Protecting minorities within minorities in the Bangsamoro region
SIGNIFICANT developments for indigenous peoples have occurred in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) over the past months. Earlier this month, Minister of Parliament Ramon Piang, who led the Committee on Indigenous Peoples’ Affairs held a Grand Kanduli Thanksgiving to celebrate the passage of the Bangsamoro Indigenous Peoples’ Act (BIPA) of 2024, which gave life to the promise to non-Moro Indigenous Peoples and Marginalized Moro Peoples (NMIPs/MMPs) to be protected as minorities within minorities in the revamped regional political entity. The celebration was joined by Bangsamoro Chief Minister Ahod Balawag Ebrahim as well as Sama, B’laan, Dulangan Manobo, Higaonon, Erumanen Ne Menuvu, Teduray, and Lambangian leaders. There is an expectation that the BIPA will secure the rights of NMIPs and MMPs.
Following the Grand Kanduli, the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP) and the BARMM Ministry of Indigenous Peoples Affairs (BIPA) entered into a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA). With support from the Intergovernmental Relations Body (IGRB), the intergovernmental body that assists in the establishment of institutional mechanisms for sustained cooperation and coordination between the regional and national government agencies, the MOA provided that the NCIP will provide technical assistance in the delineation of ancestral domains and the conduct of free, prior, and informed consent mechanisms. The MOA also stated that the NCIP will assist in the identification of Indigenous Political Structures (IPS), the organizational and cultural leadership systems in the region, and Indigenous Peoples Organizations (IPOs), the recognized organizations that assist in ensuring the collective rights to their ancestral domains and in strengthening Indigenous political, economic and social systems or institutions.
Lamentably, the celebration comes against the backdrop of Indigenous peoples’ deep anxiety about their safety and security in the region. Just this week, Teduray Renato Promboy’s beheaded body was found in Datu Hoffer, Maguindanao del Sur. Before Renato’s murder, the Police Regional Office – Bangsamoro Autonomous Region (PRO-BAR) reported that 84 NMIPs have been killed in the region since 2018. Undoubtedly, Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation and Unity (OPAPRU) Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr. was sincere in his promise to secure NMIPs in the region. However, there should be urgency in providing safety measures to these communities. With the OPAPRU’s urging, the PRO-BAR should immediately strengthen its visibility and mobility by providing increased patrols and checkpoints while deploying quick reaction teams to respond promptly to incident reports. The BTA should also provide mechanisms to ensure that there will be accountability against rogue elements that target NMIPs. Regardless of the beauty of the BIPA, laws remain useless if the fundamental right to live is not guaranteed.
