ANGELES CITY – The population of indigenous peoples (IPs) in the Philippines has grown to an extent that if they all strongly united behind one candidate of their own kind, they could readily elect an Aeta as Philippine president.
“Our estimate is that we now have 14 million IP’s all over the country. Of this number, about 8.5 million are registered voters. If they unite behind candidates in the elections, they can make or unmake presidents or senators,” National Commission on Indigenous People’s (NCIP) Executive Director Masli Quilaman told Punto in a telephone interview.
Quilaman said the NCIP is now working towards “empowering the indigenous peoples through the electoral process.”
He said their number is enough for them to back a presidential candidate and land an Aeta as the country’s chief executive.
“But it will take some time to unify the indigenous groups,” he said, even as he expressed confidence that such scenario is achievable despite the cultural and geographical differences among them.
“Their history of being exploited will be the common unifying factor that can transform them into a political force to reckon with,” he said.
Quilaman noted that the estimated 14 million IP population comprises about 17 percent of the Philippine population.
With 8.5 million of them as voters, they could make a significant dent on the outcome of the elections, he said. In the 2004 presidential polls, Pres. Arroyo garnered 12.9 million votes, while Fernando Poe Jr. got 11.7 million.
Quilaman said that strengthening IP’s politically would be part of the NCIP’s mandate to protect and promote their interest under the Indigenous Peoples’ Rights Act of 1997.
“At present, there are 13 partylist groups representing the interests of IP’s, but what we really want is to unite this group into just one that could unite all the 8.5 million IP voters behind it. Such scenario would demonstrate the political forces of the IP’s,” he added.
But Quilaman said the NCIP is being careful in politically empowering IP’s as it doesn’t want to be accused of political partisanship.
He also noted that of all IP’s in the country, the Subanens in five provinces of the Zamboanga peninsula are the most numerous, with a population estimated from 600,000 to 800,000. The other known IP’s include the Ifugaos, Ibalois, Kankanaeys, Kalingas, Isnegs, Tingguians, Bugkalots, Dumagats, Aetas, Atis, Mangyans, Manobos, Tagbanuas, Tedurays, T’bolis, Bagobos, and Higaonons and about a hundred other tribes.
In Central Luzon where three presidential candidates- Sen. Benigno Aquino III, Sen. Richard Gordon and Gilbert Teodoro- come from, the NCIP estimated a population of about 200,000.
NCIP information officer Juna Sacpa noted that Zambales alone has no less than 53,000 Aetas in Gordon’s home province in Zambales, while in Tarlac where Aquino and Teodoro hail from, the Aetas number no less than 25,000.
A study titled “Indigenous Peoples/Ethnic Minorities and Poverty Reduction” conducted by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) cited estimates that the number of IP’s in the country could even be more than 15 million, as it noted that 61 percent of them are in Mindanao and 33 percent in Luzon.
The ADB gave a “working definition” of indigenous peoples as “those with a social or cultural history distinct from the dominant or mainstream society which makes them vulnerable to being disadvantaged in the process of development.”
No statistics on literacy rate of the IP’s was available from the NCIP, but Aeta Roberto Serrano, vice president of the Mabalacat Aeta Tribal Association (MATA), said that many of kinsmen who are illiterate have been known to have voted in past national and local elections.
“Other people assisted them so they could vote the candidates they want. They signed with their thumbmarks,” said Serrano.
Commission on Elections (Comelec) director for Central Luzon Zoilo Perlas said there is no statistics from his office on how many IP’s are registered voters in his region, but confirmed that the illiterates among them receive assistance at polling precincts.
He said the law allows illiterate voters to be assisted by any relative up to first cousins. In the absence of any such relative, a member of the Board of Election Inspectors (BEI) is authorized to assist them, he added.
Both Perlas and Quilaman expressed confidence that the automation of the May elections would be to the advantage of illiterate IP’s since they could just shade the spaces next to the names of candidates as identified by persons assisting them.
“My only concern is that they might tend to shade their ballots too much as they are a hard working people. This could spoil their ballots,” Quilaman said.
He also cited cases in past elections wherein political candidates herded IP’s and transported them to their election precincts to cast their votes. “That practice in a way infringes on the freedom of choice of the IP’s,” he added.
“Our estimate is that we now have 14 million IP’s all over the country. Of this number, about 8.5 million are registered voters. If they unite behind candidates in the elections, they can make or unmake presidents or senators,” National Commission on Indigenous People’s (NCIP) Executive Director Masli Quilaman told Punto in a telephone interview.
Quilaman said the NCIP is now working towards “empowering the indigenous peoples through the electoral process.”
He said their number is enough for them to back a presidential candidate and land an Aeta as the country’s chief executive.
“But it will take some time to unify the indigenous groups,” he said, even as he expressed confidence that such scenario is achievable despite the cultural and geographical differences among them.
“Their history of being exploited will be the common unifying factor that can transform them into a political force to reckon with,” he said.
Quilaman noted that the estimated 14 million IP population comprises about 17 percent of the Philippine population.
With 8.5 million of them as voters, they could make a significant dent on the outcome of the elections, he said. In the 2004 presidential polls, Pres. Arroyo garnered 12.9 million votes, while Fernando Poe Jr. got 11.7 million.
Quilaman said that strengthening IP’s politically would be part of the NCIP’s mandate to protect and promote their interest under the Indigenous Peoples’ Rights Act of 1997.
“At present, there are 13 partylist groups representing the interests of IP’s, but what we really want is to unite this group into just one that could unite all the 8.5 million IP voters behind it. Such scenario would demonstrate the political forces of the IP’s,” he added.
But Quilaman said the NCIP is being careful in politically empowering IP’s as it doesn’t want to be accused of political partisanship.
He also noted that of all IP’s in the country, the Subanens in five provinces of the Zamboanga peninsula are the most numerous, with a population estimated from 600,000 to 800,000. The other known IP’s include the Ifugaos, Ibalois, Kankanaeys, Kalingas, Isnegs, Tingguians, Bugkalots, Dumagats, Aetas, Atis, Mangyans, Manobos, Tagbanuas, Tedurays, T’bolis, Bagobos, and Higaonons and about a hundred other tribes.
In Central Luzon where three presidential candidates- Sen. Benigno Aquino III, Sen. Richard Gordon and Gilbert Teodoro- come from, the NCIP estimated a population of about 200,000.
NCIP information officer Juna Sacpa noted that Zambales alone has no less than 53,000 Aetas in Gordon’s home province in Zambales, while in Tarlac where Aquino and Teodoro hail from, the Aetas number no less than 25,000.
A study titled “Indigenous Peoples/Ethnic Minorities and Poverty Reduction” conducted by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) cited estimates that the number of IP’s in the country could even be more than 15 million, as it noted that 61 percent of them are in Mindanao and 33 percent in Luzon.
The ADB gave a “working definition” of indigenous peoples as “those with a social or cultural history distinct from the dominant or mainstream society which makes them vulnerable to being disadvantaged in the process of development.”
No statistics on literacy rate of the IP’s was available from the NCIP, but Aeta Roberto Serrano, vice president of the Mabalacat Aeta Tribal Association (MATA), said that many of kinsmen who are illiterate have been known to have voted in past national and local elections.
“Other people assisted them so they could vote the candidates they want. They signed with their thumbmarks,” said Serrano.
Commission on Elections (Comelec) director for Central Luzon Zoilo Perlas said there is no statistics from his office on how many IP’s are registered voters in his region, but confirmed that the illiterates among them receive assistance at polling precincts.
He said the law allows illiterate voters to be assisted by any relative up to first cousins. In the absence of any such relative, a member of the Board of Election Inspectors (BEI) is authorized to assist them, he added.
Both Perlas and Quilaman expressed confidence that the automation of the May elections would be to the advantage of illiterate IP’s since they could just shade the spaces next to the names of candidates as identified by persons assisting them.
“My only concern is that they might tend to shade their ballots too much as they are a hard working people. This could spoil their ballots,” Quilaman said.
He also cited cases in past elections wherein political candidates herded IP’s and transported them to their election precincts to cast their votes. “That practice in a way infringes on the freedom of choice of the IP’s,” he added.
