Lumads stage State of Indigenous Peoples’ Address

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY (MindaNews/July 27, 2009)-- As the entire country focused on the ninth State of the Nation Address (SONA) of President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, 85 indigenous peoples’ leaders in Mindanao gathered for a three-day conference on the State of the Indigenous Peoples Address (SIPA) on July 26 to 28 at Manresa Retreat House here. At 4 pm, they listened to President Arroyo’s SONA.
"We viewed it necessary to review the obligation of the government to the indigenous people and to assess what was accorded them; evaluate if the tribes have achieved enough for them and their children’s' future," said Carl Rebuta, team leader of LRC-Kasama sa Kalikasan (KsK) based in Cagayan de Oro city.
"Since the enactment of the Indigenous Peoples’ Rights Act (IPRA), only 31 CADTs have been issued by this government, 11 of which are in Mindanao, covering almost one million hectares or only one percent of the entire ancestral territory of the indigenous peoples of the Philippines. We sadly note that the Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB) aggressively issued to exploit 542,353,000 hectares for mining," said Judy Pasimio, executive director of Legal Rights and Natural Resources Center (LRC). More at MindaNews

Related Post/Link

a. STATE OF THE INDIGENOUS PEOPLES OF MINDANAO 2009

b. Continuing Struggle for Right to Self-Determination