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House IP body asks NCIP to draft land rules

LA TRINIDAD, Benguet (June 3) — The House Committee on National Cultural Communities gave the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP) 6 months to come up with omnibus rules for the delineation and titling of ancestral land claims after a congressional public hearing on the “midnight titles” issued by its past officials here.

Ancestral land claimants all over the country now have something to look forward to, congressmen in Abra, Mountain Province and Ifugao, who are members of the Committee announced at a public hearing on June 3 at the Agricultural Training Institute here.

Ifugao Rep. Solomon R. Chungalao, who heads the Committee said the hearing was heard right where the indigenous populations are in order to address the issues that have victimized indigenous peoples (IPs) for a long time, referring to the unclear processes for titling.

“Sayang ang pagod ng mga tao. Sayang ang pera ng mga Igorot,” (The people’s effort are put to waste. The Igorot people’s money goes down the drain.) Mountain Province’s Congressman Victor S. Dominguez said. Dominguez and Benguet Representative Samuel M. Dangwa co-authored House Resolution # 370 which called for the CNCC investigation in aid of legislation the midnight CAD/LT’s.

The “midnight titles”, according to NCIP Chairperson Atty. Reuben A. Lingating, refer to the Certificate of Ancestral Domain Titles (CADT) and Certificates of Ancestral Land Titles (CALT’s) approved by the first NCIP Commission en banc.

To Lingating’s request for a 30-day period for his Office to consult stakeholders, Chungalao said that there should be no titling activities until the policies are made in Congress. He asked Lingating to submit the draft of the rules to the congressional committee for its decision.

Questionable titles

In 2001, then NCIP Chair David A. Dao-as and other members of the first commission issued questionable ancestral land titles on the last hour of their term as commissioners. Whistle-blower Atty. Castillo B. Tidang, a commissioner during Dao-as’ term representing Region II and a signatory to the fake titles, said the signing took place at 4:00 p.m. of February 23, 2001, the last day of the first commission.

Investigations show that the titles were on plain paper, not on the usual security cloth, some had no technical description, others had no specified land area, making the said titles highly questionable. These titles were neither registered with the Register of Deeds nor released to the claimants-owners. Some of the titles still have incomplete signatures of the commissioners. Other titles were protested after the February 23 signing.

“I have withdrawn my signatures in those titles in an affidavit I filed with the proper bodies,” Tidang told the congressional hearing. But the withdrawal of Tidang’s signature is not a guarantee that the questioned titles would be invalidated, according to Lingating.

Investigation trimmed down titles

In 2002, the second commission ordered the review and verification of the CADTs and CALTs issued by Dao-as, and created a special committee on review and verification which was mandated to conduct a thorough examination and review of the supporting documents which were the bases of the approval.

From the original list containing more than 600 CALTs, the list was trimmed down to 44 recommended for approval because of the investigation. Most of the questioned CALTs are in Benguet and Baguio City. Only 14 are in Mindanao.

The original 15 CADTs was reduced to only 6 approved CADTs after the review. While most awarded CADTs are in Mindanao, there are a few in regions II, III, IV and the Cordillera Administrative Region.

Chungalao’s committee wants a uniformed set of policies for titling ancestral lands, in implementing the Indigenous People’s Rights Act (IPRA). “All questioned titles should undergo the same processes nationwide,” Chungalao said, adding that all AL claimants will also undergo the same processes.

Commissioners from regions I, II, III and the Group of Islands were present. Dangwa, Dao-as and Dir. Isias V. Barongan of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources were expected but were not in the public hearing. # Lyn V. Ramo for NORDIS

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