The Mindanao Indigenous People Legislative Assembly for the Bangsamoro Basic Law is set to take place this August 29 to September 1 at Mergrande Ocean Resort as scheduled.
This was announced by Mindanao Indigenous Peoples Conference for Peace and Development Chairman Datu Lipatuan Joel Andres Unad on Monday’s Kapehan at SM Ecoland.
According to Datu Unad, The four-day activity will tackle four major issues affecting the Indigenous people and their ancestral lands including President Duterte’s proposal on the transition to a federal government, the security aspects of the indigenous tribes, their cultural and economic sustainability and a section by section discussion on the contentions on the provisions on the Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL).
Datu Unad also talked about the alleged factions within tribes saying that these tribes are only divided because of their opinions, urbanization and ideologies, but can’t possibly be divided because of culture and history.
However, Datu Unad strongly hopes that through the 4-day sitting down discussion with the core tribal leaders and the government is that differences may be settled to come up with a concencus.
Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (OPAPP)- Indigenous People Peace Panel Chairman Atty. Reuben Lingating will shed light on the matter regarding the erection of some Lumad schools on ancestral lands without undergoing free Prior Informed consent (FPIC).
“They should consider yung way of life and culture ng IP kasi different ito sa mainstream society” [they should consider the way of life and culture of the indigenous people, because it differs from a mainstream society,”Lingating added.
Congress Representatives will be invited on the last day of the said event to accept the output of the activity or the proposed formal legislation to be incorporated on the Bangsamoro Basic Law.
Around 500-600 participants are expected to attend the event.
