CIPC to Congress: Correct wrong textbooks on Igorots

By Rocky Ngalob

BAGUIO CITY – The sub-committee of Regional Development Council Cordillera (RDC), Committee on Indigenous Peoples Concerns (CIPC), in their recently concluded third quarterly meeting last August 15, moved to craft a resolution to condemn erroneous information in textbooks on Indigenous Peoples (IPs) of Cordillera, and to seek rectification of the same before the Congress.

Said erroneous information gained attention when concerned IPs posted photos of misleading, demeaning and distorted narratives against the Igorots in social media. Photos became viral then drew flak from the IPs throughout from CAR.

It prompted the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples – Cordillera Administrative Region (NCIP-CAR) through its regional director Roland Calde, and also the current xhairman of CIPC, to add on their agenda of meeting to address the issue.

CIPC invited the Dept. of Education (DepED) CAR to shed light on the issue concern which the latter accepted.

DepED – CAR, education program supervisor, EthielynTaqued told member institutions of CIPC that said erroneous information contained in the elementary textbooks did not go through their institution’s prescribed evaluation process.

According to Taqued, said erroneous information contained in the elementary textbooks were published by REX Bookstore, Phoenix Publishing House and Saint Mathews Publishing Corporation.

All of which according to Taqued are private publishing companies. 

Tanqued also explained before the CIPC that for textbooks to be endorsed by DepED the same should go through their rigorous evaluation and assessments. Should the textbooks pass their required evaluation according to Tanqued, distinguishing marks unique to DepED evaluated textbooks will be embedded namely; visible DepED marks on the front, back and spine, presence of DepEd copyright page and a ‘Not for sale’ mark.   

“Textbooks that contained erroneous information against the Igorots did not go through the process of evaluation as prescribed by the department,” said Tanqued. Also, according to Tanqued, schools who utilized said demeaning textbooks were mostly private schools which are beyond their jurisdiction. 

Calde after the explanation of Tanqued pushed for crafting of a resolution which was unanimously seconded by the member institution of CIPC.

“More than just condemnation, we will also ask Congress, through our resolution, for them possibly legislate pertinent laws giving powers to our institution to go after such perpetrators”, said Calde. NCIP currently has Administrative Order No. 1 series of 2014 however its mainly geared on IP related researches. “If only these textbooks were validated by the community, as required in NCIP AO 1 series of 2014, erroneous information against the IPs of Cordillera would have been corrected”, underscored by Calde.

Some member of CIPC also sought possibility of legal suits in sanctioning publishing companies for negligence for erroneous information against Igorots written in their textbooks.