Kalinga tribe ratifies declaration of priority rights

PASIL, Kalinga Province, Philippines – A Kalinga tribe moved closer to victory in their decades-old fight to exercise inherent rights over their mineral-rich ancestral domain that has been threatened by incursion of organized and well-oiled multinationals.

During a historic meeting in Sitio Biyog, Barangay Balatoc in Pasil, about 300 elders and leaders of the indigenous Balatoc tribe ratified a document re-affirming their traditional and inalienable rights over their ancestral lands. The precedent-setting move is a prelude to formal application for mining exploration within their property.

The document, seen as a declaration of Exercise of Priority Rights (EPR), was also deemed a revalidation of the Kalinga highland people’s constitutional and traditional privileges to fully enjoy the benefits of the natural resources in their community.

 “The assembly unanimously approved the reiteration and affirmation of the declaration of the Exercise of Priority Right,” the document stated.

Some 50 Balatoc peace-pact holders called bodong and council elders signed the declaration in the meeting.

“We (first) declared our ancestral priority in the year 2007. We do it again today. We, the lP (indigenous people) of Balatoc, will exercise that recognized right which is called Exercise of Priority Right,” Rev. Albert B. Maiyao, a community elder, said in his speech.

In a parallel move, the Balatoc barangay council adopted a certification upholding the revalidation of the Balatocs’ EPR. More than 100 Balatoc youths also manifested approval of their respective community’s representatives and verified documentation of the event.

The proceedings also had the stamp of approval by the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP) which is expected to release an en banc resolution on the matter within the month.

“The EPR validation had been earlier ordered by the NCIP en banc, coursed through the office of the regional director. Expectation is high among the Balatoc community that the NCIP will ratify the EPR validation within the month.”

 “This historic declaration is the first in Luzon, and second in the entire Philippines,” said Victoria Gumisa-Kaloci, reputedly one of the movement’s leaders.

Gumisa-Kaloci noted that indigenous peoples have become more aware of their territorial rights and boundaries since the introduction of Republic Act No. 8371 or the Indigenous Peoples’ Rights Act of 1997 (IPRA) as a legal recourse.

Gumisa-Kaloci is a daughter of Victor Gumisa, the Balatocs’ NCIP-recognized representative by virtue of a special power of attorney (SPA) executed by the tribe in 2010.