The Department of National Defense reiterated on Wednesday, Nov. 16, its commitment to empower Indigenous Peoples (IP) to hasten the eradication of insurgency, which has long affected the development and economic growth especially in the countryside.
The DND participated in the national summit of the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP) at Camp Aguinaldo in Quezon City dubbed as “Indigenous Cultural Communities (ICC)/Indigenous Peoples (IP) Unification with the Government Nation-Building” where various government agencies gathered to express solidarity in the administration’s efforts to improve the lives of often neglected IP communities.
The theme for the summit was “Building Families, Building Ancestral Domain (AD)/Ancestral Land Communities and Building the Nation.” The event was organized after the celebration of the National Indigenous Peoples Thanksgiving Day last Oct. 29.
“This activity highlighted the gains, challenges, strategic directions, and ways forward of ICCs/IPs,” DND spokesperson Arsenio Andolong said.
NCIP Chairperson Allen Capuyan spoke about the vulnerability of IP communities to the infiltration of revolutionary ideologies and leaders, and its impact on the implementation of the Indigenous People’s Rights Act (IPRA) of 1997 (Republic Act 8371). The law aims to recognize, protect, and promote the rights of ICCs/IPs.
“The entry of migrants and front organizations disrupted their exercise of self-governance which consequently affected their stability, peace, tranquility, and unity,” Capuyan said during the national summit.
The DND, for its part, has been actively collaborating with its lead and partner-agencies to eradicate insurgency in the country.
This was further strengthened through the creation of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) in 2018 by virtue of Executive Order No. 70 issued by former president Rodrigo Duterte.
The task force was organized to suppress the 53-year-old communist insurgency being waged by the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP). The movement thrives as neglected communities often take arms to put into their hands the fight against poverty, lack of education, injustice, and non-delivery of basic services.
“I hope when you speak of words like sustainable development, you think of us (IPs). I hope that when you speak again in your policies of inclusive growth, you think of us. When you talk about peace and order, you think of us. Because at the end of the day, the values of the nation, the values of this country, will always be reflected on how we treat the Indigenous Peoples,” said lawyer Marlon Bosantog, chairperson of the IPRA Center.
To express their commitment to address the concerns of ICCs and IPs, Capuyan vowed to provide an “abundance” of opportunities for the IP communities through food, land, and labor security.
The summit culminated with the signing of a pledge of support and manifesto of peace, unity, and development for the IPs and their ancestral domains by the participating national government and private organizations.