IPs must own land to fight poverty

By Rose de la Cruz

Indigenous People (or our katutubo) are usually those who live in the hinterlands– far from everyone’s reach– such that they are excluded from our technology, our (foreign-acquired) culture and tastes, our churches and schools and from everything else.

As such, they do not enjoy what we consider basic necessities because theirs is far from basic– theirs is the basest of basics.

Considering their lives, they rank themselves as poor, particularly those in Mindanao and the Aetas of Luzon. 

A World Bank report launched recently recommended a speedy processing of Certificates of Ancestral Domain titles to help them in their development.

But even with such a certificate, their interests and advocacies are often disregarded and ignored by the powerful, rich businesses, who normally target their areas as principal sources of rich material wealth (mines, rocks, timber and water) for their own multi-million peso projects.

The WB’s  “No Data, No Story: Indigenous People of the Philippines” report highlighted the importance of a formal recognition of the rights of IPs to their ancestral domains to boost their economic activity and aid them out of poverty.

“It is apparent that indigenous peoples are at a disadvantage in several critical aspects of well-being … compared to non-indigenous peoples,” World Bank Country Director Ndiame Diop said.

WB called for IPs’ increased access to basic services and economic opportunities, noting in particular the need to strengthen and protect their rights to ancestral domains.

Its survey showed that 51 percent of IPs rate themselves ” food poor,” higher than the 45 percent of non-IPs, and that 37 percent of IPs and 36 percent of non-IPs reported having gone hungry in the past three months.

Almost half also think that education, health, access to clean water, and social assistance are the most pressing concerns that need to be addressed to improve their welfare.

IPs lag in education: fewer advance beyond primary school, complete high school, or attain a post-secondary education. Those with only a primary education often find jobs in agriculture (farm hands) or are self-employed (usually begging on the streets or doing menial jobs).

“Understanding the interplay of ethnicity, gender, and geography is crucial to comprehending the challenges faced by indigenous peoples, which are closely linked to the conditions within their geographic locations,” Diop said.

The obstacles posed by data gaps, the World Bank said, can be addressed by incorporating IPs indicators in national surveys, and including ethnicity variables in government statistics, among others.

Despite these challenges, however, almost 90 percent of IPs said they were proud of their identity and over 70 percent claimed a strong sense of belonging to the country.

The World Bank said that continuing to strengthen and protect the legal recognition of their rights to ancestral domains would mean improving indigenous peoples’ welfare.

“For IPs, land is a fundamental aspect of their identity, culture, and subsistence,” said WB senior social development specialist Carlos Perez-Brito.

“Protecting indigenous peoples’ land rights is therefore a crucial step in addressing poverty and conflict in the country.”

It showed that 257 ancestral domains represent 20.5% of total lands available in the country. However, only 20% of these are fully registered, partly due to overlapping and conflicting land management mandates.

“Protecting IPs’ land rights is therefore a crucial step in addressing poverty and conflict in the country, Brito said.

Nadia Belhaj Hassine Belghith, Senior Economist of World Back told Business World said that  IPs have a strong knowledge of agriculture, which can be a potential area for economic development in their communities. The study cited the Indigenous Peoples Survey in 2023, which said about 60% of IP households are in farming, reaching 70% in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).

The WB report said enhancing the access of IPs to water and sanitation, education, health services, and economic opportunities, while preserving their cultural identities, could greatly improve their living standards.

Despite their challenges, 90% of IPs said they’re proud of their identity and over 70% have a strong sense of belonging to the Philippines. About 9.4 million Filipinos consider themselves indigenous, and 87% live in geographically disadvantaged areas.

The Cordillera Administrative Region has the highest density of IPs, followed by Cagayan Valley.