TRICAP assails NCIP, COMELEC during leaders congress in CDO

By JONG CADION

(Second from left) Princes Bae Kilala

Pacita “Inday” Panis and Cong. Tingting

Cojuangco, TRICAP National Adviser.

(Photo Provided)

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY – The Tribal Communities Association of the Philippines (TRICAP) Attacked the Natiuonalo Commission on Indigenous people (NCIP) on their inefficiency in terms of  services nationwide and the Commission on Election (COMELEC) for disqualifying the Indigenous People’s (IPs) Party List during the 3^rd National Tribasl Leaders Congress and the 15^th Anniversary of Indigenous People’s Rights Act (IPRA Law of 1997).

The two days congress was conducted on November 10-11, 2012 at the Capitol University Gymnasium in Cagayan de Oro City participated with more or less 6 thousand leaders from Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao headed by Princes Bae Kilala Pacita “Inday” Panis as National Chairperson, head convenor and the head Organizer, which congress was described by Datu Inbilin Binion Lucas, the Vice President for Mindanao as Extra Ordinary Congress and also described  Bae Panis as an extra ordinary leader, because convening such a huge participants is unbelievable.

(Seating 3^rd from right) Jojo Sibug, IP 

Rep. to SP Kidapawan followed by 

Tingting Cojuangco, TRICAP National 

Adviser and former Congresswoman; 

Bae Simpayen Jenifer “Pia” Sibug-Las, 

Prov’l NCIP Legal Officer, North 

Cotabato. (Standing 3^rd from right) 

Princes Bae Kilala Pacita “Inday” Panis, 

TRICAP National Chairperson followed 

by Datu Imbilin Binion Lucas, TRICAP

Vice President for Mindanao; Ptr/ Timuay 

Anito Tilos, TRICAP Vice Pres. for 

Western Mindanao and Datu Romy Suci, 

TRICAP BM. (Photo provided) 

Pastor Timuay Anito Tilos, Vice President for Western Mindanao said, that the participants presented their common sentiments against the NCIP particularly on the failure to implement the mandatory representation of the IPs through the real consultation from the community within the Ancestral Domain.

The tribal leaders expressed their dismay, specifically on the issuance of permits of the mining and logging operations in their ancestral land without Free and Prior Inform Consent (FPIC) as mandated in the IPRA Law, “We cannot trust anymore the NCIP because it turn-out to be our enemy instead of serving us, favoring operators and financiers of local and foreign firm,”  they further said.

Timuay Tilos added, it was learned that for almost 15 years the NCIP failure in assisting the IPs representation to the Local Government Units (LGUs) in all level finally the TRICAP passed a resolutions requesting the President P-Noy to immediately overhaul the NCIP.

Hands’ shaking the people is former

Rep. Tingting Cojuangco during the

TRICAP Congress in Cagayan del Oro

City. (Photo Provided) 

Although in some other areas like North Cotabato all LGUs are filled with IPs representatives through the effort of the NCIP legal officer Bae Sempayen Jenefer “Pia” Sibug Las, daughter of the late Datu Joseph Sibug one of the founders of TRICAP and the first IPs representative to the congress in 1994, Tilos disclosed.

The TRICAP, as IPs Non-government Organization and duly affiliated with ALIM Party List who’s advocacy is for the upliftment of the living condition of the IPs particularly for the protection of their rights over their ancestral domain also expressed their disappointment against the decision of the COMELEC in disqualifying them from participating in the coming 2013 elections with the reasons only known to them.

Hands’ shaking the people is former

Senator Dick Gordon during the

TRICAP Congress in Cagayan del Oro

City. (Photo Provided) 

Special guest during the said congress were former Rep. Tingting Cojuangco, being the national adviser of the TRICAP, who has expressed her sympathy to the plight of the IPs and encourage them to keep on uniting themselves in advocating the vision of the organization and former Senator Dick Gordon also showed his understanding and concerned the status of the tribes in the countryside, and he further expressed his desire to present to the government to give free Phil-health benefits and free blood to the IPS indigent patients.