Mt Prov Indigenous peoples education on ancestral domain

HAPPY WEEKEND

Gina Dizon

BONTOC, Mountain Province -- The “indigenous peoples education” in Mountain Province is gaining headway with a meeting among elders, civil society organizations and  Department of Education-Mountain Province wherein they discussed philosophical framework of IPED is in Mountain Province.

The Council of Elders- IPED Mountain Province and CSO representatives in their Dec. 6 and 7 meetings affirmed ancestral domain  as the revolving hub of what  moves IPED in the  educational curriculum be it formal or alternative learning systems. 

This, with the assistance of  PRIME (Philippine Response to Indigenous Peoples and Muslim Education)-Department of  Education consultant  to northern Luzon  Belmer Yano, Dep-Ed   Mountain Province- Indigenous Peoples Education  coordinator Irene Bakisan, and Dep-Ed consultant  Dr Dennis Faustino.

The affirmation traces back to an earlier consultation  among  elders of  Mountain Province,   CSOs, line agencies and   local government  leaders  Nov. 6-8 this year  where the  DepEd- Mountain Province division chaired by  Superintendent Sally Ullalim entered into  agreements  with representatives of  LGUs, government line agencies and CSOs.

Contracts entered into  were framed in accordance with  the Indigenous Peoples  Rights Act (IPRA)  and  Dep-Ed Order  62 series of 2011 – Adopting the Policy  Framework for Indigenous Peoples Education-  to  realize education as a community responsibility with the  prominence of customary law and practises and ancestral domain as the unit of analysis and evaluation. 

The memorandum of agreements entered into formalized  the creation of the Provincial Stakeholders Council for IPED.

In the Dec. 6 meeting, the Parents  Teachers  Association  (PTA)  was identified as additional member of the  IPED Stakeholders Council.

IP municipal representatives to the IPEd program  are  FerminCausan  and IP rep to the Sangguniang  Bayan Tomas Tanggacan of  Bauko, elder Albert Agpawan of Sadanga, elder Rogelio Yapes and former Dep-Ed  teacher MaximoPadaen  of Tadian, former Dep-Ed teacher Sylvia Yongaan of Besao, former Dep-ed teacher Agnes Kollin and   IP representative to the  SB of Sagada Jaime Dugao of Sagada, Grace Dontogan and former Dep-Ed supervisor DionisioChungalan of Natonin,  John Challoy of Barlig and  IP rep to the Sangguniang Bayan Ferdinand Charaychay of Barlig, and Antonio Cayog of Paracelis.

CSOs who entered into agreement with the  Dep-Ed’s  IPEd  program are  PEACE (Peaceful Environment for the  Advancement of  Community and Education,  Municipal Civil  Registrars Association  of  Mountain Province (MCRAMP)  and the  CPFI (Cordillera parents  Federation Inc- Mountain Province).

The Dec. 6 and 7 meeting also identified programs in furtherance of  IPEd  in Mountain Province.  Program components included research, lobbying and advocacy,  technical  assistance and networking.

Particular activities identified for year 2013  are  data banking on  registration of  members of the indigenous community of Mountain Province,  learning materials production and trainings on the making of  instructional  materials, aside from education related research.