NATIONAL Indigenous Peoples (IP) Day (observed on August 9 of each year) must go beyond the display of traditional attire, dances and cultural pride. If government truly honors Indigenous Peoples, the tribute must be measured not by the grandeur of ceremonies but by whether IP families can reach a doctor, obtain medicines and receive dignified healthcare without abandoning their identity.
This challenge is especially relevant in Iloilo and the rest of Western Visayas.
During the recent 4th Western Visayas Indigenous Peoples’ Health Summit in Iloilo City, health leaders and IP representatives called for healthcare policies that respect Indigenous traditions, rights and knowledge systems. Discussions covered maternal and child health, mental health and the effects of climate change on Indigenous communities. Resolutions were crafted after three days of workshops and consultations.
Those resolutions must not end up gathering dust. The Department of Health (DOH), provincial and municipal governments, and other responsible agencies must convert them into a clear regional action plan. It should identify underserved IP communities, determine their most urgent health needs, assign accountable offices and provide definite budgets and implementation schedules.
Healthcare cannot be considered accessible when a sick person must travel for hours from a remote community to reach a health center. Nor is a program culturally sensitive if health workers cannot communicate effectively with IP patients or dismiss their beliefs and practices without explanation or respect.
Western Visayas needs regular mobile clinics, adequately supplied community health stations, trained Indigenous health workers and dependable referral and transportation systems. Maternal care, childhood immunization, nutrition services and mental health support must reach communities consistently — not only during medical missions, summit seasons or commemorative events.
Funding is crucial. Local governments with Indigenous populations should establish identifiable appropriations for IP health instead of hiding these needs within broad social-service budgets. DOH must likewise disclose what programs, personnel and resources are actually reaching these communities.
Government must also produce reliable, disaggregated data. How many Indigenous mothers receive prenatal care? How many children are fully immunized? What are the rates of malnutrition, preventable disease and maternal or infant death? Without such information, authorities cannot measure progress — and the public cannot distinguish genuine action from ceremonial promises.
National Indigenous Peoples Day should therefore become an annual accountability date. Agencies must report what they promised, what they funded, what they delivered and what health outcomes improved during the preceding year.
Traditional games, weaving demonstrations and cultural performances have value. They preserve identity and strengthen pride. But celebration becomes hollow when the people being honored still struggle to obtain basic healthcare.
The finest tribute Iloilo and Western Visayas can offer Indigenous Peoples is not a banner, speech or photograph. It is a healthcare system that reaches them, listens to them, respects them and keeps them alive.
Honor must produce results.
