ANAC-IP Party-list Rep. Jose Panganiban, Jr. lauded Pres. Rodrigo Duterte for reiterating his pro-environment stance during his State of the Nation Address (SONA) on Monday.
“Nature endowed us with this wealth to be tapped for the benefit of all generations. My policy in the utilization of these resources is non-negotiable: the protection of the environment must be top priority and extracted resources must be used for the benefit of the Filipino people, not just a select few,” the President said yesterday.
Panganiban said that the nearly 17 million indigenous peoples of the country stand to benefit from an uncompromising environmental protection policy.
“The way of life of IPs is closely connected to the land, and by making environmental protection a top priority the President is also committing to ensuring that IP heritage and culture are preserved,” said Panganiban.
Panganiban also thanked the President for his promise to restore the environmental integrity of Boracay and other tourist destinations as well as provide measures so that those affected by rehabilitation efforts can cope.
“The way of life of IPs is closely connected to the land, and by making environmental protection a top priority the President is also committing to ensuring that IP heritage and culture are preserved.”
“Many IPs rely on tourism for their livelihood, and as in the case of Boracay, the loss of livelihood from efforts to rehabilitate the area has affected a large number of IPs,” he said.
The President’s pronouncement will assure IPs that they will not be neglected in the event that they are affected by rehabilitation efforts, Panganiban added.
“Many IPs rely on tourism for their livelihood, and as in the case of Boracay, the loss of livelihood from efforts to rehabilitate the area has affected a large number of IPs.”
Panganiban also expressed hope that the President’s warning to miners will hit home.
The President warned miners “to stop destroying our watersheds, recharge areas, forests, and aquatic resources.”
“Expect reforms, radical ones. I cannot intend to quarrel with anybody, with the moneyed, but for as long as I am here I said: you will just have to contend with me,” the President added.
The President also demanded that miners “repair what you have mismanaged.”
He added, “Try to change management radically because this time you will have restrictive policies. The prohibition of open pit mining is one.”
Panganiban also took the opportunity to call on his colleagues to pass a measure that will introduce amendments to the Philippine Mining Act of 1995 that affects IPs.
Panganiban introduced House Bill 391, or An Act To Protect And Promote The Rights of Indigenous Peoples Affected By Mining Operations In Ancestral Domains, Amending For the Purpose Republic Act No.7942, Otherwise Known As The “Philippine Mining Act Of 1995.”
The bill seeks to amend Section 16 of RA 7942 titled “Opening of Ancestral Lands to Mining Operations,” which reads “No ancestral land shall be opened for mining operations without prior consent of the indigenous cultural community concerned.
The proposed amendment reads, “No ancestral land shall be opened for mining operations without the free and prior informed consent (FPIC) of the indigenous cultural community (ICC) and a certification of precondition issued for the purpose by the National Commission for Indigenous Peoples (NCIP), as specified under Section 59 of RA 8371 or “The Indigenous Peoples’ Rights Act of 1997.”
The bill also seeks to increase the royalty received by IPs affected by mining operations in ancestral lands to 20 percent from the current 1 percent of gross output.
The House Committee on Indigenous Cultural Communities and Indigenous Peoples created a technical working group to tackle the said bill.
