Bello: Klata proposal on IPMR not possible

By ARMANDO B. FENEQUITO JR.
THE proposal of the Klata tribe to endorse its own representative as the indigenous people’s mandatory representative in the wake of the dispute surrounding the selection of Kagan’s Halila Sudagar is not possible because of the existing agreement on the term sharing of IPMR.
Councilor Karlo Bello, chair of the City Council committee on civil, political and human rights, said the wish of the officers and members of the Davao City Federation of Bagobo Klata/Guiangan tribal councils, Inc. to allow lawyer Dennis Ampon to represent them “as an alternative to the present circumstances” is not possible based on the rules stipulated in City Ordinance No. 0448-10 series of 2010 or “An Ordinance Providing Mandatory Representation of Indigenous Peoples.“
Bello said that during the approval of the ordinance, they agreed that the sequence of the tribe to select IPMR should be in alphabetical order. He said that the concern of Klata will be possible if the technical working group (TWG) who crafted the rules and regulation of the selection process of IPMR.
The third district councilor said he will pass a resolution to reconvene the TWG as part of the amendment process of the ordinance.
For his part, National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP) 11 acting regional legal officer lawyer Ronnie Bulotano said that the proposal of Klata will only materialize if the other five tribes in the city will agree.
Bulotano said in his understanding, the Klata do not want to waste the opportunity to serve the IP community in the city. The proposal, however, needs to be discussed.
He agreed with that since the six tribes already have an original agreement that they assign to choose an IPMR in alphabetical order.
The City Council approved the item last Tuesday in first reading and was referred to the committee of Bello.
Meanwhile, Bello said that he will present in today’s session the resolution to Mambo-o in a holdover capacity.
He added that the reinstatement of Mambo-o is due to the urgency of the IP community to be represented since it is more than a month of vacancy.
Bello said this is so since the United Royal House of Kagan had filed a petition before the NCIP to hold the assumption of Sudagar from sitting as IP councilor.
“We do not know how long the case will take,” he said, adding that while the process is ongoing they will bring back Mambo-o in the council since the NCIP express no objection on the proposal.
Bulotano, on the other hand, said that there are now problem if the other five tribes will agree on the reinstatement of Mambo-o.
Earlier, the tribal chieftains of the different IP tribes of the city made a resolution asking the Council for the reinstatement of Mambo-o on a holdover capacity.
“On our part, we just want to have representation from the IP because the principle of the IPMR is represent the sector,” Bulotano said