The Department of Agriculture (DA) Regional Field Office III has intensified the livelihood support of indigenous peoples (IP) and Indigenous Cultural Communities (ICCs) in Central Luzon by implementing the Kabuhayan at Kaunlaran ng Kababayang Katutubo (4K) Program.

According to the DA Regional Field Office III, the said 4K Program is based on the initiative of Republic Act 8371 or the Indigenous Peoples Rights Act of 1997 (IPRA Law) that aims to alleviate the impoverish lives of some of the IPs by developing ancestral lands using progressive and sustainable activities.

As part of the said program, the 4K-National Program Management Office (4K-NPMO) has conducted a discussion and training regarding on Signature Commodity in the Ancestral Domain (SCAD) at the Katutubong Burog Indigenous People Agricultural Cooperative (KBIPAC) in Barangay San Vicente of Bamban, Tarlac.

The activity is in collaboration with various government agencies such as the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA), DA- Agricultural Training Institute (DA-ATI), Department of Science and Technology (DOST), DA- Agribusiness and Marketing Assistance Division (DA-AMAD), Office of the Provincial Agriculture (OPA Tarlac), Municipal Agriculture Office (MAO Bamban, Tarlac), Municipal Environment and Natural Resources Office (MENRO Bamban, Tarlac) and the National Commission on Indigenous People (NCIP).

The activity was held on September 8, 2025, in New Clark City and aims to analyze the progress made after distributing farm inputs and agricultural technologies to the IP community.

The activity also aims to broaden the access of the IPs in the market, to ensure that their harvested produce from their ancestral land would be sold at a bigger market.

The DA’s 4K-NPMO also conducted a Sub-Monitoring Project and Site Validation to ensure the proper implementation of projects for the IPs and measure their Level of Development (LOD).

The Samahang Katutubo Cadmang Farmers Association in the town Cabangan, Zambales, was one of the farmer associations that was visited by the DA. The NPMO officials, along with the RPMO, NCIP, Provincial and Municipal Agriculture Offices, led the Sub-Monitoring Project and Site Validation.