Subanen tribal leaders support NCIP Fact Finding

Posted by Mindanao Pagadiqan Frontline

PAGADIAN CITY, Zamboanga del Sur (Oct. 15, 2014-MPF News) --- The SUbanen Tribal Leaders in Pagadian City through its PHIGAPASAN Tribal Association Lison Valley Ancestral Domain, Lison Valley, Pagadian City had passed a resolution respecting the National Commission of Indigenous Peoples (NCIP) Fact Finding Team reports, assessment and evaluation, Tribal Leader said.

Tribal Association Chairman David S. Bawan said Tuesday they had passed and approved a resolution respecting the Fact Finding decision and recommendations to the NCIP Commissioner.

The resolution also requested the Regional Office-9 of NCIP that after the decision made by the Fact Finding Team they will not entertain anymore the same petition from any un-authorized group so that the Subanen Tribe can continue their development not only in the IPs Mandatory Representative issues but also to some activities and development of the Subanen People within their ancestral domain.

The copy of the resolution was submitted and received by the Regional Office of NCIP last week, Bawan said.

“We are hoping and praying that the IPMR issue in Pagadian City will be resolved by the concerned government agencies following the implementation of the Indigenous Peoples Right Act (IPRA Law) or R.A.8371 especially we are celebrating in the spirit of IPs month October,” Bawan added.   

It was recalled that the NCIP through the Regional Office organized the “fact-finding-team” to go through an in-depth investigation relative to the submitted petition to recall the IPMR.

Series of out and on site interviews have been conducted by the team with those who have signed the petition. The actual interviews were able to surface individual accounts/reasons why the concern tribal leaders signed the petition to recall.

With the outcome of the fact finding team investigation, the team submitted their reports recommending more or less the re-instatement of Timuay Langhap Rio Olimpio A. Lingating as the IP Mandatory Representative in the City Council of Pagadian.

The NCIP Regional Executive Director Timuay Woy Lim P. Wong issued his evaluation of the fact finding report stating among others his recommendation based on the report for the re-instatement of Timuay Lingating. A specific comment made by the said evaluation provides that the petition for recall executed by the alleged tribal leaders cannot be given weight and therefore declared insufficient ground to recall the IPMR. (By JONG CADION)