The National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP) said that the Summit for Indigenous Peoples Mandatory Representatives (IPMRs) 2023 will be held on July 19 and 20. (Photo from NCIP/Facebook) NCIP said in a statement released on Tuesday, July 18 that a two-day summit will take place at the Camelot Hotel in Quezon City where 109 IPMRs from various regions of the country are expected to attend. The organization stressed that this is in response to the call of IPMRs and Indigenous Peoples (IP) communities for a forum where issues and concerns regarding the performance of IPMRs duties may be raised and discussed in the pursuit of continuous improvement, capacity, and knowledge building. It also aims to create the National IPMRs League in order to establish a long-term network of Indigenous Peoples (IP) representatives in furthering regional, provincial, municipal, and national peace and development initiatives in Ancestral Domains or Ancestral Lands (ADs/ALs). Moreover, in accordance with the Indigenous Peoples Rights Act’s Section 16 or the right to participate in decision-making, particularly on matters that affect IP’s rights, lives, and destinies. This provision allowed the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) to provide initial guidelines for the inclusion of IPMRs in local legislative councils. This was confirmed by NCIP Administrative Order No. 3, Series of 2018, as updated by NCIP Administrative Order No.1, Series of 2021, or "Revised National Guidelines for the Mandatory Representation of Indigenous Peoples in Local Legislative Councils and Policy-Making Bodies". The selection process is called “sui generis” or a class of its own, it means that IP communities select them through community decision-making rooted in their cultures, customs, and traditions. *(Rhowen Del Rosario)*