Key Information:The University of the Philippines Diliman is one of the three UP campuses (the other two being UP Cebu and UP Mindanao) to welcome Lumad bakwit schools. These bakwit schools serve as the alternative learning centers of Lumad children, whose communities were victimized by development aggression and disenfranchisement in their ancestral lands in Mindanao.

The Philippines is composed of 14 to17 million indigenous peoples (IPs) belonging to 110 ethno-linguistic groups, according to a study by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).

Majority of them are in Mindanao (61%), while 33% are concentrated in the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR). Other indigenous groups are located in the Visayas region. 

In 1997, the “Indigenous Peoples Rights Act” (IPRA) was enacted to protect the rights of the IPs and their ancestral domains. 

Despite being protected by the law, IPs suffer from poverty and numerous human rights violations.

They suffer from discrimination and are considered as one of the poorest minority groups in the world. They do not have access to adequate and appropriate forms of social services like education and health.

According to the United Nations State of the World’s Indigenous Peoples, the Philippines is one of the countries that facilitated large-scale mining by foreign corporations and other destructive projects, displacing many Lumad communities from their ancestral lands.

The National Research Council of the Philippines (NRCP) held the Mindanao Regional Future Earth Community Mobilization Workshop highlighting various sustainability issues and initiatives. National Scientist Dr. Lourdes J. Cruz, Future Earth Philippines (FEP) Project Leader, introduced the said program and stressed the importance of regional workshops to better understand the local setting and encourage participation from the ground. To promote science-based approaches in sustainability implementation, different researches and case studies were presented by NRCP members Dr. Anthony C. Sales from the department of Science and Technology, presented the “Status of Development Efforts and Implications on Sustainable Development of Mindanao in the Context of the New Normal.”, Dr. Sukarno Tanggol, Chancellor of Mindanao State University, shared the socio-ecological importance of Lake Lanao in his talk, “Lake Lanao Sustainability Challenges, Resources, and Opportunities.”, etc..

Author: Environmental and Social Safeguard Regional and Sustainable Development Department Asian Development Bank, Manila, Philippines

Date Published: June 2022

Key Information: The  publication  is  one  of  a  series  of  documents  produced  by  the  project.  They  comprise  four  country reports (on Cambodia, Indonesia, Philippines, and Viet Nam, respectively), a regional report covering these four countries, and the proceedings of the regional workshop that resulted in recommendations for a regional action plan for poverty reduction among indigenous peoples/ethnic minorities. This study aims to conduct a study on poverty to strengthen ADB’s Policy on Indigenous Peoples through poverty assessment of these peoples in selected developing member countries (DMCs) and to  develop, using participative methods, an appropriate  agenda  for  action to ensure poverty reduction for indigenous groups.

Author: Sustainarumble

Date Published: January 2022

Key Information:
SUSTAINARUMBLE is a public service podcast that explores critical issues on sustainable development in the Philippines. In this podcast episode: “Shifting to Clean Energy: IT’S COMPLICATED?” They talk about why it is hard for the Philippines to shift to clean energy. The Philippines largely depends on fossil fuel based or “Conventional Energy”. Our supply contract for fossil fuel based power generation is guaranteed for the next 25 to 30 years, with government subsidies allocated to cover for generation costs. This means that we are reliant on this international market fluctuation. Our national regulations are making sure that power generation facilities are financially maintainable and stable and because the purpose of this is to strengthen the stability of “Conventional Energy”, We can infer that it’s here to stand for a very long time.

The Philippines has more 14 million indigenous peoples belonging to 110 ethno-linguistic groups. However, the unique heritage of these tribes is threatened by rapid urbanization, commercialization, and encroachment of their lands by state-approved activities such as agribusiness ventures, logging, and mining.

In Mindanao Island, located in the southern part of the country, the collective term for ethnic groups is Lumad. Various lumad groups which are resisting the entry of mining firms into their communities has been in the news during September and October 2015 after they were attacked by paramilitary groups. About 700 Lumad members have set up camps in Manila, the nation’s capital, to demand the pull-out of troops from their homes.

The plight of the Lumad is reflected in many of Federico's artworks. He has also been uploading copies of his old paintings on Facebook which he thinks are still relevant because of the attacks on Lumad communities and the continued plunder of natural resources in the ancestral domains of ethnic tribes. Some of his paintings have been widely shared on social media by activists, scholars, and heritage advocates who are seeking to inspire the public to support the Lumad’s right to self-determination.

Federico, who is a Mandaya (Lumad indigenous people from the eastern part of Mindanao), encourages younger artists to enrich their knowledge of Philippine culture by integrating with ethnic communities.

11.1 By 2030, ensure access for all to adequate, safe and affordable housing and basic services and upgrade slums

11.2 By 2030, provide access to safe, affordable, accessible and sustainable transport systems for all, improving road safety, notably by expanding public transport, with special attention to the needs of those in vulnerable situations, women, children, persons with disabilities and older persons