QUEZON CITY— Indigenous Peoples’ groups and rights advocates protested at the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP) central office, accusing the agency of failing to protect ancestral lands and uphold Indigenous communities’ rights.

Led by KATRIBU, the protest was joined by Ayta communities from Central Luzon and Mangyan and Molbog representatives from Southern Tagalog. The groups alleged that the NCIP had facilitated corporate projects in ancestral territories through flawed Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC) processes.

Ahead of Senate deliberations on the proposed 2027 national budget, the protesters called for the rejection of the NCIP’s proposed ₱1.831-billion allocation and demanded an investigation into its expenditures, policies, programs, and officials.

“We reject the allocation of billions in public funds to an institution that has failed to stop the plunder of ancestral lands,” said Funa-ay Claver, KATRIBU secretary-general.

The groups also accused the NCIP of failing to protect Indigenous communities from displacement, militarization, red-tagging, and human rights violations. They criticized the agency’s revised FPIC guidelines, saying affected communities were not adequately consulted.

The protest featured a symbolic action in which participants tore down the NCIP’s official logo and replaced it with the phrase “National Commission on Imperialist Plunder.”

As the Indigenous Peoples’ Rights Act (IPRA) approaches its 29th anniversary on October 29, the groups renewed their calls to repeal the law and abolish the NCIP, saying both had failed to ensure genuine protection of Indigenous Peoples’ rights. (Ang Pahayagan Reportorial Team)