Wednesday, January 30, 2008 Cordi IPs wants environment reward system By Jane Cadalig
INDIGENOUS Peoples (IPs) leaders in the Cordillera region are calling on government to recognize their efforts in environmental protection by institutionalizing the Rewarding the Upland People for Environment Services (Rupes) program.
IP leaders said governments, both national and local, should reward the communities, which preserve and protect the environment for the benefit of the other areas.
Harvey Gaab and Ceeldonia Domingo, IP leaders of Mountain Province and Abra respectively, said the efforts of IPs in protecting and managing their environment should be compensated by government, as these do not only benefit the highland people, but also the communities in the lowlands.
They said the Cordillera forests and watersheds are the major suppliers of water to the lowland provinces.
"If it were not due to our efforts in environmental protection, the 12 major rivers which supply water to the lowland areas would have dried up, hence our request for government to give us our due reward," they said.
In a separate manifesto, the IP leaders from the region's six provinces, asked government to adopt a policy in the implementation of the Rupes as what the other Asian countries like Indonesia and Nepal did.
The Rupes program was initiated by the International Center for Research on Agro-forestry aimed at rewarding upland peoples for their environmental services.
"Despite the region's wealth and natural resources which benefit other regions in terms of sources of irrigation and power generation, Cordillerans are not duly compensated as watershed protectors using their customary laws and indigenous practices. The (Rupes) will pave the way for economic gains by ensuring the sustainability of watershed management," the manifesto stated.
