Honoring Indigenous Peoples and Strengthening Their Rights

         

                                                [2]                                                                   [1]

           Every 10th month, National Indigenous People Month 2024, is the time to support the rights, culture, and traditions of the Indigenous communities here in the Philippines. This year is also the 27th year anniversary of the IPRA: A law that upholds the rights of the IPs over their ancestral lands, self-determination, and culture heritage. The theme "Mga Katutubo at Katutubong Dunong: Pahalagahan, Pangalagaan at Parangalan" speaks of respect and support to the people and their societies.

          This will assist in sustaining and conserving Indigenous rights by educating people about their culture. Some of the functions, like cultural performance, art display, and dialogue, will be a move forward to the understanding and appreciation of the traditions and wisdom from the Indigenous communities. For example, their way of handling the environment is very educative concerning sustainability. The shared experience of people will be appreciative and respectful of Indigenous culture that could reduce discrimination or even criticism.

          And finally, this is a celebration to honor the indigenous people and their identity. They share this with others in music, dances, and stories. It ensures their culture remains alive while the youth in their community remain proud of their origins. The theme reminds each of us to take care and be worthy of their knowledge for their sake as well as future generations.

          This is to give respect and support to Indigenous communities since this raises awareness, protects their rights, and celebrates the culture. This reminds everybody of their wisdom and traditions as the identity of the Philippines, being protected for years to come.

REFERENCES:

             [1] QueenaPadron. (2021, December 24). GEE2- Philippine Indigenous Communities - QueenaPadron - Medium. Medium. https://queenapadron02929.medium.com/gee2-philippine-indigenous-communities-1bdfa2fadd9

             [2] Empowering the indigenous people through social enterprise | British Council. (n.d.). https://www.britishcouncil.ph/programmes/society/magazine/empowering-indigenous-people

                          

                          The Indigenous Peoples Rights Act of 1997 (Republic Act No. 8371). (n.d.). https://www.wipo.int/tk/en/databases/tklaws/articles/article_0017.html

                        Busybee. (n.d.). National Commission on Indigenous Peoples. www.foi.gov.ph. https://www.foi.gov.ph/agencies/ncip/