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Baguio City, Philippines - The Ganak da i-Licoy, Inc. initiated a dialogue with the other 11 indigenous groups of Paracelis, Mountain Province, Philippines to inform, come into a consensus and anticipate possible issues, if any, in their application for Certificate of Ancestral Domain Title (CADT). Held on March 18, 2023 in Casicallan, Poblacion, Paracelis, the dialogue was participated in by several indigenous groups including the Madukayan, Kadaclan, Balangao, and Gaddang people.
Rogelio Banggot, an i-Likoy elder said the event was historic. “Dakkel la unay nga punto ta maisurat daytoy aramiden tayo ti kapanunutan ti maysa ken amin nga tribo” (This [meeting] is significant and will be etched in the thoughts of all the tribes), he said.
Antonio Cayyog, a Ga’dang elder reading the proposed agreement of the indigenous groups of Paracelis with the Ganak da iLikoy concerning the latter’s CADT pursuance.
Attorney Juan Falinchao of the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP) discussed the stages of CADT application and committed to guide the i-Likoy to formulate an action plan. He iterated the importance of consultations with concerned bodies such as the local government unit and of undergoing the documentation process.
Addressing existing boundary conflicts is a precondition before the NCIP deliberates and releases a certificate for the recognition of an ancestral domain. It is a temporary agreement that strengthens the ties of cooperation, networking and alliance-building of a specific indigenous group with and among other indigenous peoples residing within a specific homeland.
A temporary agreement was read aloud by Antonio Cayyog, a Gaddang elder, as a result of the discussion. Copies of the agreement were disseminated after the reading for a subsequent signing. Both the representatives from Madukayan and Gaddang indicated no objection to the CADT application, thus, i-Likoy leaders proposed fortifying the agreement with an “iyapuy” or the traditional sealing of an agreement or decision through a banquet.
As of writing, the i-Likoy are continuing the research, documentation and mapping of their territory which would be later sent to the NCIP. They are endeavoring to accomplish all other necessary documents to clinch their goal of receiving their CADT.
This initiative is being supported by Swedbio through Tebtebba.