BARMM observes NIPM month
The Bangsamoro Government is serious in terms of safeguarding the distinct indigenous and ethnic identity of non-Moro IPs
ZAMBOANGA CITY — The Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao has vowed to continue to advocate the rights of Indigenous communities and promote unity within the region.
BARMM Chief Minister Ahod Ebrahim stated during the kick-off ceremony of the National Indigenous Peoples' Month celebration last Monday.
Proclamation 1906, Series of 2009, NIPM is celebrated every month of October in recognition of the rights of Indigenous Cultural Communities/Indigenous Peoples in the Philippines.
Ebrahim stressed the paramount importance of Indigenous Peoples' participation in decision-making which is vital for shaping the region's progress, adding that the Bangsamoro Government is serious in terms of safeguarding the distinct indigenous and ethnic identity of non-Moro IPs.
He also reported that the Bangsamoro Transition Authority is proposing a bill that empowers the constitutional duty to protect the rights of IPs to their ancestral lands, cultures, traditions and institutions.
Empathy and compassion for their hopes and needs will be the foundation of better regional solidarity, despite the region's efforts for socio-economic advancements, accordingly, preservation of heritage and identity must still be upheld.
Ebrahim urged the Bangsamoro community to actively recognize and provide support to the IPs all over the region.
"In the Bangsamoro, we are committed to advancing the rights of indigenous peoples and their participation in governance and community planning," said Ebrahim, as he stressed the importance of showing empathy and compassion in addressing their needs and issues to solidify the region's path toward a more harmonious Bangsamoro.
"Empathy and compassion for their hopes and needs will be the foundation of better regional solidarity, despite the region's efforts for socio-economic advancements, accordingly, preservation of heritage and identity must still be upheld," Ebrahim said.
"It is critical that, as we implement current developments, we also look back and reflect on how our indigenous people have retained the identity that we all now enjoy," he added.