By Leonel Abasola

MANILA – Senator Robinhood Padilla has filed a resolution seeking a Senate investigation into the reported use of a portion of an Indigenous Peoples (IP) ancestral domain in Sitio Tibag, Subic, Zambales as a garbage dumpsite.

In Senate Resolution 513, Padilla, chairperson of the Senate Committee on Cultural Communities and Muslim Affairs, noted that the affected area forms part of the ancestral domain of the Aeta community.

The resolution seeks to identify those responsible for the alleged landfill operations, explore measures to rehabilitate the area, and strengthen laws protecting IPs and their ancestral domains.

“Ang lupang ninuno ay hindi bakanteng lupang maaring gawing tapunan ng basura. Ito ay tahanan, kabuhayan, kasaysayan at pagkakakilanlan ng ating mga katutubo. Hindi maaring isantabi ang kanilang karapatan sa ngalan ng kaginhawaan o kapabayaan ng sinumang opisyal (An ancestral land is not a vacant lot that can be turned into a garbage dumpsite. This is the home, livelihood, history, and identity of the tribe. We cannot set aside their rights in the name of the convenience of any official),” Padilla said in a statement Tuesday.

The resolution cited a television documentary that aired Monday showing that part of the ancestral domain has allegedly been used as a dumpsite since 2019.

According to the resolution, used face masks, personal protective equipment, and other waste related to the Covid-19 pandemic were among the materials dumped in the area. Residents also claimed that their primary water source had been contaminated, posing health risks to the community.

Padilla also cited findings of a 2022 investigation by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, which reportedly ordered the municipality of Subic to cease and desist from operating the dumpsite until 2025.

The senator said the 1987 Constitution and Republic Act (RA) 8371, or the Indigenous Peoples’ Rights Act, guarantee the protection of IPs and their ancestral lands.

He also noted that RA 9003, or the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000, prohibits the operation of open dumpsites. (PNA)