Sen. Robinhood "Robin" C. Padilla has filed a bill seeking to provide Indigenous Peoples (IPs) a bigger share of revenues generated from natural resources within the territories of indigenous cultural communities.
Padilla, who chairs the Senate Committee on Cultural Communities and Muslim Affairs, filed Senate Bill 2869, which introduces amendments to the 27-year-old Indigenous People's Rights Act of 1997 (IRPA).
"The right of Indigenous communities to access natural resources and the revenues derived therefrom is fundamental and must be recognized and respected," he said in his bill, which provides a mechanism for the distribution of such revenues.
He added the proposed amendment in his bill "seeks to establish clear and enforceable entitlements for our Indigenous brothers and sisters" to safeguard against potential abuses in the exploitation of natural resources within the territories of IPs and Indigenous Cultural Communities (ICCs).
Under the bill, IPs and ICCs shall have a five-percent share of net revenues generated from the exploration, development, and utilization of natural resources including natural gas projects found in territories "covered by a native, traditional or customary title in their favor."
Currently, IPs get only about one percent share of such revenues.
During his visits to IP communities last October, Padilla had promised to strengthen their claim to revenues generated from natural resources in their territories.
"Kailangan po natin mabago, madagdagan ang batas at maiilagay po doon, na kung ano kinikita ng inyong lupa (We must amend the law and specify how much your share should be)," he said in a visit to Mangyans in Mindoro last October.