DUMAGUETE CITY, Negros Oriental, Sept. 7 (PIA) -- Issues related to insurgency affecting the Indigenous Peoples (IP) groups in Negros Oriental will be tackled in a two-day workshop in Bayawan City to be led by the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP).

The event called “Healing, Reconciliation, and Operationalizing the 11 Building Blocks in the Ancestral Domain in Support to the Whole of Government /Whole of Nation Approach by Empowering the FRs, Ip, Youth, EP and IP Leaders” will be on Sept. 11 to 12 at Brgy. Malabugas Gymnasium, Bayawan City.

NCIP Chairperson Allen Capuyan is expected to attend the activity to give his message to IPs and other peace stakeholders in the province.

The activity aims to orient all stakeholders on the 11 Building Blocks to make IPs resilient and responsive for national peace, security, and development and also come up with actionable items to be undertaken in each of the ancestral domains of IPs in the province and to address the needs of IPs.

NCIP Negros Oriental Provincial Head Virginia Espante will discuss the issues related to IPs welfare while NCIP Planning Officer for Regions 6, 7, and 8 Engr. Jocelyn Ceniza will tackle the current programs of the agencies in relation to EO 70 which institutionalizes the whole-of-nation approach to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (ELCAC).

There will also be lectures on cultural sensitivity and zoning framework to confront Communist-Terrorist-Groups (CTG) deployment.

Around 300 participants are expected to join the said activity, half of whom are IP members and tribal leaders.

According to NCIP Negros Oriental, there are three IP groups in the province, namely: the Ata, Bukidnon, and Bukidnon-Magahat.
Other line government agencies will also be presenting their programs about advancing IP welfare.

The two-day activity will culminate with a Peace Agreement and Signing of Memorandum of Cooperation between local chief executives, IP-Enlisted Personnel (IP-EP), IP youth representative, Philippine National Police, and the Philippine Army.

Negros Oriental Gov. Pryde Henry Teves is also expected to deliver share his programs for IPs during the said event.

This activity is part of a series of nationwide campaigns carried out by NCIP in partnership with the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict. (RAL/PIA7 Negros Oriental)