The Northern Luzon Command of the Armed Forces of the Philippines vowed it will continue to support initiatives that uplift the lives of Filipino indigenous peoples.

NolCom commander Lt. Gen. Ernesto Torres Jr. cited the need to protect the right of IPs and capacitate them to developing a progressive cultural community.

This comes after the National Commission on Indigenous People recently conducted an inter-agency workshop on Healing, Reconciliation, and Operationalization of the 11 Building Blocks in the Ancestral Domain, supporting the government's whole-of-nation approach to empowering former rebels and protecting the IP youth, who are vulnerable to the communist recruitment.

Members of the Indigenous Cultural Communities/Indigenous Peoples residing in 13 identified ancestral domains in Tarlac and Pampanga participated in the workshop, which aimed at establishing a common understanding of the 11 Building Blocks among the stakeholders.

The security forces target to sustain the whole-of-nation approach in addressing insurgency while delivering government services in the IP communities.

The NolCom led the signing of a peace covenant with the Indigenous Cultural Communities/Indigenous Peoples ICCs/IPs along with the representatives from the government line agencies.