By JOEL C. ATENCIO
Over 3,000 indigenous peoples from the Kakanaey and Bago tribes in Sugpon, Ilocos Sur were awarded a Certificate of Ancestral Domain Title (CADT) covering 6,399 hectares of land by the government.
Officials of the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP), the Ilocos Sur provincial government and local town officials presided over the awarding of the title on September 22, it was learned yesterday.
The process of titling the ancestral domain was made possible by funds from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the New Zealand Aid for International Development (NZAid) through the project “Empowerment of Indigenous Peoples for Sustainable Management of Ancestral Domains” executed by the NCIP.
Since 2002, UNDP and NZAid have been supporting indigenous peoples’ concerns in the Philippines through this project that seeks to develop capacities, which include enabling policies, human resource development and institutional and community-based mechanisms to empower indigenous peoples to own their land.
It also boosts government efforts and support groups to assist indigenous peoples manage their land in a sustainable manner.
