NATIONAL Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP)-Cordillera regional director Ronald Calde said a general assembly will be held to once and for all solve the problem on the Indigenous Peoples Mandatory Representative (IPMR) for Baguio City.
Calde said the assembly will put to rest the now contested selection of Roger Sinot as the IPMR of the city once all groups have been called on by the agency, adding all issues will then be discussed and solve the impasse now faced by the city and Sinot over the seat to the City Council.
The NCIP official acknowledged the meetings called on by various groups recently to discuss the faith of Sinot and assured there has been no final decision on the matter saying the agency will call on an assembly this year to settle the problem.
Until a consensus is reached by Indigenous Cultural Communities (ICCs) groups in the city, Calde said the seat remains open.
Calde added a request has been made to the national office of the agency to fund the gathering of all indigenous groups in the city and its representatives.
Sinot, in a historic vote last year bested four others to become the first IPMR of Baguio.
The gathering was attended by more than 300 at the Avong Ibaloi Heritage Garden in Burnham Park where Ibaloi’s from the city converged to ratify guidelines for the IPMR selection after which the selection proceeded via secret ballot, as agreed by the council of elders.
The gathering has since been contested, bringing Sinot’s assumption to office in a standstill.
The NCIP has created a body to oversee the new round of talks with the three groups involved and responded to issues pushing the commission to bring the groups of the Ibaloi, Kalanguya and Kankana-ey for discussion and possibly another round of assemblies to decide if they will uphold his previous selection as IPMR representative or decide to go through another selection process. (Maria Elena Catajan)