WITH the dawn of a new year, no Indigenous Peoples Mandatory Representative (IPMR) in the Davao City Council has been selected yet.
Councilor Bai Halila Sudagar was installed in August 2018 as the IPMR on a hold-over status until a new representative will be selected.
The National Commission for Indigenous Peoples (NCIP)-Davao Region is still conducting a selection process for the Bagobo Klata Council of Elders or Talaukom since some of them do not have Klata blood.
“Naa mi advisory last November (2018) dapat mag-submit ang member sa council of elders, Klata lang, sa ilang COC (Certificate of Confirmation) na mag-confirm nga Klata sila (We had an advisory last November that the members of Klata council of elders should submit COC that confirms they are truly a Klata),” NCIP-Davao region provincial officer Cristito Ingay said in a phone interview with SunStar Davao Thursday, January 3, 2018.
Ingay added that one of the qualifications to be a member of the Council of Elders or Talaukom is that they should have Klata blood.
“Naay uban dili gyud Klata nga member sa Talaukom (There are members of Talaukom who are not Klata),” he added.
He said they are validating the COCs of Talaukom members since only those validated members can participate in the final selection of the Indigenous People (IP) representative of the Bagobo Klata.
He added that they are hoping that the final selection will happen before election campaign period since Councilor Bai Halila Sudagar’s position as the IP mandatory representative will soon end.
Ingay noted that the IP representative aspirants should meet the minimum qualification of 25 percent genealogy of Klata blood.
He also said that aspirants should submit a genealogy document ahead of time.
It can be recalled that Bai Cherry Ann Codilla was disqualified as IPMR due to lack of the genealogical qualification.