House okays extension of land rights for indigenous peoples

MANILA, Philippines -  Lawmakers approved on third and final reading a bill extending for another 20 years the rights of cultural communities to secure certificates of title to their ancestral lands.

Cagayan de Oro Rep. Rufus Rodriguez, one of the authors of House Bill 3747, said that under Republic Act 8371, otherwise known as the Indigenous Peoples’ Rights Act of 1997, indigenous people in the country have only until 2017 to avail themselves of their right to own their ancestral lands.

HB 3747 amends Section 12 of RA 8371 giving indigenous groups another 20 years to secure titles for their lands, Rodriguez said.

If the measure is enacted into law this year, Section 12 of RA 8371 will expire in 2037, he said.

Under the law, individual members of cultural communities who have been in continuous possession and occupation of the individually owned ancestral lands by themselves or through their predecessors-in-interest for a period of not less than 30 years shall have the option to secure the title to their ancestral lands under the provisions of Commonwealth Act 141, as amended by the Land Registration Act.

“RA 8371 is a landmark legislation intended to address the concerns of the cultural communities and indigenous people throughout the country,” Rodriguez said.

The bill also gives the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP) another five years to take legal action on the cancellation of officially documented titles which were illegally acquired.

“While there are some constitutional and legal questions against certain provisions of the law, RA 8371 remains in effect. Under Section 64 of the law, the NCIP is mandated to take appropriate actions to recover legal domains which were illegally acquired,” Rodriguez said.

The NCIP was given two years to perform such functions but the prescribed period had already expired on Nov. 22, 1999, the lawmaker added.

Earlier, Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr. led the celebration of the International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples through the signing of a manifesto of support for a solidarity campaign on indigenous peoples’ rights and empowerment.

The co-authors of the bill are Reps. Teddy Brawner Baguilat Jr. (Ifugao), chairman of the House committee on national cultural communities; Maximo Rodriguez (Abante Mindanao party-list), Maximo Dalog (Mt. Province), Eric Singson Jr. (Ilocos Sur), Leopoldo Bataoil (Pangasinan), Victorino Dennis Socrates (Palawan), Bernardo Vergara (Baguio City), Jeci Lapus (Tarlac), Luzviminda Ilagan (Gabriela party-list), Ben Evardone (Eastern Samar), Ma. Amelita Calimbas-Villarosa (Occidental Mindoro), and Bernadette Herrera-Dy (Bagong Henerasyon party-list).