Palace aide wants NCIP to issue land titles to indigenous peoples

TADIAN, Mountain Province - Cabinet Secretary Silvestre Bello III recently urged the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples here to hasten issuance of land titles to indigenous peoples and cultural communities nationwide.

Bello said he was disappointed over alleged snail paced issuance of certificates of ancestral domain titles to indigenous communities and certificates of ancestral land titles to indigenous peoples by the NCIP depriving the indigenous peoples of their rights to permanently own the lands that they have lived in the past decades.

According to him, the NCIP must adhere to the national government’s policy of giving lands to the landless, especially to the indigenous cultural communities and indigenous peoples in the Cordillera, so that they will not be easily displaced by multinational companies intending to exploit, develop and utilize the region’s rich natural resources.

Bello, who hails from Gattaran, Cagayan and considers himself an IP, believes giving due recognition to the indigenous peoples by giving them legitimate ownership to the lands and communities which they occupy shows respect to native Filipinos who are considered one of foundations of development in the country.

The Palace aide said giving indigenous peoples and communities security to the tenorial rights of the host communities nationwide should be the utmost concern of the NCIP.

Bello. said the issuance of clan land titles to qualified indigenous peoples and communities would allow them to have a peace of mind in facing the challenges that come their way, especially in the quest for the development of rich natural resources in their communities.

Republic Act 8371 or the Indigenous Peoples Rights Act (IPRA) empowers the NCIP to grant native titles to indigenous peoples and indigenous cultural communities in recognition of their occupancy of their properties since time in memorial.

Bello added indigenous peoples are the original stewards of the lands, especially those in rural areas, which they have developed and utilized as sources of their livelihood the past decades.