DAVAO ORIENTAL – After a group coming from the Kagan tribe have expressed their sentiments and concerns by staging a protest last week and after talking with the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP) Davao Oriental, NCIP Head Mr. Julius Mabini said they are set to resolve the issue by February of next year.
During the Kapihan sang Kapitolyo held on Friday, December 7, 2019, Mabini categorically explained issues raised by the Kagans.
“We were able to thresh things out after we sat down and talked things over. I would like to emphasize one thing here, that the NCIP made all efforts to inform the Kagans of the things to do or them to be fully recognized and process their ancestral domain claim,” he said.
Mabini explained that the Mandayan ancestral domain claim which was approved in Tarragona town covering six barangays has Kagan residents.
“Now, under the law, the rights of the Kagans and any tribe for that matter should and must be respected. They should not be made to vacate the area; hence, they will stay. That is very clear and must be abided with,” he added.
The NCIP Provincial Head furthered that he has long been urging the Kagans to organize themselves to establish also a tribal council.
The council will then, be validated by the agency, along the other processes like identifying indigenous political structure, and getting the genealogy to determine the authenticity of their ethnicity.
With the issue on Indigenous Peoples representation, Mabini and the NCIP Regional Office clarified that they can make representation in the local law-making bodies and they can make local guidelines if they can reach the required threshold.
“I want to fast-track the process, and so time and again I’ve been urging them to organize themselves. But they used and content themselves with being situated in Jamaah communities. I want to make it clear that Jamaah is not recognized by NCIP, but recognized, however, by the Province and Office of the Sultanate,” he stressed.
He added that the agency is very willing to help facilitate in addressing the needs of the lumads, the very recent of which is the ancestral domain claim in the municipality of Banaybanay.
Different ethnic groups thrive in the province of Davao Orienal, led by the Mandayas, Kagan, Manobo, and Mansaka.
Also joining the Kapihan sang Kapitolyo were IPMR Representative in the City of Mati Felicito Masagnay and IPMR Mandatory Representative in the Province Charlie Ambasan.
