DESPITE the growing chorus of concern from human rights organizations, the plight of Indigenous Peoples (IPs) — particularly in Western Visayas — remains largely unaddressed by those who bear the responsibility of protecting them. The latest joint pronouncement from Amnesty International Philippines, the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) Region 6, and the PROCESS Foundation-Panay, as reported by this paper yesterday, reveals an uncomfortable truth: government agencies and elected officials continue to fall short in fulfilling their legal and moral obligations to the IP communities they are duty-bound to serve.
In the Visayas, ancestral domains are under increasing threat from large-scale development projects, often approved without genuine consultation or the free, prior, and informed consent required by law. Indigenous communities, whose lands and cultures are intricately intertwined, find themselves pushed aside in the name of progress. Worse, their leaders and advocates are subjected to harassment, red-tagging, and other forms of state-linked intimidation — acts that violate not only the Indigenous Peoples’ Rights Act (IPRA) but the very foundation of democratic governance.
PROCESS Foundation-Panay rightly pointed out that while programs for IPs exist, they are largely toothless without the necessary budget. In one case, a municipality discovered that its allocation for registered fisherfolk — many of whom belong to indigenous communities — amounted to mere centavos per individual. If this isn’t a stark indictment of misplaced government priorities, then what is?
What amplifies this failure is not just the lack of funding, but the absence of political will. As CHR-6 regional director Atty. Jonnie Dabuco noted, even crucial legislation such as the comprehensive anti-discrimination bill continues to languish. Meanwhile, indigenous communities face daily challenges to their survival, culture, and dignity.
It is not enough for government officials to offer token recognition during National Indigenous Peoples Month or deliver empty platitudes in press conferences. Their mandate is unequivocal: protect, promote, and fulfill the rights of Indigenous Peoples — not merely acknowledge them.
Citizens must not let these failures pass quietly. We must demand accountability, not just from national institutions like the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP), but from our local officials who, too often, rubber-stamp development projects without due regard for indigenous welfare. The media must remain vigilant, keeping a sharp eye on policies and programs that either uplift or undermine these communities. Transparency must no longer be a slogan, but a standard.
Ultimately, justice for Indigenous Peoples begins with accountability. And accountability begins when citizens — IP and non-IP alike — refuse to accept inaction as the norm.
