Army to honor tribal claims

From the Manila Standard Today (Nov 5): Army to honor tribal claims

Portions of the 33,100-hectare military reservation in Western Visayas are being reviewed for possible turnover to tribal groups as part of their ancestral domain, Commander Maj. Gen. Jose Mabanta Jr. said. Established in 1962 under Presidential Proclamation 67, the land covers 16 of the 22 upland villages of Tapaz and seven villages of Jamindan. “Records show that in the province of Iloilo, a total of 252 Certificate of Ancestral Domain Titles, covering a land area of 1,748 hectares, had been served to IP beneficiaries of Barangay Masaroy and Alcalaga, Municipality of Calinog last 2005,” Mabanta said. He said are view is being made together with the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples following the mandate of the Indigenous Peoples Rights Act. “We’ve our own ‘Bayanihan teams’ composed of soldiers to help the NICP and IPs conduct survey and delineation activities in central Panay island to address challenges on IPs ancestral domain,” Mabanta said. “We’ve a Memorandum of Understanding to be signed at the Department of National Defense and NCIP national level,” Mabanta said. “The NCIP shall undertake the survey in coordination with the AFP, Department of Environment and Natural Resources, and IPs of Jamindan and Tapaz, province of Capiz,” he said. “For the sake of peace, the military is more than willing to vacate portions of the military reservation provided that it will pass through what is required by law.”

http://manilastandardtoday.com/2012/11/05/army-to-honor-tribal-claims/