QUEZON, Bukidnon — National government programs implemented by the National
Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP), with support from the local government units
(LGUs) of Quezon and Valencia City, are helping Manobo communities secure legal recognition
of their ancestral domains and strengthen their traditional governance structures

NCIP Bukidnon Provincial Officer Ronaldo L. Baya-on said the team recently conducted field
operations in Kiantig, Quezon, and Barangay Banlag, Valencia City, to bring services on
ancestral land rights and indigenous governance closer to communities.
“In Kiantig, our team met with Datu Rolando Anglao, ancestral domain representative of the
Manobo Pulangiyon, and tribal elders to encourage them to register their ancestral domain with
the Land Registration Authority,” Baya-on said.
He said registration would provide legal protection for Indigenous Peoples’ ancestral territory
and help secure their rights over lands they have traditionally occupied and tilled.
“Through the validation of the community’s Indigenous Political Structure or IPS, we formally
recognize their customary governance system under the law. This provides indigenous
communities with a recognized mechanism to exercise traditional leadership and participate in
decisions affecting their ancestral domain,” Baya-on said.
Representatives from Quezon LGU and partner agencies joined the activity, including NCIP-
Maramag Community Service Center Chief Fundador Binahon Jr., Raul Pader of the Office of
NCIP Commissioner Alberto Lagamon, and Myrna Ciose of the Birhen sa Kota Development
Foundation.
In Barangay Banlag, Valencia City, NCIP conducted an Information, Education, and
Communication session for the Manobo Kulamanon community on their rights under Republic
Act 8371, or the Indigenous Peoples’ Rights Act (IPRA).
The session explained how a functional IPS can help indigenous communities formulate and
implement land-use policies for their ancestral domains in accordance with customary law and
IPRA.
Pader said NCIP services translate policies on ancestral land rights into practical support, from
securing legal recognition of ancestral territories to strengthening communities’ capacity to
govern and manage them.

“With support from the Quezon and Valencia City LGUs, NCIP is advancing two priorities under
its mandate: securing legal recognition of ancestral domains and strengthening indigenous
political structures that enable communities to participate in decisions affecting their territories
and resources,” Pader said.
Pader said the activities form part of a broader provincial effort to bring NCIP programs and
services directly to Indigenous Cultural Communities/Indigenous Peoples (ICCs/IPs) to protect
their rights, strengthen local governance, and support their participation in decisions affecting
their ancestral domains. (Kizy Mae T. Cordova/PIA-10/Bukidnon)