The Contemporary Challenges
and Issues of Philippine
Indigenous People
2020-2021
INTRODUCTION
Indigenous peoples protect the world's ecological and cultural variety as stewards.
Despite accounting for only around 5% of the global population, they efficiently manage roughly
20% to 25% of the Earth's land surface. This territory is home to 80 percent of the world's
biodiversity, as well as around 40 percent of all terrestrial protected areas and biologically intact
landscapes. As a result, indigenous peoples play a critical role in efforts to safeguard the
environment and biodiversity. There are an estimated 14 million indigenous peoples in the
country, subdivided into around 110 linguistic groups or tribes. Most are based in the northern
part of the main island, Luzon, and in the southern island of Mindanao.
Despite the fact that indigenous peoples' resilience is threatened by their vulnerability to
the negative effects of climate change, they have often been able to adapt to these changes by
continuing to practice traditional knowledge, which is often encoded in indigenous languages
and passed down through generations. Indigenous peoples have managed and exploited natural
resources in such a way that they will be conserved in the future. Indigenous peoples can help
with mitigation and adaptation techniques in this situation. Indigenous peoples' successful fights
against deforestation, mineral, oil, and gas extraction in their ancestral lands; their fight against
further expansion of monocrop plantations; their promotion of sustainable production and
consumption systems through traditional knowledge and values of reciprocity with nature; and
effective stewardship over indigenous women and men's lands are just a few examples of
contributions.
Despite a constitutional guarantee and the passage of a special law protecting indigenous
peoples' rights in the Philippines 18 years ago, the marginalized group, which accounts for 14
percent of the country's 100 million population, continues to face discrimination that stifles basic
rights and development. Different indigenous groups spoke at a recent forum organized by the
European Union Delegation to the Philippines about their continued claim to what they call their
"ancestral domain," the threats to their peaceful settlement posed by the presence of paramilitary
and other armed groups, and the neglect by some government agencies in terms of development
programs.
Challenges and Issues of Philippine Indigenous People:
Indigenous People’s Education
The indigenous peoples' educational experiences. The findings show that education has
additional aspects in the lives of indigenous peoples. Discrimination in the classroom is still a
terrible experience for indigenous kids, with the school serving as a primary forum for such
events. Individuals and the educational system both encounter discrimination. Instructors who
treat their indigenous kids unfairly and with prejudice are said to outnumber teachers who are
fair and open-minded. It's the same with students who reflect society's overall discriminating
attitudes. Because discriminatory students are seldom penalized or corrected, the situation is
maintained, and indigenous peoples' prejudice is implicitly endorsed. Another instance that
occurred recently was the same situation with students who reflect society's overall
discriminating attitudes. Because discriminating students are seldom penalized or corrected, the
situation is accepted, and indigenous peoples' prejudice is implicitly endorsed. Prejudice in other
parts of school life is a newly expressed facet of discrimination. The demand for uniforms and
shoes, for example, is something that many indigenous tribes cannot afford. On the issue of
shoes, some indigenous children are not accustomed to wearing them. Being an indigenous
person and not wearing shoes has been a cause of prejudice.
Biodiversity and Climate Change Challenges and the Indigenous Peoples
The environmental apathy of many corporations and businessmen has resulted not only to
the destruction of the environment as an immediate and tangible effect but also to climate change
as a secondary and not so visible effect. There is the eminent threat of the impact of climate
change to indigenous peoples who are living in abject poverty and yet it is not yet well
documented and accepted that indigenous peoples can also offer viable alternatives in addressing
its adverse impacts. These indigenous knowledge and practices of the IPs in combating climate
change has not yet been properly utilized by agencies and institutions working on climate change
mitigation because they are still banking on with the “scientific” way of doing it as espoused by
the Western development models. It must be emphasized that indigenous peoples have
contributed the least to climate change because of their love for the environment. Climate change
is mainly caused by Western development models characterized by unsustainable production and
consumption, extreme individualism, increasing concentration of wealth and power in the
privileged few
The indigenous peoples are so attached to their lands which they considered sacred. Since
they depend on these lands for their economic and cultural survival, they have developed
practices to preserve their lands and to protect them from the greedy outsiders who want to steal
their land and destroy its rich biodiversity. In addition, they also developed practices to cope
with and adapt to the effects of climate change. These practices, though not “scientific” as
compared to those coming from the Western experts, cannot be underestimated because these
practices have allowed them to survive as distinct peoples over millennia. Thus, government and
institutions working on measures on how to adapt and manage the impacts of climate change
must learn from these indigenous ways of the IPs. They should be invited during discussion and
discourses about climate change impacts and their mitigation so that their voices will be heard,
and their indigenous practices will be considered.
Indigenous People and Property Right
Indigenous Peoples suffer higher rates of poverty, homelessness and malnutrition. They
have lower levels of literacy and less access to health services, further contributing to their
poverty. Indigenous people and peoples also enjoy certain human rights specifically linked to
their identity, including rights to maintain and enjoy their culture and language free from
discrimination, rights of access to ancestral lands and land relied upon for subsistence, rights to
decide their own patterns of development.
Indigenous Peoples and Human Rights
Poorer health.
Lower levels of education.
Inadequate housing and crowded living conditions
Lower income levels
Higher rates of unemployment
Higher levels of incarceration
Higher death rate among children and youth due unintentional injuries
Higher rates of suicide
Recommendation
For indigenous peoples, it is necessary to adopt positive or special measures to overcome
discrimination and ensure the progressive achievement of indigenous peoples’ rights promote
cultural sensitivity and respect for cultural diversity. We recommended that, first, providing legal
aid to Indigenous Peoples which is educating them about their rights and vernacularizing legal
instruments to help them understand the law); second, pushing for educational measures that
correct prior misconceptions held by mainstream society, explaining the need for inclusion rather
than assimilation, and explaining the distinctness and culture of IPs; and third, advocating for
educational measures that correct prior misconceptions held by mainstream society, explaining
the need for inclusion rather than assimilation, and explaining the distinctiveness and culture of
IPs.
The government should also make use of the IPs' rich traditions and customs, which have
been demonstrated to have kept them alive for thousands of years. A strong paradigm is required
to maintain an action or campaign. President Duterte needs to consider these two models
(Western and Eastern) to be more comprehensive and encompassing in his environmental
advocacy in the country. Political will is good but it is still lacking. People must understand why
we need to do protect the environment. They need to be properly educated why they need to
factor in the environment in their development programs and projects.
References
Indigenous Peoples' Human Rights Defenders in the Philippines threatened and harassed (2020)
retrieved from
https://www.iwgia.org/en/news-alerts/news-covid-19/3582-indigenous-peoples-human-rights-
defenders-in-the-philippines-threatened-and-harassed.html
The human rights situation of indigenous peoples in the Philippines (2006)
Retrieved from
http://lib.ohchr.org/HRBodies/UPR/Documents/Session1/PH/
IPRM_PHL_UPR_S1_2008_IndigenousPeopleRightsMonitor_uprsubmission.pdf
