community needs. This is done by building the capabilities
of community organizations and other civil society partners.
SIBAT aims to involve majority of the marginalized sectors such as farmers, women, and
indigenous peoples in its AT-focused projects through partnership with local governments, NGOs, POs,
Church-based groups, academe, and other entities.
SIBAT supports policy advocacy on AT applications in sustainable agriculture by convening NGOs
and POs to share innovations, positive experiences, and related issues. Along with the NGO-PO
community, it also advocates AT with the government and encourages its support.
website: sibat-inc.org/
SILDAP – Southeastern Mindanao, Inc
SILDAP assumes the role of a lead agency that provides opportunities for and facilitates the
process of increasing the capacity of the lumads in identifying and articulating their own development
agenda.
SILDAP believes that the Indigenous People has a rich culture, tradition and knowledge.
However, this is hampered mainly by the non-recognition of the Government of their Ancestral Domain
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that lead to their marginalization. But this situation can be changed, and this can be made possible
primarily through their own efforts given proper opportunity and support from the various sectors of
society.
In this context, SILDAP assumes the role of a lead agency that provides opportunities for and
facilitates the process of increasing the capacity of the Lumads in identifying and articulating
their own development agenda and in evolving appropriate measures leading to the recognition
of their Ancestral Domain and Self-Rule.
SILDAP envisions a society where the indigenous peoples enjoy the abundance and bounty of
their ancestral domain; stand proud, with dignity in their rich culture and traditions; live in peace and
harmony with nature and people; participate in decision making process affecting their lives; and
determine and manage their future as self governing communities in the context of national sovereignty.
https://www.facebook.com/pages/SILDAP-Southeastern-Mindanao-Inc/141347675149
Tebtebba Foundation, Inc. (TEBTEBBA)

Tebtebba (Indigenous Peoples’ International Centre for Policy Research and Education) is an
indigenous peoples’ organization born out of the need for heightened advocacy to have the rights of
indigenous peoples respected, protected and fulfilled worldwide. It also advocates and works on
the elaboration and operationalization of indigenous peoples’ sustainable, self-determined
development.
Tebtebba actively engaged in the processes which led to the adoption of international human
rights law and other international instruments, policies and agreements. These include the UN
Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) and the establishment of spaces within the
United Nations, such as the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, among others.
Established in 1996, Tebtebba seeks to promote and disseminate widely
indigenous peoples worldviews, their perspectives on key issues such as individual and collective human
rights, sustainable development, climate change, biodiversity, traditional knowledge, customary laws and
governance, conflict transformation, gender, etc. To gather and consolidate such perspectives, Tebtebba
brings representatives of indigenous peoples’ organizations, networks and communities together to
elaborate and deepen their views and positions and plan out education and awareness-raising
campaigns they can do jointly. These are also venues to further reinforce their capacities to take the lead
in policy advocacy and campaigns on all issues affecting them. Tebtebba, a word used by the indigenous
Kankana-ey Igorot of Northern Philippines, refers to a process of collectively discussing issues and
presenting diverse views with the aim of reaching agreements, common positions, and concerted actions.
website: www.tebtebba.org
TuklasKatutubo (National Organisation of Indigenous Peoples in the Philippines)
Is a volunteer tribal organization composed of professional, teachers, farmers, health workers,

fisher folks and community leaders working for the protection and promotion of peace, rights, welfare and
development of the indigenous peoples in the country. Tuklas means discovery, and Katutubo means
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indigenous. It was funded in 1998 in response to the lack of recognition and representation of the
indigenous peoples in the Philippines, especially on the issues of peace and development. It recognizes
that misrepresentation leads to poverty and conflict. Currently, the organization has reached 20,000
members nationwide with 67 chapters in different tribes and regions.
Tuklas Katutubo has been recognized by local, national and international institutions as one of the
leading organizations helping to build an organised and sustainable indigenous community in the fields of
education, peace and development, ancestral domain and environmental protection, health, livelihood,
agriculture and empowerment. To implement its peace programmes, Tuklas Katutubo has partnered with
Asian Religions for Peace Network, Asian American Imitative, Peace tech, Peacemakers
Circle, Metrobank Foundation, Splash Foundation, Department of National Defense, Body Shop
Foundation and local government units.
Tuklas Katutubo's signature programme is the Balik-Tribo Programme (Return to Tribe). This
empowers the local community to help themselves in the aspects of livelihood, education, health and
environmental protection. Rebel returnees are part of these activities. This way, communities will not be
pushed to further poverty which could result in more conflict.
The National Indigenous Peoples Summit - another project of Tuklas Katutubo's - is an event to
address national peace and development issues affecting indigenous peoples. That includes providing
representation at peace dialogues and relevant gatherings. The Summit is a gathering of all tribes in the
Philippines, including the Muslim tribes. IPeace (IPs) is another strategy of Tuklas Katutubo's to partner
with various organizations to further represent the indigenous peoples in any peace activities in the
Philippines, especially in Mindanao. The organization partners with universities and other peace
organizations to educate other sectors on the IPs call for peace, development and representation. Part of
this programme is to conduct research as a tool to augment the voices of the indigenous peoples in the
country.
https://www.peaceinsight.org/conflicts/philippines/peacebuilding-organisations/tuklas-katutubo-national-or
ganisation-of-indigenous-peoples-in-the-philippines/
Learning Tasks
In your own words, how do you understand the following key concepts. You may write your
answers on the space provided.
1. Indigenous
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2. Empowerment
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3. Social Justice
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4. Human Rights
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5. Civic Consciousness
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6. Cultural Integrity
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7. Ancestral Domain
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8. Indigenous
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9. Empowerment
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10. Social Justice

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11. Human Rights

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12. Civic Consciousness

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13. Cultural Integrity

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14. Ancestral Domain

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Learning Assessment
● How does the following agency/group support the Indigenous People in the Philippines? or
what are their role in supporting IPs? Discuss each briefly.
1. Consortium of Christian Organizations in Rural Development (CONCORD)

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2. Cordillera Women’s Education and Action Research Center, Inc. (CWEARC)

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3. The Episcopal Church in the Philippines (ECP)

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4. Integrated Development Program for Indigenous Peoples in Southern Tagalog (IDPIP-ST)

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5. Montañosa Research and Development Center, Inc. (MRDC)

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6. KatinnulongDaguitiUmiliitiAmianan, Inc. (KADUAMI,Inc.)

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7. Southern Christian College –Office of the Vice President for Research and Extension
(SCC-OVPRE)
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8. Sibolng Agham at Teknolohiya (SIBAT)

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9. SILDAP – Southeastern Mindanao, Inc

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10. Tebtebba Foundation, Inc. (TEBTEBBA)

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Lesson 2: Indigenous People in the Philippines and in the World
“We must respect each other's right to choose a collective destiny, and the opportunity to develop the
legal and political rights for Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples so that we may enjoy the right to
maintain our culture, our heritage and our land”
Jackie Huggins
Learning Outcome/s:
1. Described the theoretical perspective of their rights from Local to Global
Introduction
This section briefly highlights some of the innovations at the United Nations to more firmly place
indigenous peoples’ issues on the global agenda. Since indigenous peoples first came to the United
Nations to raise their voices in 1923, this has been the result of mobilization and concerted efforts by
indigenous peoples, member-states, the UN system, and non-governmental organizations. It was only

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through partnership and close cooperation that the UN has created a space for indigenous peoples. A
major landmark is the adoption of the UN Declaration of the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.
Learning Content
Who are Indigenous People? There are approximately 476 million Indigenous Peoples worldwide, in
over 90 countries. Although they make up over 6 percent of the global population, they account for about
15 percent of the extreme poor. Indigenous Peoples’ life expectancy is up to 20 years lower than the life
expectancy of non-indigenous people worldwide. They are known as;
● Self- identification as indigenous peoples at the individual level and accepted by the community
as their member,
● Historical continuity with pre-colonial and/or pre-settler societies, Strong link to territories and
surrounding natural resources
● Distinct social, economic or political systems
● Distinct language, culture and beliefs
● Form non-dominant groups of society
● Resolve to maintain and reproduce their ancestral environments and systems as distinctive
peoples and communities.
United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples The UN Declaration on
the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) is the most comprehensive statement on the rights of
indigenous peoples ever developed. It is the culmination of over twenty years of work. It is a best
practice of partnerships. Indigenous peoples worked in close cooperation with Member-States,
with the support of the UN System, nongovernmental organizations and others, to draft and adopt
the UN Declaration. The entire process took over twenty years.
The UN Working Group on Indigenous Populations (WGIP)6 commenced working on a
draft in 1985. From the beginning, the WGIP sought to guarantee a broad openness on its part,
which soon became its special feature, enabling a wide number of representatives of indigenous
peoples and communities to attend its session and to provide information on their problems and
contribute ways of resolving them.
That meant, for indigenous peoples, the point of entry to the UN and the establishment
of new methods of international cooperation and dialogue with governments and the international
community. With the active participation of indigenous peoples, member-states and the UN
system, as well as NGOs, in 1993 the WGIP submitted its draft to the sub-commission of the UN
Commission on Human Rights (now the UN Human Rights Council). In 1995, the Commission set
up a working group – which facilitated the participation of indigenous peoples and their
organizations by granting specific consultative status for indigenous representatives - to take the

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process forward. After ten years of intense negotiations, the revised draft was submitted to the UN
General Assembly in 2006.
A remarkable example of cooperation between indigenous peoples and the Permanent
Forum, which meanwhile had been established in 2002, was the intense advocacy activity
undertaken by a group of African experts, which included researchers, indigenous leaders and
scholars from Africa. The group, in cooperation with some international NGOs and the Permanent
Forum on Indigenous Issues, managed to obtain the support of the African states for the adoption
of the Declaration. On 13 September 2007, the UN General Assembly adopted the UN
Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) by an overwhelming
majority.
In this declaration Indigenous Peoples Rights Act 1997 of the Philippines (Republic Act No.
8371 of 1997) has been formulated. An Act to recognize, protect and promote the rights of Indigenous
Cultural Communities/Indigenous Peoples, creating a National Commission on Indigenous Peoples,
establishing implementing mechanisms, appropriating funds therefore, and for other purposes.
https://www.un.org/esa/soev/unpfii/documents/5session_factsheet1.pdf

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How Indigenous People Being Protected?

R.A 8371 an Act shall be known as “The Indigenous Peoples’ Rights Act of 1997”. The following
are some sections that emphasized the rights of Indigenous People on ancestral domain,
Self-governance and empowerment, social justice and human rights and cultural integrity.
https://www.officialgazette.gov.ph/1997/10/29/republic-act-no-8371/
Section 2-a) The State shall recognize and promote the rights of ICCs/IPs within the framework of
national unity and development;
b) The State shall protect the rights of ICCs/IPs to their ancestral domains to ensure their economic,
social and cultural well being and shall recognize the applicability of customary laws governing property
rights or relations in determining the ownership and extent of ancestral domain;
c) The State shall recognize, respect and protect the rights of ICCs/IPs to preserve and develop their
cultures, traditions and institutions. It shall consider these rights in the formulation of national laws and
policies;
d) The State shall guarantee that members of the ICCs/IPs regardless of sex, shall equally enjoy the full
measure of human rights and freedoms without distinction or discrimination;
e) The State shall take measures, with the participation of the ICCs/IPs concerned, to protect their rights
and guarantee respect for their cultural integrity, and to ensure that members of the ICCs/IPs benefit on
an equal footing from the rights and opportunities which national laws and regulations grant to other
members of the population;
f) The State recognizes its obligations to respond to the strong expression of the ICCs/IPs for cultural
integrity by assuring maximum ICC/IP participation in the direction of education, health, as well as other
services of ICCs/IPs, in order to render such services more responsive to the needs and desires of these
communities. Towards these ends, the State shall institute and establish the necessary mechanisms to
enforce and guarantee the realization of these rights, taking into consideration their customs, traditions,
values, beliefs, interests and institutions, and to adopt and implement measures to protect their rights to
their ancestral domains.

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Rights to Ancestral Domain
Section 4-7 states;
a) Right of Ownership. — The right to claim ownership over lands, bodies of water traditionally and
actually occupied by ICCs/IPs, sacred places, traditional hunting and fishing grounds, and all
improvements made by them at any time within the domains;
b) Right to Develop Lands and Natural Resources. — Subject to Section 56 hereof, right to develop,
control and use lands and territories traditionally occupied, owned, or used; to manage and conserve
natural resources within the territories and uphold the responsibilities for future generations; to benefit
and share the profits from allocation and utilization of the natural resources found therein; the right to
negotiate the terms and conditions for the exploration of natural resources in the areas for the purpose of
ensuring ecological, environmental protection and the conservation measures, pursuant to national and
customary laws; the right to an informed and intelligent participation in the formulation and
implementation of any project, government or private, that will affect or impact upon the ancestral
domains and to receive just and fair compensation for any damages which they may sustain as a result of
the project; and the right to effective measures by the government to prevent any interference with,
alienation and encroachment upon these rights;
c) Right to Stay in the Territories. — The right to stay in the territory and not to be removed therefrom.
No ICCs/IPs will be relocated without their free and prior informed consent, nor through any means other
than eminent domain. Where relocation is considered necessary as an exceptional measure, such
relocation shall take place only with the free and prior informed consent of the ICCs/IPs concerned and
whenever possible, they shall be guaranteed the right to return to their ancestral domains, as soon as the
grounds for relocation cease to exist. When such return is not possible, as determined by agreement or
through appropriate procedures, ICCs/IPs shall be provided in all possible cases with lands of quality and
legal status at least equal to that of the land previously occupied by them, suitable to provide for their
present needs and future development. Persons thus relocated shall likewise be fully compensated for
any resulting loss or injury;
d) Right in Case of Displacement. — In case displacement occurs as a result of natural catastrophes,

the State shall endeavor to resettle the displaced ICCs/IPs in suitable areas where they can have
temporary life support systems: Provided, That the displaced ICCs/IPs shall have the right to return to
their abandoned lands until such time that the normalcy and safety of such lands shall be determined:
Provided, further, That should their ancestral domain cease to exist and normalcy and safety of the
previous settlements are not possible, displaced ICCs/IPs shall enjoy security of tenure over lands to
which they have been resettled: Provided, furthermore, That basic services and livelihood shall be
provided to them to ensure that their needs are adequately addressed;
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e) Right to Regulate Entry of Migrants. — Right to regulate the entry of migrant settlers and
organizations into the domains;
f) Right to Safe and Clean Air and Water. — For this purpose, the ICCs/IPs shall have access to
integrated systems for the management of their inland waters and air space;
g) Right to Claim Parts of Reservations. — The right to claim parts of the ancestral domains which
have been reserved for various purposes, except those reserved and intended for common public welfare
and service; and
h) Right to Resolve Conflict. — Right to resolve land conflicts in accordance with customary laws of the
area where the land is located, and only in default thereof shall the complaints be submitted to amicable
settlement and to the Courts of Justice whenever necessary.
SECTION 8. Rights to Ancestral Lands. — The right of ownership and possession of the ICCs/IPs to
their ancestral lands shall be recognized and protected. a) Right to transfer land/property. — Such right
shall include the right to transfer land or property rights to/among members of the same ICCs/IPs, subject
to customary laws and traditions of the community concerned. b) Right to Redemption. — In cases where
it is shown that the transfer of land/property rights by virtue of any agreement or devise, to a nonmember
of the concerned ICCs/IPs is tainted by the vitiated consent of the ICCs/IPs, or is transferred for an
unconscionable consideration or price, the transferor ICC/IP shall have the right to redeem the same
within a period not exceeding fifteen (15) years from the date of transfer.
SECTION 9.Responsibilities of ICCs/IPs to their Ancestral Domains. — ICCs/IPs occupying a duly

certified ancestral domain shall have the following responsibilities: a) Maintain Ecological Balance. — To
preserve, restore, and maintain a balanced ecology in the ancestral domain by protecting the flora and
fauna, watershed areas, and other reserves; b) Restore Denuded Areas. — To actively initiate, undertake
and participate in the reforestation of denuded areas and other development programs and projects
subject to just and reasonable remuneration; and c) Observe Laws. — To observe and comply with the
provisions of this Act and the rules and regulations for its effective implementation.
Right to Self-Governance and Empowerment
SECTION 13.Self-Governance. — The State recognizes the inherent right of ICCs/IPs to

self-governance and self-determination and respects the integrity of their values, practices and
institutions. Consequently, the State shall guarantee the right of ICCs/IPs to freely pursue their economic,
social and cultural development.
SECTION 14. Support for Autonomous Regions. — The State shall continue to strengthen and support
the autonomous regions created under the Constitution as they may require or need. The State shall

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likewise encourage other ICCs/IPs not included or outside Muslim Mindanao and the Cordilleras to use
the form and content of their ways of life as may be compatible with the fundamental rights defined in the
Constitution of the Republic of the Philippines and other internationally recognized human rights.
SECTION 15.Justice System, Conflict Resolution Institutions, and Peace Building Processes. — The
ICCs/IPs shall have the right to use their own commonly accepted justice systems, conflict resolution
institutions, peace building processes or mechanisms and other customary laws and practices within their
respective communities and as may be compatible with the national legal system and with internationally
recognized human rights.
SECTION 16.Right to Participate in DecisionMaking. — ICCs/IPs have the right to participate fully, if they
so choose, at all levels of decisionmaking in matters which may affect their rights, lives and destinies
through procedures determined by them as well as to maintain and develop their own indigenous political
structures. Consequently, the State shall ensure that the ICCs/IPs shall be given mandatory
representation in policymaking bodies and other local legislative councils.
SECTION 17.Right to Determine and Decide Priorities for Development. — The ICCs/IPs shall have the
right to determine and decide their own priorities for development affecting their lives, beliefs, institutions,
spiritual wellbeing, and the lands they own, occupy or use. They shall participate in the formulation,
implementation and evaluation of policies, plans and programs for national, regional and local
development which may directly affect them.
SECTION 18.Tribal Barangays. — The ICCs/IPs living in contiguous areas or communities where they
form the predominant population but which are located in municipalities, provinces or cities where they do
not constitute the majority of the population, may form or constitute a separate barangay in accordance
with the Local Government Code on the creation of tribal barangays.
SECTION 19.Role of Peoples Organizations. — The State shall recognize and respect the role of
independent ICCs/IPs organizations to enable the ICCs/IPs to pursue and protect their legitimate and
collective interests and aspirations through peaceful and lawful means.
SECTION 20.Means for Development/Empowerment of ICCs/IPs. — The Government shall establish the
means for the full development/empowerment of the ICCs/IPs own institutions and initiatives and, where
necessary, provide the resources needed therefor.
Social Justice and Human Rights
SECTION 21.Equal Protection and Non-discrimination of ICCs/IPs. — Consistent with the equal
protection clause of the Constitution of the Republic of the Philippines, the Charter of the United Nations,
the Universal Declaration of Human Rights including the Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination

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Against Women and International Human Rights Law, the State shall, with due recognition of their distinct
characteristics and identity, accord to the members of the ICCs/IPs the rights, protections and privileges
enjoyed by the rest of the citizenry. It shall extend to them the same employment rights, opportunities,
basic services, educational and other rights and privileges available to every member of the society.
Accordingly, the State shall likewise ensure that the employment of any form of force or coercion against
ICCs/IPs shall be dealt with by law. The State shall ensure that the fundamental human rights and
freedoms as enshrined in the Constitution and relevant international instruments are guaranteed also to
indigenous women. Towards this end, no provision in this Act shall be interpreted so as to result in the
diminution of rights and privileges already recognized and accorded to women under existing laws of
general application.
SECTION 22. Rights During Armed Conflict. — ICCs/IPs have the right to special protection and security
in periods of armed conflict. The State shall observe international standards, in particular, the Fourth
Geneva Convention of 1949, for the protection of civilian populations in circumstances of emergency and
armed conflict, and shall not recruit members of the ICCs/IPs against their will into the armed forces, and
in particular, for use against other ICCs/IPs; nor recruit children of ICCs/IPs into the armed forces under
any circumstance; nor force indigenous individuals to abandon their lands, territories and means of
subsistence, or relocate them in special centers for military purposes under any discriminatory condition.
SECTION 23.Freedom from Discrimination and Right to Equal Opportunity and Treatment. — It shall be
the right of the ICCs/IPs to be free from any form of discrimination, with respect to recruitment and
conditions of employment, such that they may enjoy equal opportunities for admission to employment,
medical and social assistance, safety as well as other occupationally related benefits, informed of their
rights under existing labor legislation and of means available to them for redress, not subject to any
coercive recruitment systems, including bonded labor and other forms of debt servitude; and equal
treatment in employment for men and women, including the protection from sexual harassment. Towards
this end, the State shall, within the framework of national laws and regulations, and in cooperation with
the ICCs/IPs concerned, adopt special measures to ensure the effective protection with regard to the
recruitment and conditions of employment of persons belonging to these communities, to the extent that
they are not effectively protected by laws applicable to workers in general. ICCs/IPs shall have the right
to association and freedom for all trade union activities and the right to conclude collective bargaining
agreements with employers’ organizations. They shall likewise have the right not to be subject to working
conditions hazardous to their health, particularly through exposure to pesticides and other toxic
substances.
SECTION 24. Unlawful Acts Pertaining to Employment. — It shall be unlawful for any person: a) To
discriminate against any ICC/IP with respect to the terms and conditions of employment on account of
their descent. Equal remuneration shall be paid to ICC/IP and nonICC/IP for work of equal value; and b)
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To deny any ICC/IP employee any right or benefit herein provided for or to discharge them for the
purpose of preventing them from enjoying any of the rights or benefits provided under this Act.
SECTION 25.Basic Services. — The ICCs/IPs have the right to special measures for the immediate,
effective and continuing improvement of their economic and social conditions, including in the areas of
employment, vocational training and retraining, housing, sanitation, health and social security. Particular
attention shall be paid to the rights and special needs of indigenous women, elderly, youth, children and
differentlyabled persons. Accordingly, the State shall guarantee the right of ICCs/IPs to government’s
basic services which shall include, but not limited to, water and electrical facilities, education, health, and
infrastructure.
SECTION 26.Women. — ICC/IP women shall enjoy equal rights and opportunities with men, as regards
the social, economic, political and cultural spheres of life. The participation of indigenous women in the
decision-making process in all levels, as well as in the development of society, shall be given due respect
and recognition. The State shall provide full access to education, maternal and child care, health and
nutrition, and housing services to indigenous women. Vocational, technical, professional and other forms
of training shall be provided to enable these women to fully participate in all aspects of social life. As far
as possible, the State shall ensure that indigenous women have access to all services in their own
languages.
SECTION 27.Children and Youth. — The State shall recognize the vital role of the children and youth of
ICCs/IPs in nationbuilding and shall promote and protect their physical, moral, spiritual, intellectual and
social wellbeing. Towards this end, the State shall support all government programs intended for the
development and rearing of the children and youth of ICCs/IPs for civic efficiency and establish such
mechanisms as may be necessary for the protection of the rights of the indigenous children and youth.
SECTION 28.Integrated System of Education. — The State shall, through the NCIP, provide a complete,
adequate and integrated system of education, relevant to the needs of the children and young people of
ICCs/IPs.
Cultural Integrity
SECTION 29.Protection of Indigenous Culture, Traditions and Institutions. — The State shall respect,
recognize and protect the right of ICCs/IPs to preserve and protect their culture, traditions and
institutions. It shall consider these rights in the formulation and application of national plans and policies.
SECTION 30.Educational Systems. — The State shall provide equal access to various cultural
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SECTION 31.Recognition of Cultural Diversity. — The State shall endeavor to have the dignity and
diversity of the cultures, traditions, histories and aspirations of the ICCs/IPs appropriately reflected in all
forms of education, public information and culturaleducational exchange. Consequently, the State shall
take effective measures, in consultation with ICCs/IPs concerned, to eliminate prejudice and
Stateowned media duly reflect indigenous cultural diversity. The State shall likewise ensure the
SECTION 32.Community Intellectual Rights. — ICCs/IPs have the right to practice and revitalize their
own cultural traditions and customs. The State shall preserve, protect and develop the past, present and
future manifestations of their cultures as well as the right to the restitution of cultural, intellectual,
religious, and spiritual property taken without their free and prior informed consent or in violation of their
laws, traditions and customs.
SECTION 33.Rights to Religious, Cultural Sites and Ceremonies. — ICCs/IPs shall have the right to
manifest, practice, develop, and teach their spiritual and religious traditions, customs and ceremonies;
the right to maintain, protect and have access to their religious and cultural sites; the right to use and
control of ceremonial objects; and, the right to the repatriation of human remains. Accordingly, the State
shall take effective measures, in cooperation with the ICCs/IPs concerned, to ensure that indigenous
sacred places, including burial sites, be preserved, respected and protected. To achieve this purpose, it
shall be unlawful to: a) Explore, excavate or make diggings on archeological sites of the ICCs/IPs for the
purpose of obtaining materials of cultural values without the free and prior informed consent of the
community concerned; and b) Deface, remove or otherwise destroy artifacts which are of great
importance to the ICCs/IPs for the preservation of their cultural heritage.
SECTION 34. Right to Indigenous Knowledge Systems and Practices and to Develop own Sciences and
Technologies. — ICCs/IPs are entitled to the recognition of the full ownership and control and protection
of their cultural and intellectual rights. They shall have the right to special measures to control, develop
and protect their sciences, technologies and cultural manifestations, including human and other genetic
resources, seeds, including derivatives of these resources, traditional medicines and health practices,
vital medicinal plants, animals and minerals, indigenous knowledge systems and practices, knowledge of
the properties of fauna and flora, oral traditions, literature, designs, and visual and performing arts.
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SECTION 35.Access to Biological and Genetic Resources. — Access to biological and genetic resources
and to indigenous knowledge related to the conservation, utilization and enhancement of these
community.
SECTION 36.Sustainable AgroTechnical Development. — The State shall recognize the right of ICCs/IPs
to a sustainable agrotechnological development and shall formulate and implement programs of action
for its effective implementation. The State shall likewise promote the biogenetic and resource
management systems among the ICCs/IPs and shall encourage cooperation among government
agencies to ensure the successful sustainable development of ICCs/IPs.
SECTION 37.Funds for Archeological and Historical Sites. — The ICCs/IPs shall have the right to receive
from the national government all funds especially earmarked or allocated for the management and
preservation of their archeological and historical sites and artifacts with the financial and technical
support of the national government agencies
Reference:
29, 1997.
Learning Tasks
A. If you are an Indigenous People Member, post on this page your family tree. If
not, interview a friend or a neighbor who are IP member.

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B. Interview an IP. Answer the following questions.
1. What privileges you obtain as IP member from the government?
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2. If your family own a land, what particular documents you have to take good care of your property?
Land title, Stewardship Certificate, etc. How? Why?
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3. Are you proud of being an IP? Why? Or Why not?
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4. How your community treat you as an IP member?
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Learning Assessment
Matching Type: Match Column A with Column B. Write your answer on the space provided.
1. __________The State shall likewise
encourage other ICCs/IPs not included
or outside Muslim Mindanao and the
Cordilleras to use the form and content
of their ways of life as may be A. Rights to Ancestral Domain
compatible with the fundamental rights
defined in the Constitution of the
Republic of the Philippines and other

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internationally recognized human

rights.
2. ___________The right to an informed

and intelligent participation in the
formulation and implementation of any
project, government or private, that will
affect or impact upon the ancestral
domains and to receive just and fair B. Rights to Self-governance and
compensation for any damages which empowerment
they may sustain as a result of the
project; and the right to effective
measures by the government to
prevent any interference with,
alienation and encroachment upon
these rights;
3. ___________The participation of
indigenous women in the C. Social Justice and Human
decision-making process in all levels, Rights
as well as in the development of
society, shall be given due respect and
recognition.
4. ___________the State shall take
effective measures, in consultation with
ICCs/IPs concerned, to eliminate D. Cultural Integrity
prejudice and discrimination and to
promote tolerance, understanding and
good relations among ICCs/IPs and all
segments of society.
5. ___________The ICCs/IPs shall have

the right to determine and decide their
own priorities for development affecting
their lives, beliefs, institutions, spiritual
wellbeing, and the lands they own,
occupy or use.
Lesson 3 : Indigenous People’s Republic Act (IPRA)
“For Indigenous people, the goal for our land is definitely about protection, but it's also about use. We see
ourselves as so integrated with our territory that our protection is tied to our use and our use is tied to our
protection. We use the resources on our territory to live”
Rebecca Adamson
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Learning Outcomes
1. Analyzed the different provisions in the IPRA that protects the rights of the Indigenous People
Introduction
United Nations human rights committee states a law to eliminate racial discrimination. This
is cited in SECTION 23 of the Republic Act 8371- Freedom from Discrimination and Right
to Equal Opportunity and Treatment. — It shall be the right of the ICCs/IPs to be free from
any form of discrimination, with respect to recruitment and conditions of employment, such
that they may enjoy equal opportunities for admission to employment, medical and social
assistance, safety as well as other occupationally related benefits, informed of their rights
under existing labor legislation and of means available to them for redress, not subject to
any coercive recruitment systems, including bonded labor and other forms of debt
servitude; and equal treatment in employment for men and women, including the
protection from sexual harassment.
Learning Content
Some Protections for Indigenous People Human Rights
Our Indigenous People in this country has no boundaries in claiming their rights and privileges.
Everyone is equal. Indigenous people are protected by Human Rights Law in terms of employment
opportunities medical and social assistance, safety benefits, informed of their rights under existing labor
legislation, debt servitude, protection from sexual harassment under Republic Act No. 7877, otherwise
known as Anti-sexual Harassment Act. An Act Declaring Sexual Harassment Unlawful in the
Employment, Education or Training Environment, and for Other Purposes, governs sexual harassment in
the Philippines and embedded in R.A. 10368- Section 11 of Article II of the 1987 Constitution of the
Republic of the Philippines declares that the State values the dignity of every human, person and
guarantees full respect for human rights.
Why we should know this Human Rights Especially for Indigenous People?
Human rights allow a person to live with dignity and in peace, away from the abuses that can be
inflicted by abusive institutions or individuals. But the fact remains that there are rampant human rights
violations around the world. In the Philippines, R.A 8371 protects Indigenous People.
Human rights belong to all and cannot be taken away unless specific situations call for it.
However, the deprivation of a person's right is subject to due process. Interdependent and indivisible.
Whatever happens to even one right – fulfillment or violation – can directly affect the others. Equal and
non-discriminatory.
Human rights protect all people regardless of race, nationality, gender, religion, and political
leaning, among others. They should be respected without prejudice.
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Respect begets commitment from state that no law should be made to interfere or curtail the fulfillment of
the stated human rights. Protecting means that human rights violations should be prevented and if they
exist, immediate action should be made.
“NO TO LUMAD KILLINGS. CHR condemns the violations of the rights of Lumads.”
The Slay…. Debts or Death for Indigenous People?
INDIGENOUS PEOPLES, ANCESTRAL LANDS AND HUMAN RIGHTS IN THE PHILIPPINES
On the night of June 7, 1993, two farmers were shot and killed in Upper Bulacao,
Barangay Pardo, Cebu City. The gunman, identified by several at the scene, remains at large, as do
those with whom he conspired to commit the murders - for few believe he acted alone he dispute
concerns a rocky 118-hectare parcel of hillside land on the outskirts of Cebu City, and pits, on the one
hand, a group of 349 subsistence farmers long occupying and growing corn on the land against, on the
other, Aznar Enterprises, Inc. and the Santa Lucia Realty Development Corporation, who together seek
to develop the land into a golf course and upper-class residential area.
The problems surrounding indigenous peoples and access to land in the Philippines
ultimately derive from the following historical circumstance; since the early Spanish colonial period, all
forest lands have legally belonged to the state, and most indigenous peoples have long inhabited the
forest. For control over this land, indigenous people have long faced a sort of "double battle," both with
the state itself, from which they must attempt to wrest some sort of security of tenure or access, and with
often-migrant and usually better-off and more politically-influential lowland Filipinos, who have also over
the years attempted to secure titles or other kinds of access to public lands, often displacing indigenous
peoples in the process.
https://www.culturalsurvival.org/publications/cultural-survival-quarterly/indigenous-peoples-ancestral-land
s-and-human-rights
In the Heart of R.A 8371 states: Indigenous People's Rights Act of 1997 which aims to "Recognize,
Protect and Promote the Rights of Indigenous cultural Communities/Indigenous Peoples (ICCs/IPS) and
for other Purposes."
SECTION 13. Self-Governance. — The State recognizes the inherent right of ICCs/IPs to
self-governance and self-determination and respects the integrity of their values, practices and
institutions. Consequently, the State shall guarantee the right of ICCs/IPs to freely pursue their economic,
social and cultural development.
SECTION 14. Support for Autonomous Regions. — The State shall continue to strengthen and support
the autonomous regions created under the Constitution as they may require or need. The State shall
likewise encourage other ICCs/IPs not included or outside Muslim Mindanao and the Cordilleras to use

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the form and content of their ways of life as may be compatible with the fundamental rights defined in the
Constitution of the Republic of the Philippines and other internationally recognized human rights.
SECTION 15. Justice System, Conflict Resolution Institutions, and Peace Building Processes. — The
ICCs/IPs shall have the right to use their own commonly accepted justice systems, conflict resolution
institutions, peace building processes or mechanisms and other customary laws and practices within their
respective communities and as may be compatible with the national legal system and with internationally
SECTION 16. Right to Participate in Decision-Making. — ICCs/IPs have the right to participate fully, if
they so choose, at all levels of decision-making in matters which may affect their rights, lives and
destinies through procedures determined by them as well as to maintain and develop their own
indigenous political structures. Consequently, the State shall ensure that the ICCs/IPs shall be given
mandatory representation in policy-making bodies and other local legislative councils.
SECTION 17. Right to Determine and Decide Priorities for Development. — The ICCs/IPs shall have the
right to determine and decide their own priorities for development affecting their lives, beliefs, institutions,
spiritual well-being, and the lands they own, occupy or use. They shall participate in the formulation,
development which may directly affect them.
SECTION 18.Tribal Barangays. — The ICCs/IPs living in contiguous areas or communities where they
form the predominant population but which are located in municipalities, provinces or cities where they do
not constitute the majority of the population, may form or constitute a separate barangay in accordance
with the Local Government Code on the creation of tribal barangays.
SECTION 19. Role of Peoples Organizations. — The State shall recognize and respect the role of
independent ICCs/IPs organizations to enable the ICCs/IPs to pursue and protect their legitimate and
collective interests and aspirations through peaceful and lawful means.
SECTION 20. Means for Development/Empowerment of ICCs/IPs. — The Government shall establish the
means for the full development/empowerment of the ICCs/IPs own institutions and initiatives and, where
necessary, provide the resources needed therefore.[6]
Rights to Ancestral Domain
Chapter III, section 7 of the Republic Act No. 8371 of 1997 covers the 8 Rights to Ancestral Domain. This
chapter focuses on the identification and protection of the entitlement of the Indigenous Cultural
Communities (ICC), and the Indigenous Peoples (IPs) as the proper owners of their ancestral land. The
following rights are listed below:

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This was implemented in order to stop the historical injustices experienced by the IPs. Despite the
implementation of the law since the year 1997, the IPs of the Philippines still persistently experience
injustices. The IPs are struggling fighting for their rights because they feel like the government has
continued to neglect them.
Section 57 of chapter VIII of the Republic Act No. 8371 of 1997 which states that:
Natural resources within Ancestral Domains - The ICCs/IPs shall have priority rights in the harvesting,
extraction, development or exploitation of any natural resources within the ancestral domain. A
non-member of ICCs/IPs concerned may be allowed to take part in the development and utilization of the
natural resources for a period of not exceeding twenty-five (25) years: provided, that a formal and written
agreement is entered into with the ICCs/IPs concerned or that the community, pursuant to its own
decision making process, has agreed to allow such operation: provided, finally, that the NCIP may
exercise visitorial powers and take appropriate action to safeguard the rights of ICCs/IPs under the same
contract.
The law guarantees indigenous peoples’ right to basic social services as provided by the State. As a
vulnerable group, special attention is given for the "immediate, effective and continuing improvement of
their economic and social conditions.
Examples of services that fit this provision include social security through the Republic of the Philippines
Social Services System, housing, vocational training and employment support through various efforts of
the Department of Social Welfare and Development as well as complete health coverage through the
PhilHealth "No Balance Billing" from government hospitals.
Section 32 - Community Intellectual Rights
- ICCs/IPs have the right to practice and revitalize their own cultural traditions and customs. The State
shall presence, protect and develop the past, present and future manifestations of their cultures as well
as the right to the restitution of cultural, intellectual religious, and spiritual property taken without their free
and prior informed consent or in violation of their laws, traditions and customs.
Section 34 - Right to Indigenous Knowledge Systems and Practices and to Develop own Sciences
and Technologies
- ICCs/IPs are entitled to the recognition of the full ownership and control end protection of their cultural
and intellectual rights. They shall have the right to special measures to control, develop and protect their
sciences, technologies and cultural manifestations, including human and other genetic resources, seeds,
including derivatives of these resources, traditional medicines and hearth practices, vital medicinal plants,
animals and minerals, indigenous knowledge systems and practices, knowledge of the properties of
fauna and flora, oral traditions, literature, designs, and visual and performing arts.
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Section 35 - Access to Biological and Genetic Resources
- Access to biological and genetic resources and to indigenous knowledge related to the conservation,
utilization and enhancement of these resources, shall be allowed within ancestral lands and domains of
the ICCs/IPs only with a free and prior informed consent of such communities, obtained in accordance
with customary laws of the concerned community.
Here are other organizations that support IPRA law and their functions:
● Asian Development Bank (ADB)- gives loan to government to create projects such as Cordillera
Agricultural Resource Management (CHARM) that help the development of IP's. The CHARM project
involves helping the IPs in Cordillera to develop the agricultural resource of IPs land. They also
helped in project Mindanao Basic Education Development project to give poor some education
● International Labor Organization- made some conventions regarding IPs such as poverty program,
regarding on how IPs can assert more control and development of their own lands, regarding steps
on how can IPs protect and guarantee their right of ownership and possession, regarding the
responsibilities of government to ensure the rights of IPs.
● Philippine Action for Intercultural Development- helped the IPs regarding community mapping, where
they help IPs in legalizing the boundaries of their respective lands
● National Confederation of Indigenous Peoples - aims to unite the different IP rights organization to
fight for their rights. Their past projects includes Ancestral Domain Sustainable Development
Protection Plan (ADSDPP), demarcation of Certificate of Ancestral Domain Title (CADT) on the
ground in favor of the Ati in Boracay Island etc. [21]
● Tribal Communities Association of the Philippine- provides legal assistance to IPs
References:
https://www.wipo.int/tk/en/databases/tklaws/articles/article_0017.html
29, 1997.
Learning Tasks

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● Discuss briefly the 4 Pillars of IPRA.
A) Right to Ancestral Domains and Lands

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B) Right to Self-Governance and Empowerment
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C) Social Justice and Human Rights
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D) Cultural Integrity
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Learning Assessment
A. Multiple Choice: Read and understand each statement below. Write the
correct letter of your answer before the number.
1. An Act providing for reparation and recognition of victim of human rights

violations.
A. R.A. 7877 B. R.A. 10368 C.R.A. 8371 D. R.A. 7277

2. An Act declaring sexual harassment unlawful in the employment, education or
training environment and for other purposes.
A. R.A. 7877 B. R.A. 8371 C. R.A.10368 D. R.A. 1033
3. The Indigenous Peoples’ Act of 1997.
A. R.A. 7877 B. R.A. 8371 C. R.A.10368 D. R.A. 1033
4. This section emphasized that the state shall guarantee the right of ICCs/IPs to
freely pursue their economic, social and cultural development.
A. Section 13 Self Governance B. Section 15 Justice System
C. Section 32 Community Intellectual Rights D. Section 32 Cultural Rights
5. This section states the right to use their own commonly accepted justice systems,
conflict resolution institutions, peace building processes or mechanisms and
other customary laws and practices within their respective communities and as
may be compatible with the national legal system and with internationally
A. Section 15 B. Section 32 C. Section 14 D. Section 18
UNIT IV
IPs Poverty Alleviation and Environmental Protection
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Unit IV: IPs Poverty Alleviation and Environmental Protection
Lesson 1: Economics and Income
Lesson 2: Preservation of Indigenous Cultural Heritage
Siplao, J.
This unit contains two lessons. The first lesson talks about the indigenous economics and income
that provides mainly the opportunity for learners to describe the economic system, means of survival of
the Indigenous People and on the involvement of IP individuals in their community. The second lesson
explains the importance of the preservation of indigenous cultural heritage.
LESSON 1. INDIGENOUS ECONOMICS AND INCOME

Learning Outcomes
At the end of this lesson, students must have:
1. Explained the IP economic system and means of their survival to sustain their life.
2. Applied new ideas in economic restructuring and redevelopment among the Indigenous
People.
3. Analyzed new skills to critically infrastructure for sustainable development of the Indigenous
people’s cultural heritage.
Introduction
The Indigenous People represent nearly 14% of the country’s population. They are among the
poorest and the most disadvantaged social group in the country. Illiteracy, unemployment and incidence
of poverty are much higher among them than the rest of the population. Indigenous people settlements
are remote, without access to basic services, and are characterized by a high incidence of morbidity,
mortality and malnutrition.
There are one hundred ten (110) major Indigenous groups in the Philippines. Most of the
Indigenous Peoples depend on traditional agriculture utilizing available upland areas. However, most of
these traditional cultivation sites and uncultivated areas have now been degraded and are further
threatened by the influx of migrant farmers who have introduced unsustainable lowland commercial
farming practices. Furthermore, most Indigenous communities do not have legal recognition over their
traditional lands, thus limiting their ability to freely conduct their livelihood activities and are denied access
to other natural resources in their communities.
This lesson tackles on the indigenous people community economic system, community
production, community distribution/ exchange and the involvement of indigenous individuals in the
community. Let’s now open our minds as we are going to dig deeper the content of this unit.
Learning Content
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Principles of Indigenous Economic Systems

Indigenous peoples have long developed a variety of systems to govern their societies. Their
traditional and local economic systems ensured sustainable utilization of resources, social responsibility
and harmonious relationships through cooperation.
The following are the principles indigenous economic systems:
1. Reciprocity
2. Social Responsibility
3. Sustainability of Resources
The principles of reciprocity and social responsibility are integral to indigenous peoples’ lives and
rituals and have been incorporated into their customary laws. Any person who breaks the law – even in a
relatively minor way, such as giving the wrong part of an animal to the wrong person in the community –
can be subjected to the traditional judicial system.
A third principle is the sustainable use of resources. The lifestyles of indigenous communities are
relatively simple, in line with their practice of sustainable resource management. As a rule, they use local
materials for their crafts and tools, discourage wasteful use of resources, and practice zoning for different
land uses. They have regulatory mechanisms in place to ensure sustainability. These mechanisms are
integral to customary law andare usually supervised by the village chief/head (Lasimbang, 2008).
Characteristics of Indigenous Economic Systems
Indigenous economic systems are characterized by a diversity of small-scale economic activities
along with regulation of territories, land and resources. Production is of a subsistence nature. Barter
trading is integrated with social interaction.
In the Philippines, most indigenous peoples are primarily smallscale agriculturists, fishing, hunting
and gathering from nearby forests. Other activities include animal husbandry, together with traditional
economic activities that support agriculture and involve artisans such as weavers, carpenters and
carvers.
Another characteristic of indigenous economies is the subsistence nature of production. Food is
produced primarily for the family and the community with any surplus being marketed first within the
village, then at barter centers. Likewise, implements and tools are produced for local use. If the services
of skilled artisans are in great demand, it is quite likely that they first will serve their kin before offering
services to others in the community, and only after that to those outside of their village.
To indigenous communities, barter trading is not only an economic necessity it is also a form of
social interaction, particularly if the barter centers attract other communities. It is an opportunity to share
stories and exchange experience. To this day, despite improved communication and modern-day
supermarkets and shops, indigenous peoples look upon traditional marketplaces as exciting, with market
days eagerly awaited.
Therefore, any indigenous economic system is part of an economic and social totality that
connects and governs the lives of its peoples. Social responsibility and reciprocity are embedded into
behavioural norms within indigenous social systems. Ensuring the sustainability of resources ispart of the
spiritual system and the indigenous resource management system. Small-scale production, moderate
catches of fish, or moderate harvests of local resources using non-destructive tools characterize
livelihoods (Lasimbang, 2008).
Indigenous Economic Development

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Indigenous economic development is one of several interrelated systems that govern the way of
life of every indigenous community. The concept ensures that as an indigenous community develops, it
avoids exploitation of its members and of the environment, which is why traditionally there is only a
narrow gap in living standards between the richest and poorest members of a community. Indigenous
peoples should be encouraged in their vision of an integrated economic development system that
encompasses the development of human capabilities, capacities and skills; appropriate infrastructure that
does not displace people; recognition of pluralistic systems respecting other cultures and civilizations;
promotion and provision of a democratic space to continue practicing indigenous ways of life; and the
pursuit of self-determined development (Lasimbang, 2008).
Learning Tasks
Directions: Use this graphic organizer to describe the indigenous people in terms of their resources,
survival, jobs and recreation.
Learning Assessment
Direction: Read and analyze the following situations. Answer briefly the following questions.

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1. Candido is an indigenous people, a smallscale agriculturist who lived in the rural area with no
supply of electricity with his wife and nine children. One day, one great opportunity came to his
family, Jesusa, his eldest daughter availed the Indigenous People Scholarship and is having an
opportunity to send herself in college. What do you think is the impact of this government program
to the life of the indigenous family?
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_______________________________________________________________.
2. Rodolfo belongs to indigenous cultural group. He married at the age of 16 and is blessed with
eleven children. Why do you think most of the indigenous children are experiencing malnutrition
and illiteracy?
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3. Tinago is a place near the cave where many of the indigenous families lived. Once a month, the
government volunteers gather themfor a family planning orientation. The volunteers discuss the
natural ways and artificial methods in planning a family and distribute condoms and pills. What do
you think is the main purpose of the government volunteers in making this program? Why do you
think so?
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4. TRUE OR FALSE:
Directions: Read and analyze the following questions. Write TRUE if the statement is correct
and X if it is False. Write your answer on the space provided before each item.

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___________1. Reciprocity, social responsibility and totality of resources are the principles of
indigenous economic system.
___________2. To indigenous communities, barter trading is not only an economic necessity it is also
a form of social interaction.
___________3. Culture provides a sense of oneness and belongingness to the members of the
indigenous group.
___________4. Indigenous economic systems are characterized by a diversity of large- scale

economic activities along with regulation of territories, land and resources.
___________5. In the Philippines, indigenous peoples have been subject to historical discrimination
and economic benefit.
___________6.Indigenous peoples need to celebrate their history in order to continue the loss of their
cultures.
___________7. Indigenous peoples’ independence on the land for food, shelter, identity and survival
has resulted in a deep respect for the land and a need to conserve it.
___________8.Indigenous peoples help protect our environment, fight climate change and build
resilience to natural disasters.
___________9. Only through preservation of the cultural heritage, the new generations and the
coming generations will be able to understand and live according to the standards
perceived by the forefathers.
___________10. In indigenous economic system, ensuring the sustainability of resources ispart of the
spiritual system and the indigenous resource management system.
___________11. Farming, online reselling and herding are the mainstay of indigenous economies.
___________12. The guiding principles of national laws or policies on indigenous economic
development could promote indigenous economic principles.
___________13. Indigenous people in the Philippines often face exclusion, loss of ancestral lands,
displacement, pressures to and destruction of traditional ways of life and practices,
and loss of identity and culture.
___________14. Large-scale production, moderate catches of fish, or moderate harvests of local
resources using destructive tools characterize livelihoods of the indigenous people.
___________15. Reciprocity is one of the characteristics of indigenous economies.
References
Lasimbang, J. (2008). Indigenous Peoples and Local Economic Development. IAPP. pp. 4245
http://www.un.org/esa/socdev/unpfii/en/declaration.html.
Lesson 2. Preservation of Indigenous Cultural Heritage

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“The indigenous peoples understand that they have to recover their cultural identity, or to live it if they
have already recovered it. They also understand that this is not a favor or a concession, but simply their
natural right to be recognized as belonging to a culture that is distinct from the Western culture, a culture
in which they have to live their own faith”
Samuel Ruiz
Learning Outcomes
At the end of this lesson, you must be able to:
1. Explained and reflect the importance of preserving the IPs cultural heritage.
2. Analyzed the value of IP cultural heritage in the contemporary times.
3. Describe cultural heritage in the context of their social setting.

Introduction
Cultural heritage is the legacy of physical artifacts and intangible attributes of a group or society
that is inherited from past generations (Logan, 2007).
Did you know that cultural heritage is in the food we eat, the clothes we wear, the religion we
follow and the skills we learn? Let us now tackle the importance of preserving the indigenous cultural
heritage. Let’s begin!
Learning Content
What is Cultural Heritage?
Cultural Heritage is an expression of the ways of living developed by a community and passed on
from generation to generation including customs, practices, places, objects, artistic expressions and
values.
Importance of Cultural Heritage Preservation
▪ Cultural heritage can provide an automatic sense of unity and belonging within a group and allows
us to better understand generations and the history of where we come from .
▪ Another advantage that comes from preserving cultural heritage as a whole is communal support.
Those that identify strongly with a certain heritage are often more likely to help out others in that
same community.
▪ Saving indigenous languages is crucial to ensure the protection of the cultural identity and dignity
of indigenous peoples and safeguard their traditional heritage.
How to Preserve the Cultural Heritage?
▪ Cultural Heritage preserved through books, artifacts, objects, pictures, photographs, art and oral
tradition.
Indigenous Cultural Heritage
For indigenous peoples their culture is the essence of who they are, who they belong to, where
they come from, how they relate to one another. Culture is the accumulated teachings of ancestors. It is
the basis of traditions, customs, protocols, values, spirituality, ceremonies, language, ways of knowing

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and being, connections to the land and the life-sustaining resources of the land. Culture permeates all
aspects of life and is essential to the overall well-being of indigenous communities and individuals.
In an increasingly globalized world, preserving the cultural heritage of indigenous peoples remains
a problem. The term indigenous refers to any ethnic group that resides in its original location, practices a
traditional culture, and speaks a minority language. However, this definition is not all encompassing.
Some indigenous groups may have lost their traditional language but are otherwise considered an
indigenous ethnic group. Other ethnic groups may have been displaced from their original homeland but
have retained most of their indigenous culture.
Cultural preservation includes documenting and studying languages; preserving and restoring
historic relics significant to a culture; and encouraging the preservation and use of indigenous languages and
rituals.
Learning Tasks
Directions: Make a poster and slogan on how you view the preservation of indigenous cultural heritage.
(Use of coloring materials is highly appreciated).

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Learning Assessment
Directions: Answer the following questions:
1. Hon. Santos, Marikit city mayor, signed a memorandum for the annual celebration of indigenous
dances and rituals. It is scheduled every September 13 and will be participated by the indigenous
people of each barangay. Explain how the said city gave emphasis in preserving the indigenous
cultural heritage.
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2. Complete the table below.
Reference/s:

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Logan, William S. (2007).” Closing Pandora’s Box: Human Rights Conundrums in

Cultural Heritage”. In Silverman, Heliane; Ruggles, D.Fairchild (eds.) Cultural and Human
Rights. New York.
UNIT V
Indigenous People’s Rights to Tenure and
Conservation
“ We are brother’s keeper, understanding other’s life challenges, building relationship with them and
collaborating with them to effect change in the life of another is the secret of building a community with
equality and social justice” (unknown)
Let’s think about it!
Do you know the rights of the indigenous people regarding their rights to ancestral domain?
Please write your answers in the box below.

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Lesson 1: Rights to Ancestral Domain (6 Hours)
“ Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet

May through experience of trial and suffering
And the soul be strengthened,
Ambition inspired and success achieved”
Hellen Keller
Learning Outcomes: At the end of the lesson, the students must have:
1. Identified the ancestral domain intended for the Indigenous People.
2. Describe the legal basis in the exercise of their rights over their ancestral domain.
3. Analyzed the importance of knowing their rights for protection against violation by any private
individual.
Introduction:
This lesson provides a clear and precise definition of the rights of the Indigenous People; such
rights may include, concept of ancestral land, Indigenous concept of ownership, Composition of Ancestral
Lands/Domains, Rights to ancestral Domains, Responsibilities of ICCs/IPs to their Ancestral Domains,
Unauthorized and Unlawful Intrusion.
These further explain and help our IP community to encourage and familiarize their rights in their
ancestral domains.
Learning Content:
Ancestral lands/domains shall include such concept of territories which cover not only the physical
environment but the total environment including the spiritual and cultural bonds to the areas which the
Indigenous Cultural Community/Indigenous People’s possess, occupy and to which they claim s of
ownership. (IPRA, Chapter 3, Sec. 4)
Indigenous concepts of ownership sustain the view that ancestral domains and all resources
found therein shall serve as the material bases of their cultural integrity. The indigenous concept of
ownership generally holds that ancestral domains are the ICC’s/IP’s private but community property
which belongs to all generations and therefore cannot be sold, disposed or destroyed. It likewise covers
sustainable traditional rights. (IPRA, Chapter 3, Sec. 5)
The rights of ownership and possession of ICC’s/IP’s to their ancestral domains shall be
recognized and protected. Such rights shall include. (IPRA, Chapter 3, Sec. 7)
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a. Right to ownership – the right to claim ownership over land, bodies of water traditionally and
actually occupied by ICC’s/IP’s, sacred places, traditional hunting and fishing grounds, and all
improvements made by them at any time within their domains.
b. Right to Develop Lands and Natural Resources - subject to Section 56 hereof, right to develop,
control and use lands and territories traditionally occupies, owned, or used; to manage and
conserve natural resources within the territories and uphold the responsibilities for future
generations; to benefit and share the profits from allocation and utilization of the natural
resources found therein; the right to negotiate the terms and conditions for the exploration of
natural resources in the areas for the purpose of ensuing ecological, environmental protection and
the conservation measures, pursuant to national customary laws; the right to an informed and
intelligent participation in the formulation and implementation of any project, government or
private , that will affect or impact upon ancestral domains and to receive just and fair
compensation for any damages which they may sustain as a result of the project; and the right to
effective measure by the government to prevent any interference with , alienation and
encroachment upon these rights.
c. Right to stay in the Territories – The right to stay in the territory and not to be removed
therefore, No ICC’s/IP’s will be relocated without their free and prior consent, nor through any
means other than eminent domain. Where relocation is considered necessary as an exceptional
measure, such relocation shall take place only with the free an prior inform consent of the
ICC’s/IP’s concerned and whenever possible, they shall be guaranteed the rights to return to their
ancestral domains, as soon as the grounds for relocation cease to exist. When such return is not
possible, as determined by agreement or through appropriate procedures, ICC’s/IP’s shall be
provided in all possible cases with lands of quality and legal status at least equal to that land
previously occupied by them, suitable to provide their present needs and future developments.
Persons thus relocated shall likewise be fully compensated for any resulting loss or injury.
d. Right in Case of Displacement – In case of displacement occurs as a result of natural

catastrophes, the state shall endeavour to resettle the displaced ICC’s/IP’s in suitable areas
where they can have temporary life support system: Provided, that the displaced ICC’s/IP’s shall
have the right to return to their abandoned lands until such time that the normalcy and safety of
such land shall be determined: Provided, further, that should their ancestral domain cease to exist
and normalcy and safety of the previous settlement are not possible, displaced ICC’s/IP’s shall
enjoy security of tenure over lands to which they have been resettled: Provided, furthermore, That
the basic services and livelihood shall be provided to them to ensure that their needs are
adequately addressed;
e. Right to Regulate Entry of Migrants – Rights to regulate the entry of migrants and settles and
organization into the domain.
f. Right to Safe and Clean Air – For this purpose, the ICC’s/IP’s shall have access to integrated
systems for the management of their inland waters and air space;
g. Right to claim Parts of Reservations- The right to claim parts of the ancestral domains which
have been reserved for various purposes, except those reserved and intended for common public
welfare and service;
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h. Right to Resolve Conflict – Right to resolve land conflicts in accordance with customary laws of
the area where the land is located, and only in default thereof shall the complaints be submitted to
amicable settlement and to the Courts of justice whenever necessary.
The right of ownership and possession of the ICC’s/IP’s to their ancestral lands shall be recognized
and protected. (IPRA, Chapter 3, Sec. 8)
a. Right to transfer land/property – such right shall include the right to transfer of land or property
rights to/among member s of the same ICC’s/IP’s, subject to customary laws and traditions of the
community concerned;
b. Right to Redemption – in cases where it is shown that the transfer of land/property rights by
virtue of any agreement or devise, to a non-member of the concerned ICC’s/IP’s is tainted by the
vitiated consent of the ICC’s/IP’s, or is transferred to an unconscionable consideration or price,
the transferor ICC/IP shall have the right to redeem the same within a period not exceeding fifteen
(15) years from the date of transfer.
Indigenous Cultural Community’s/IP’s occupying a duly certified ancestral domain shall have
the following responsibilities; (IPRA, Chapter 3, Sec. 9)
a. Maintains Ecological Balance – to preserved, restore, and maintain a balanced ecology in the
ancestral domain by protecting the flora and fauna, watershed areas, and other reserves.
b. Restore Denuded Areas – to actively initiate, undertake and participate in the reforestation of
denuded areas and other development programs and other projects subject to just and
reasonable remuneration;
c. Observe Laws – to observe and comply with the provisions of this act and the rules and
regulations for its effective implementation.
Unauthorized and unlawful intrusion upon, or use of any portion of the ancestral domain, or
any violation of the rights herein before enumerated, shall be punishable under this law. Furthermore, the
Government shall take measures to prevent non-ICC’s/IP’s from taking advantage of the ICC’s/IP’s
customs or lack of understanding of laws to secure ownership, possession of land belonging to said
ICC’s/IP’s. (IPRA, Chapter 3, Sec. 10)
The rights of ICC’s/IP’s to their ancestral domains by virtue of Native Title shall be
recognized and respected. Formal recognition, when solicited by the ICC’s/IP’s concerned, shall be
embodied in a Certificate of Ancestral Domain Title (CADT), which shall recognized the tile of the
concerned ICC’s/IP’s over the territories identified and delineated (IPRA, Chapter 3, Sec. 11)
Option to Secure Certificate of Title Under Commonwealth Act 141, as amended , or the
Land Registration Act 496 – individual members of cultural communities, with respect to their
individually-owned ancestral lands who, by themselves or through their predecessors –in – interest , have
been in continuous possession and occupation of the same in the concept of owner since time
immemorial or for s period of not less than thirty (30) years immediately preceding the approval of this Act
and uncontested by the members of the same ICC’s/IP’s shall have the option to secure title to their
ancestral land under the provision of Commonwealth Act 141, as amended , or the Land Registration Act
496. (IPRA, Chapter 3, Sec. 12)

Page | 129
Reference:
29, 1997.
Learning Tasks: It’s My Turn!
2. Fill in the space below by enumerating the rights of ICC’s/IPs community as stipulated in Chapter
3, Sec 3, IPRA.
Do It and Apply!
1. Make an activity or plan of action on how to preserve and maintain the ICCs/IP’s land ownership
against land grabbing by some private individuals. Ex. Tree Growing Activity. Fill in below the needed
information.
Name of Activity
Objectives

Page | 130
Rationale/Introduction
Expected Output
2. Using your imagination, draw a picture showing the ICC’s/IPs well protected ancestral domain. You
may use coloring materials to highlight your presentation.

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3. Preserving the ICC’s/IPs is our major priority. To make this goal realistic in support to the
ICC’s/IPs community. You have to write a slogan campaigning for the strong support to
the IP community in helping them to preserve their ancestral domain.
Ex. “Kunin mo na ang lahat sakin, Huwag lang ang aking Ancestral Domain”.
Write a slogan as many you can either in English or in Filipino and write it in the box
provided below.
Learning Assessment: Let’s Reach Our Goal!
Based on the learning tasks presented, answer the following questions and cite provision in IPRA,
R.A 8371 to support your answers.
1. How does the ICC’s/IP’s community protect and maintain their land ownership, cite provisions in IPRA
to justify your views.

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2. The Indigenous Cultural Communities/Indigenous Peoples’ wanted to live in an environment

that is ecologically balance and well habitable place for them. How the ICC’s /IP people
preserved their ancestral domain to be ecologically balance and a habitable in nature? Write
your answers in the space provided below.
3. Enumerate the rights of the ICC’s/IPs in their ancestral domain (Chapter 3, Sec 4-12). Discuss each to
further your knowledge and understanding. Write your answers below.

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b) Matching Type: Test Yourself with the Provisions in IPRA (R.A 8371)
Instruction: Match Column A with Column B. Write the letter of your correct answers in
the space provided in the box.
Answer Column A Column B

A. Option to secure Certificate of Title Under
1. Section 4 Commonwealth Act 141
2. Section 5 B. Composition of Ancestral Domain
3. Section 6 C. Recognition of Ancestral Domain Rights
4. Section 7 D. Unauthorized and Unlawful Intrusion
5. Section 8 E. Responsibilities of ICC’s/IPs to their Ancestral

Domain
6. Section 9 F. Composition of Ancestral Land/Domains
7. Section 10 G. Social Justice and Human Rights
8. Section 11 H. Rights to Ancestral Lands
9. Section 12 I. Concepts of Ancestral Lands/Domains
10. Chapter 3 J. Indigenous Concept of Ownership
K. Self-governance of IPs
L. Rights to Ancestral Land
References
29, 1997.
De Vera, (2007): Executive Director, PAFID, Article Presented at RNIP Regional Assembly, Hanoi,
Vietnam, August 20-26, 2007.

Page | 134
Lesson 2: Right to Self-Governance and Empowerment (4 Hours)
“Government are instituted among men, deriving their powers from the consent of the
governed, that whenever any form of government becomes destructive of these ends, it
is the right of the people to alter or abolish it, and to institute new government, laying
and organizing its powers in such form, as them shall seem most likely to effect their
safety and happiness”
Cory Doctorow
Learning Outcomes: At the end of the lesson, the students must have:
1. Discussed the basic rights ICC’s/IPs to self governance and empowerment.
2. Identified the existing laws and the actual social conditions of the Indigenous People.
3. Analyzed the representation of Indigenous People to decision making process.
Introduction
The Indigenous Cultural Community has certain rights to be protected. Such rights are stipulated
in the Indigenous People’s Act (IPRA, RA 8371). Consequently, the State shall guarantee the right of
Indigenous Cultural Communities, Indigenous Peoples to freely preserve their economic, social and
cultural development.
Learning Content:
The state recognizes the inherent right of ICC’s/IP’s to self governance and self discrimination
and respects the integrity of their values, practices and institutions. Consequently, the state shall
guarantee the right of ICC’s/IP’s to freely pursue their economic, social and cultural development. (IPRA,
Chapter 4, Sec. 13)
The state shall continue to strengthen and support the autonomous regions created under the
Constitution as they may require or need. The state shall likewise encourage other ICC’s/IPs not included
or outside Muslim Mindanao and the Cordilleras to use the form and content of their ways of life as
maybe compatible with fundamental rights defined in the Constitution of the Republic of the Philippines
and other internationally recognized human rights. (IPRA, Chapter 4, Sec. 14)
The ICC’s/IPs shall have the right to use their own commonly accepted justice systems, conflict
resolution institutions, peace building process or mechanisms and other customary laws and practices

Page | 135
within their respective communities and as may be compatible with the national legal system and with
internationally recognized human rights. (IPRA, Chapter 4, Sec. 15)
The right to participate in the decision making, ICC’s /IPs have the right to participate fully, if they
choose, at all levels of decision-making in matters which may affect their rights, lives and destinies
through procedures determined by them as well as to maintain and develop their own indigenous political
structures. Consequently, the state shall ensure that the ICC’s/IPs shall be given mandatory
representation in policy making bodies and other local legislative councils. (IPRA, Chapter 4, Sec. 16)
Right to determine and decide priorities for development – the ICC’s/IPs shall have the right to
determine and decide their own priorities for development affecting their lives, beliefs, institutions,
spiritual well being, and the land they own, occupy or use. They shall participate in the formulation,
development which may directly affect them. (IPRA, Chapter 4, Sec. 17)
Tribal Barangays – the ICC’s/IPs living in contiguous areas or communities where they form the
predominant population but which are located in the municipalities, provinces or cities where they do not
constitute the majority of the population, may form or constitute a separate Barangay in accordance with
the Local Government Code on the creation of tribal Barangay. (IPRA, Chapter 4, Sec. 18)
The state shall recognize and respect the role independent ICC’s/IPs to pursue and protect their
legitimate and collective interests and aspirations through peaceful and lawful means (IPRA, Chapter 4,
Sec. 19)
The government shall establish the means for the full development/empowerment of the ICC’s/IPs
own institutions and initiatives and , where necessary, provide the resources needed thereof. (IPRA,
Chapter 4, Sec. 20)
Learning Tasks : You May Think and Say!

1. The IPRA contains provisions that empower them to self-governance. Describe certain provision
in IPRA pertaining to self-governance and empowerment in the existing social condition.

Page | 136
2. As empowered in the IPRA, Further explain Chapter 4, Sec 18 (R.A 8371 IPRA), the level of
participation in decision making.
3. Looking into the country politics, fill in the matrix below by enumerating the acceptable Communal
Practices in the justice system of the ICC’s/IPs community. Write your answers provided below.

Page | 137
4. Draw or make a sketch of a Social environment that shows cooperation between the IP and local
community.
Learning Assessment: Let your Brain Work!
1. Based on the matrix presented in the learning tasks no. 3 presenting the list of acceptable
communal practice in justice system. Discuss each to further your understanding on the lesson
presented. Below are the spaces for you to write your answers.

Page | 138
2. In the matrix below enumerate the privileges and opportunities enjoyed by the ICC’s/IP’s. Write
your answers below.
ICC’s/IP’s privilege for self-governance ICC’s/IPs opportunities such as employment

and empowerment

Page | 139
3. Matching Type: Think and Match!
Instruction: Match Column A with Column B. Write the letter of your correct answers in the space
provided in the box. (IPRA Self-governance and Empowerment
1. Section 13 A. Right to participate in decision making
2. Section 14 B. Right to determine development
3. Section 15 C. Right to determine and decide priorities

for development
4. Section 16 D. Support for autonomous region
5. Section 17 E. Empowerment of ICC’s/IP’s
F. Justice system, conflict resolution
G. Self-governance
Reference/s:
29, 1997.
Gilbert, Jeremie (2007): “Indigenous Rights in the Making: The United Nations Declaration on the
Rights of Indigenous People” International Journal on Minority and Group Rights.
Page | 140
Carmen, Andrea (2010): “The Rights to Free, Prior, and Informed Consent: A Framework for
Harmonious Relations and New Process for Redress” Realizing UN Declaration on the Rights of
Indigenous People: Triumph, Hope, and Action, Eds. Preston, Hartley, Purich
Lesson 3: Social Justice and Human Rights (4 Hours)
“Learn to do good, seek justice, correct oppression,

bring justice to the fatherless, plead the widows cause”
(unknown)
Learning Outcomes: At the end of the lesson, the students must have;
1. Described the nature of justice and human rights among the indigenous People in the community.
2. Differentiate the social justice system and human rights to the existing practices among the
indigenous community.
3. Analyzed the existing provisions in the IPRA to the benefit of the ICC’s/IP’s to justice system and
human rights.
Introduction:
This lesson presents the most comprehensive statement of the rights of Indigenous People to
date, establishing collective right to a greater extent than any other documents in the human rights law. It
establishes the rights of Indigenous People to the protection of their cultural property and identity as well
as the rights to education, employment, health, religion, language and more. It also protects the rights of
Indigenous People to our land collectively.
Learning Content: Explore!
Consistent with the equal protection clause of the Constitution of the Republic of the Philippines,
the Charter of the United Nations, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights including the convention on
the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women and International Human Rights Law, the state shall,
Page | 141
with due recognition of their distinct characteristics and identity, accord to the members of the ICC’s/IPs
the rights, protections and privileges enjoyed by the rest of the citizenry. It shall extend to them the same
employment rights, opportunities, basic services, educational and other rights and privilege available to
every member of the society. Accordingly, the state shall likewise ensure that the employment of any form
of force or coercion against ICC’s/IPs shall be dealt with by law.
The state shall ensure that the fundamental human rights and freedoms as enshrined in the
Constitution and relevant international instruments are guaranteed also to indigenous women. Towards
this end, no provision of this Act shall be interpreted so as to result in the diminution of rights and
privileges already recognized and accorded to women under existing laws of general application. (IPRA,
Chapter 5, Sec. 21)
Rights during armed conflict- ICCs/IPs have the right to special protection and security in periods
of armed conflict. The state shall observed international standards, in particular , the Fourth Geneva
Convention of 1949, for the protection of civilian populations in circumstances of emergency and armed
conflict, and shall not recruit members of the ICCs/IPs against their will into armed forces, and in
particular, for use against other ICC’s/IPs; nor recruit children of ICC’s/IPs into armed forces under any
circumstances; nor force indigenous individuals to abandon their lands, territories and means of
subsistence, or relocate them in special Centers for military purpose under discriminatory condition.
(IPRA, Chapter 5, Sec. 22)
Freedom from Discrimination and Rights to Equal Opportunity and Treatment – It shall be the right
of the ICCs/IPs to be free from any form of discrimination, with respect to recruitment and conditions of
employment , such that they may enjoy equal opportunities for admission to employment, medical and
social assistance, safety as well as other occupational –related benefits, inform of their rights under
existing labor legislation and of means available to them for redress, not subject to any coercive
recruitment systems, including bonded labor and other forms of debt servitude, and equal treatment in
employment for men and women, including the protection from sexual harassment. (IPRA, Chapter 5,
Sec. 23)
Towards this end, the State shall, within the framework of national laws and regulations, and in
cooperation with ICC’s/IPs concerned, adopt special measures to ensure the effective protection with
regard to the recruitment and conditions of employment of persons belonging to these communities, to
the extent that they are not effectively protected by laws applicable to workers in general. (IPRA, Chapter
5, Sec. 23)
ICC’s/IPs shall have the right to association and freedom for all trade union activities and the right
to conclude collective bargaining agreements with employers organization. They shall likewise have the
right not to be subject to working conditions hazardous to their health, particularly through exposure to
pesticides and other toxic substances. (IPRA, Chapter 5, Sec. 23)
It shall be unlawful for any person:
a. To discriminate against any ICC’s/IPs with respect to the terms and conditions of employment on
account of their descent. Equal remuneration shall be paid to ICC’s/IPs and non-ICC/IP for work
of equal value; and
b. To deny ICC/IP employee any right or benefit herein provided for or to discharge them for the
purpose of preventing them from enjoying any of the rights or benefits provided under this act.

Page | 142
Basic Services – The ICC’s/IPs have the right to special measure for the immediate, effective and
continuing improvement of their economic and social conditions, including in the areas of enjoyment,
vocational training and retraining, housing, sanitation, health and social security. Particular attention shall
be paid to the rights and special needs of indigenous women, elderly, youth, children and different abled
persons. Accordingly, the state shall guarantee the right of ICC’s/IPs to government’s basic services
which shall include but not limited to, water and electrical facilities, education, health, and infrastructure.
Indigenous Cultural Community/IP women shall enjoy equal rights and opportunities with men, as
regards the social, economic, political and cultural spheres of life. The participation of indigenous women
in the decision-making process in all levels, as well as in the development of society, shall be given due
respect and recognition.
The state shall provide full access to education, maternal and child care, health and nutrition, and
housing services to indigenous women. Vocational, technical, professional and other forms of training
shall be provided to enable these women to fully participate in all aspects of social life, As far as possible,
the state shall ensure that indigenous women have access to all services in their own language. (IPRA,
Chapter 5, Sec. 26)
The state shall recognized the vital role of the children and youth of ICC’s/IPs in national –building
and shall promote and protect their physical, moral, spiritual, intellectual and social well being. Towards
this end, the State shall support all government programs intended for the development and rearing of
the children and youth of ICC’s/IPs for civic efficiency and establish such mechanisms as may be
necessary for the protection of the rights of the indigenous children and youth. (IPRA, Chapter 5, Sec. 27)
The State shall, through the NCIP, provide a complete, adequate and integrated system of
education, relevant to the needs of the children and you people of ICCs/IPs. (IPRA, Chapter 5, Sec. 28)
Learning Tasks: Think and Learn!
1. Human rights violation has been an issue in the Philippines today. To protect ICCs/IPs from such
violation, list down all Human Rights intended to the Indigenous people of the Philippines as
stated in IPRA, R.A 8371. Below are spaces for your answers.
2. Statement of support is a need to recognize our ICCs/IPs. To make this endeavor

realistic, create a quote or quotes stating the strong ICC’s/IPs support and
recognition. A box is provided for your answers.
Page | 143
3. To know the basic services provided the Venn diagram will compare the basic services of the
ICC’s/IPs to the Non-IP community. Write your answers inside the diagram.
Basic Services
Let’s think further!

Explain certain human rights of the ICCs/IP’s that is differentiated from Non IP group. Write
your answers below.

Page | 144
Learning Assessment: Think and Do!

1. Discuss in your own level of understanding the nature of Justice System as practice by the IP
Community.
2. Cite and analyze certain provisions of the Law in the Philippines that protects most of the
ICC’s/IP’s community. Write your answers below.

Page | 145
3. Matching Type: Think and Match!

Instruction: Match Column A with Column B. Write the letter of your correct answers in the
space provided in the box.

1. Section 21 A. Women
2. Section 25 B. Rights to armed conflict
3. Section 26 C. Children and Youth
4. Section 28 D. Basic Services
5. Section 22 E. Integrated System of Education
F. Equal protection and non-discrimination
References:
29, 1997.
Gilbert, Jeremie (2007): “Indigenous Rights in the Making: The United Nations Declaration on the
Rights of Indigenous People” International Journal on Minority and Group Rights.
Carmen, Andrea (2010): “The Rights to Free, Prior, and Informed Consent: A Framework for
Harmonious Relations and New Process for Redress” Realizing UN Declaration on the
Rights of Indigenous People: Triumph, Hope, and Action, Eds. Preston, Hartley, Purich.

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CENTRAL PHILIPPINES STATE UNIVERSITY

Course Description: (CMO 42, S 2017)

Unit 1: Introduction: The Indigenous Peoples’ in the Philippines: Background

Lesson 1: Family Life

Lesson 2: Health, Sanitation and Nutrition

Authors: Mellizo and Palma

Definition of indigenous peoples

indigenous peoples in the Philippines. Figure 1: Geographic distribution of Philippine

The IPRA identifies 8 ethnographic regions in the country, namely:

The Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR),

Southern and Eastern Mindanao

Northern and Western Mindanao

as belonging to a particular ethno-linguistic group or subgroup. Among the major groupings of

Igorot is the generic and collective term for the

Lumad is a generic term used by

. Mangyan is a generic term for the indigenous

Negrito is used as a generic term for

LIST OF INDIGENOUS PEOPLE IN THE PHILIPPINES

Ethno-linguistic Group Location of Domains

CPSU – CAS GEC ELEC- PHILIPPINE INDIGENOUS COMMUNITIES

Tadyawan Mangyan Mindoro Occidental/Oriental

CPSU – CAS GEC ELEC- PHILIPPINE INDIGENOUS COMMUNITIES

Lambangian Sultan Kudarat

LIST OF INDIGENOUS PEOPLE BY REGION

Region Province ICC/IPs Community ICC/IPs

CPSU – CAS GEC ELEC- PHILIPPINE INDIGENOUS COMMUNITIES

Nature of the Family

Family Life Cycle

CPSU – CAS GEC ELEC- PHILIPPINE INDIGENOUS COMMUNITIES

The Unattached Young Adult

● The Newly Married Couple

Family Needs and Resources

What do we mean by FAMILY RESOURCES?

CPSU – CAS GEC ELEC- PHILIPPINE INDIGENOUS COMMUNITIES

● Authority of the solemnizing officer (only incumbent member of the judiciary; priest, rabbi, imam,

Wedding date and invitation

CPSU – CAS GEC ELEC- PHILIPPINE INDIGENOUS COMMUNITIES

A Filipino groom wearing a collarless version of the Barong Tagalog.

CPSU – CAS GEC ELEC- PHILIPPINE INDIGENOUS COMMUNITIES

Filipino Muslim wedding

A wedding dance performed by a Yakan couple from Mindanao.

Pre-colonial Wedding Customs

CPSU – CAS GEC ELEC- PHILIPPINE INDIGENOUS COMMUNITIES

Gender Concerns and Children’s Rights

CPSU – CAS GEC ELEC- PHILIPPINE INDIGENOUS COMMUNITIES

Family Life Cycle

CPSU – CAS GEC ELEC- PHILIPPINE INDIGENOUS COMMUNITIES

Family Needs and Resources

CPSU – CAS GEC ELEC- PHILIPPINE INDIGENOUS COMMUNITIES

Gender Concerns and Children’s Right

CPSU – CAS GEC ELEC- PHILIPPINE INDIGENOUS COMMUNITIES

Lesson 2: Health, Sanitation and Nutrition

8 Indigenous Peoples in the Philippines

1. Aetas3. Palawan Group 5. Igorots7. Ati and Yumandok

The Aeta’s way of Life

CPSU – CAS GEC ELEC- PHILIPPINE INDIGENOUS COMMUNITIES

CPSU – CAS GEC ELEC- PHILIPPINE INDIGENOUS COMMUNITIES

Health and Nutrition Status and Hygiene

CPSU – CAS GEC ELEC- PHILIPPINE INDIGENOUS COMMUNITIES

Traditional Cures, Healing and Herbal

Medicinal Plants used by Alangan Mangyans:

Indigenous Tagalog Term Parts Used Disease/illness Ways of Using It