CALAMBA CITY, Laguna (PIA) – To combat vote-buying and ensure Indigenous Peoples (IP) communities can exercise their right to vote in the 2025 National and Local Elections, the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP) is intensifying its voter education campaign.
In an interview with the Philippine Information Agency, Eddielito Sumangil, NCIP Provincial Officer, emphasized the agency’s efforts to educate IP communities about the dangers of electoral exploitation. “One of our strategies is to provide them [IP communities] with information on how they can help prevent vote buying. But of course, we cannot totally watch over them [since] politicians will do whatever it takes to win,” Sumangil said.
He further stressed the importance of empowering IP voters to report incidents of vote-buying. “We continue reminding our IPs not to let themselves be used, and keeping them informed on how they can report incidents [of vote buying] so we can properly address them,” he added.
The NCIP has also partnered with the Commission on Elections (COMELEC) to expand its Information and Education Campaigns (IEC) on the new election system. This collaboration includes webinars designed for IP representatives and community leaders. “This way, they can help us disseminate the information on the process of the upcoming elections,” Sumangil explained.
NCIP Region IV-A estimates that 10,000 Indigenous Peoples voters in the region are expected to participate in the upcoming elections. However, this figure represents only a fraction of the eligible IP voters in CALABARZON, as many individuals aged 18 and above have yet to register.
Sumangil also highlighted the challenges faced by COMELEC in delivering Automated Counting Machines (ACM) to IP communities residing in Geographically Isolated and Disadvantaged Areas (GIDA), such as General Nakar, Quezon.
According to NCIP, only two regions – CALABARZON and Cagayan Valley – have been provided with Accessible Voting Centers (AVCs) to facilitate easier voting for Indigenous Peoples. “We are also working with the NCIP Central Office to provide Special Voting Centers for IPs. We are talking with the central office so we can address this issue, because we have many GIDA areas that have not been provided with AVCs,” Sumangil said.
Additionally, NCIP noted that some Indigenous Peoples encounter difficulties in obtaining essential documents, such as birth certificates, which are required for voter registration. (PB/PIA4A)
