THE National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP) condemned the transportation of 14 minors without the consent of their parents, as well as any group that takes advantage of the IPs to advocate their own agenda.
“The NCIP strongly condemns this act of transporting minors without consent of their parents, utter disregard of the rights of Ata-Manobo ICCs and IPs of Talaingod to their free and prior informed consent, manipulations, and misrepresentation as to the true intent,” NCIP said.
The statement was signed on Monday, December 3, by NCIP chairperson Leonor Oralde-Quintayo together with six other NCIP commissioners.
The organization expressed its support to IP leaders and elders in Talaingod, Davao del Norte, like Bai Pilar Libayao, Datu Guinang Apuga, and Datu Lumansad Sibugan and others.
The leaders appeared to the media last SM City’s Kapehan on Monday to publicly denounce the said incident that caused the arrest of former Bayan Muna representative Satur Ocampo, ACT Partylist representative France Castro, and other volunteers.
“Ang gusto namo ang gobyerno nalang para mahapsay ang among mga kabataan (We want is the government so that there will be peace for our community, especially our youths),” Libayao said, adding they do not want any more other non-government organizations to immerse in their area.
While involved progressive groups claimed that transportation of the 14 minors was an act to save them, the IP leaders said otherwise.
NCIP mentioned that Libayao questions the taking of their children, stating that “there is no conflict happening in their place” and that “it is the non-government organizations (NGOs) that bring conflict to their community because the teachers do not teach anything except fight the government”.
Meanwhile, NCIP called on everyone to listen to the IPs, to recognize their rights to self-determination, to respect IPs customary laws and to recognize indigenous political structure within the ancestral domains. (LHC)