The Commission on Human Rights (CHR) said it is high time for the government to resolve expeditiously the issues of poverty and inequality being suffered by the members of the indigenous cultural communities (ICCs) in the country.

It said the problems could be resolved with the immediate passage into law of Senate Bill No. 1026 on "Equal Employment Opportunities to Members of Indigenous Cultural Communities (ICC) Act."

It said that SB 1026, which was introduced by Senator Jinggoy Ejercito Estrada, has its main goal of providing ICC members access to equal employment opportunities and prohibiting discriminatory acts in their hiring and dismissal from work.

The bill, it said, ensures that the rights of indigenous peoples (IPs) are respected.

It said that SB 1026, once enacted into law, would reserve at least 10 percent of the rank-and-file positions in government services to IPs in areas where the presence of ICC members is dominant.

It also said the bill would mandate private enterprises that operate in areas where ICCs exist and which receive assistance, loans, or grants from the government, would be required to give preferential employment to members of ICCs by assuring them a 10 percent slot in their workforce.

"Indigenous communities and indigenous peoples continue to be one of the Philippines’ most vulnerable groups. From discrimination to displacements and even killings, IPs are oftentimes victims of numerous human rights violations and social inequalities, which prevent them from fully thriving in our society," the CHR said.

It cited the 2020 report by the International Labor Organization (ILO) which stated that the IPs face extreme poverty and inequality and pointed out that "IPs are nearly three times as likely to be living in extreme poverty as their non-indigenous counterparts."

It pointed out that in the Philippines, IPs are considered to be among the poorest sectors which experience the highest rates of unemployment, underemployment, and illiteracy.

With SB 1026, the CHR said that IP workers will be protected from discrimination and dismissal on the basis of their ethnic group. With the guaranteed slots for ICCs, the CHR believes that IPs will be able to enhance their potentials and improve their economic state.

"The IPs' right to secure equal employment opportunities and right to be free from discrimination are their gateway to freely determine economic and social development while ensuring their cultural well-being. As such, the CHR urges the swift progress and eventual passage of this measure, which is most certainly a step to a more inclusive society for IPs in the Philippines," it said.