PH brings IP concerns before UN forumJoyce Ann L. Rocamora

National Commission on Indigenous Peoples Commissioner Jong Navarro (4th from right) shares the achievements of the government on the indigenous people at the United Nations Forum on Business and Human Rights on Monday (Nov. 25, 2019) in Geneva, Switzerland. (Photo courtesy of NCIP via PNA)

MANILA— The Philippine government is expected to highlight more of the indigenous peoples’ concerns and the efforts it exerts to address this during a United Nations-organized forum in Geneva, focusing on business and human rights.

“Indigenous people’s concerns are human rights issues in which the Philippines leads the world in recognition, respect, protection, and promotion,” National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP) Commissioner Jong Navarro said.

“Considering the focus of the forum on government actions, the Philippine delegation has a lot to contribute in terms of best practices. While being open to learning a new paradigm from the experiences of other countries,” he added.

The forum, with the theme “Time to act: Governments as catalysts for business respect for human rights”, will run from November 25 to 27 and is expected to host around 2,500 participants from around the world.

During the forum, Navarro also underscored that the Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC) process is “robust” in the Philippines.

The FPIC is a specific right that allows the indigenous peoples to give or withhold consent to a project that may affect them or their territories. Once they have given their consent, they can withdraw it at any stage.

“Last week, we canceled five certifications of forest management agreements and have in fact issued a cease and desist order because of the failure to follow the FPIC process,” he said.

Navarro led the Philippine delegation to the UN Forum on Business and Human Rights together with Ambassador Evan Garcia, who is the permanent representative to the UN in Geneva.

The forum is a global platform for lesson-sharing on efforts to move the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights from paper to practice, gathering participants from government states, civil society, and businesses to engage.

‘4 bundles of IP rights’

In the Philippines, the government has long recognized the four core rights of the IP –the right to ancestral domains and land; the right to self-governance and empowerment; social justice and human rights; and the right to cultural integrity.

Based on the latest NCIP data, a total of 245 certificates of the ancestral domain title (CADT) have been given to the IPs as of September 2019, with 227 more applications on the process.

Meanwhile, the number of approved certificates of ancestral land title (CALT) reached 259 as of September with at least 176 CALT applications still on process.

A total of 171 Ancestral Domain Sustainable Development and Protection Plan was also formulated covering the IPs’ right to self-governance and empowerment.

The NCIP also documented a total of 51 Indigenous Knowledge System Practice (IKSP), proving the IP’s right to cultural integrity is protected.

The government, meanwhile, continues to implement educational assistance and merit-based scholarship program shown with the 32,189 total of grantees and scholarships as of this year.

To date, there are around 14,184,645 IPs in the Philippines, 63 percent of which are concentrated in Mindanao. There are at least 110 ethnolinguistic groups in the country, including the Manobo, Aeta, T’Boli.