MABALACAT CITY – The National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP) sitting en banc finally upheld the Sangguniang Tribung Aeta (STA) Ng CADT 025-A as “the sole and recognized representative in dealing with the Joint Management Agreement (JMA)” it signed with the Clark Development Corp. (CDC).
The JMA was entered into in 2006 between the Aeta indigenous peoples (IPs)/indigenous cultural communities (ICCs) of Bamban, Tarlac and Mabalacat, Pampanga on one hand and the CDC on the other hand.
The NCIP en banc dated August 14 sustained the recommendation of NCIP Region 3 as well as the clamor of the IPs/ICCs of CADT 025-A in recognizing the STA Ng CADT 025-A “to finally share in the benefi ts” due them pursuant to the JMA.
The officers of the STA Ng CADT 025- A, led by Oscar Dizon, president; Robert Serrano, vice president; Albert de la Cruz, secretary; and Ruvienne S. Margarito, IP representative in the Mabalacat City council, obtained a copy of the NCIP Resolution No. 07-127.2018 on September 18.
In July last year, the STA threatened to cut its ties with CDC after allegedly being given the runaround in handing out their benefits. The CDC said the IPs are not united and were quarreling among themselves.
“We need to cut our ties with CDC so that we can uplift our livelihood in our own land,” city councilor and IP representative Serrano said in Filipino. “It is not true that we IPs are quarreling among ourselves,” she added.
The resolution said the Aeta IPs and ICCs of Bamban and Mabalacat pursuant to the mandate of R.A. 8371… “applied for and been granted recognition by the NCIP of their ancestral domain claim through the issuance of Certificate of Ancestral Domain Title (CADT) No. R03-BAM-1204-025-A, now commonly referred to as CADT 025-A.”
Among the provisions of the resolution cited the “overlapping areas in the ancestral domain with the CDC” that saw the forging of a JMA between the IPs/ICCs and the NCIP.
“Pursuant to the JMA, the CDC is allowed to develop, consistent with its master development plan, and areas in the ancestral domain subject to a 20 percent benefit sharing scheme on all income, rentals to be derived therefrom which will be directly deposited to the development fund of the concerned IPs/ ICCs.” The resolution also cited the “stalled implementation of the JMA” due to the reported quarrel between the IPs/ICCS with various groups claiming to be the legitimate representatives of the ancestral domain.
The resolution said the “IPs/ICCs of CADT 025-A based on their customary laws and conflict resolution processes took a decisive action in resolving the leadership conflicts by initiating, through the aid of NCIP Region 3, the documentation of their Indigenous Political Structure (IPS) to determine the rightful representative of the ancestral domain which effort also led to the creation of the Sanguniang Tribung Aeta Ng CADT 025-A.”
It said, “the STA Ng CADT 025-A is a composition of leaders and elders from the different communities and various organizations operating in the ancestral domain who were chosen by the IPs/ICCs themselves after a series of dialogues and consultations.”
“By way of assurance to the regularity of the activities conducted and supporting documents submitted, the NCIP Region 3 recommended for the affirmation of the STA Ng CADT 025-A as the sole representative of the ancestral domain.”
The resolution was signed by all seven NCIP commissioners led by executive director and secretariat to the commission Rogelio Francisco M. Bantayan, Jr. during its regular session on August 14.
