BLOG 3: 27th YEAR IPRA

CELEBRATING EVERY TRIBE, EVERY LIFE 

One of the roles of indigenous people in the Philippines is to conserve distinctive biodiversity, which is dependent on the knowledge, inventiveness, and traditions of indigenous and local communities that live in close contact with nature. According to the Global Environment Facility (2019), ancestral domains are home to 85% of the nation’s important biodiversity hotspots. The governance of IP communities is important for maintaining and protecting the Philippines’ surviving natural forests. However, parts of the land and forests that have become the ancestral lands of the Indigenous people are gradually being destroyed in order to build buildings, housing projects, mine, and other things since our nation strives to be a developed country. According to Cabico (2022), registered ancestral domains were in conflict with 49% of the nation’s mining operations and 87% of the forest areas that had undergone extensive logging. Projects that were considered to pose ecological concerns, such as significant disturbance and contamination of land, streams, air, and biodiversity, were underway on 1.25 million hectares of indigenous lands, or 21% of registered ancestral domains.

In response, the government passed a law to protect the Indigenous people who made significant contributions to the preservation of our ecosystem or forest. One is the Indigenous Peoples’ Rights Act of 1997 (IPRA), also known as Republic Act №8371, which is a key piece of law in the Philippines that acknowledges and defends the rights of the indigenous peoples (IPs) throughout the nation. Its objectives were to correct past injustices, encourage the preservation of their cultural legacy, and ensure their integration in larger society. In addition, in October 2016. An Act Protecting and Strengthening Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities Protected Areas, Recognizing Their Contribution to Biodiversity Conservation, Establishing the National ICCA Registry for This Purpose, Appropriating Funds Therefor and for Other Purposes was introduced by Senator Loren Legarda as Senate Bill №1185. In order to ensure that indigenous peoples’ rights, dignity, and cultural legacy are upheld and preserved by the larger community, laws are designed specifically to protect them.

It is crucial for the country to acknowledge the significance of indigenous peoples’ contributions to society as the Philippines develops in the twenty-first century. It is a challenging but essential endeavor to strike a balance between the preservation of these communities’ distinctive cultural identities and their absorption into society as a whole. When this balance is reached, the Philippines can advance toward a future where variety is respected, knowledge is exchanged, and the country’s rich cultural heritage continues to flourish.

In conclusion, the indigenous peoples of the Philippines are crucial to the country’s cultural identity as well as essential in resolving important concerns like social justice, cultural variety, and environmental preservation. For millennia, the Filipino environment has been formed by their enduring customs, languages, and wisdom, which has provided significant insights into sustainable living and peaceful coexistence with nature. Filipinos can create a better future by moving forward in a spirit of respect and solidarity, where the contributions of indigenous peoples are not simply acknowledged but welcomed, creating a more inclusive and sustainable future for all. 

We may not have the same identity and we may not share same culture and traditions, we all have the rights to celebrate the life we have. 

Everyone has uniqueness and it is very important to have celebrations such as the Indigenous Peoples' Day. This is a reminder that whatever tribe you belong in, you are deserving to get the same value of love, respect and rights to well-being. 

Let us all admit that most of the time, they are being ignored. That is why this kind of celebration is such a valuable one because by this, we can make them feel that they are not different and they deserve to know that they are valued as we are. 

As what I have said, we may not share the same culture and traditions, we can still embrace what they have and they can also embrace what is ours. Sharing the same interest with them can make them feel they they are not being left out and that they are part of the world. 

Being kind is just free and having respect with other people is an extraordinary thing not everyone portray. So, whatever beliefs we have, we are still equal at the end of the day. 

Let us continue to celebrate every tribe, every life. Each one of us matter, and making everyone feel it — makes the world 10x better. ♡

REFERENCE/S: https://medium.com/@2020047211/the-role-of-indigenous-peoples-in-philippine-society-2971f2353158

https://pin.it/37ftILzv4

https://pin.it/1A8SY9Xhq

https://pin.it/2WyAl0Wml

https://pin.it/22Q4CP3Mo