The indigenous peoples of Bukidnon have agreed to participate in the implementation of a World Bankfunded project, the Second Land Administration and Management Program (LAMP2) in the province.

The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) and leaders of the Talaandig, Bukidnon, and Higaonon communities have signed a memorandum of understanding ensuring their full and effective participation in the project.

The agreement was considered a landmark document that demonstrates the commitment to and respect for the rights of indigenous peoples to their ancestral domain and their right to free, prior, and informed consent (FPIC).

World Bank Country Director Bert Hofman said the agreement concretizes the bank's goal of inclusive growth in a very unique way. "It is our vision under our new Country Assistance Strategy (CAS) that nobody gets left behind as we strive to enable the country to grow faster and eradicate poverty."

"This agreement speaks of the openness and commitment of indigenous communities, the government, and the World Bank in working together to make this dream possible," said Hofman.

"The MOU was a manifestation that the World Bank's operational policy on Indigenous Peoples, the Philippines Indigenous Peoples Rights Act (IPRA), and other international agreements on the rights of the IPs are working on the ground," said Datu Migketay Victorino L. Saway, an IP leader representing the Talaandig and other indigenous cultural communities in Bukidnon.

Datu Saway added that the agreement is a milestone to implement existing policies at the local, national, and international level.

DENR Secretary Lito Atienza said full participation by Indigenous Peoples strengthens the implementation of LAMP2, one of the government's programs aimed at alleviating poverty and enhancing economic growth through improved land tenure security and the development of an efficient system of land titling and administration.

"I'm very happy with this agreement because it further strengthens the participation of indigenous communities residing in alienable and disposable lands. They should in fact be among the primary beneficiaries of the project," Atienza said.

The MOU was the result of a series of grassroots consultations and dialogues among the different indigenous communities in Bukidnon and the DENR's Bukidnon Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Office.

Mark Woodward, the World Bank's Sector Leader for Sustainable Development, explained that the MOU is consistent with the World Bank's Operational Policy on Indigenous Peoples (Operational Policy 4.10), and thus the World Bank supports the conduct of free, prior, and informed consent (FPIC) processes in project areas where there are Indigenous Peoples. (EHL)