SAN JOSE, Antique (PIA) — Indigenous communities in the province have made remarkable achievements since the implementation of Indigenous People’s Rights Act of 1997 or IPRA Law, the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP) reported.
Three Indigenous Peoples (IP) communities in the province of Antique have since been identified and validated, and are benefitting from the implementation of the IPRA, NCIP community affairs Officer Charlen E. Panaguiton said.
Panaguiton said that the IP groups in the province are the Ati Community, Iraynon-Bukidnon, and Cuyon-on, who are living in the different municipalities of Antique, including the island municipality of Caluya.
She noted that when IPRA Law was enacted, national government agencies and local government units converged to support the IP communities.
During a radio program with Philippine Information Agency- Antique, aired on “91.7 Radyo Natin San Jose,” she thanked the Department of Education (DepEd) for its Order No. 62, which implemented the National Indigenous Peoples Education Framework.
The framework promotes inclusive education and ensures that the cultural identities and rights of Indigenous Peoples are respected and upheld within the education system.
Further, she noted the positive impact of government scholarships and educational programs on indigenous children, saying that over 75 percent of IPs in Antique have graduated from college.
Panaguiton, an IP herself, served as a symbol of hope to her village. Thus, she urged her fellow IPs to be proud of their culture, which is part of the Philippines’ cultural heritage and plays a vital role in nation-building.
She also reported the acquisition of the Certificate of Ancestral Domain Title or CADT of some IP communities in the province.
In celebration of the Indigenous People’s Month in October, Panaguiton emphasized that the enactment of the IPRA law safeguards the rights of IPs to their ancestral domains and cultural integrity. (AGP/PIA Antique with reports from YPA/GIP)
