PH Consulate General in LA Supports Inclusive Governance Agenda, Promotes Rights of Indigenous People
(center photo) Deputy Consul General Ambrosio Brian F. Enciso III (standing, ninth from left), together with the Philippine Consulate General in Los Angeles personnel, poses with the IP delegation at the conclusion of the town hall meeting (Los Angeles PCG photo)
LOS ANGELES 06 August 2019 — The Philippine Consulate General in Los Angeles, in cooperation with the Philippine Government’s inclusive governance agenda, unlocked its doors to an eight-member delegation of Mindanao Indigenous Peoples Youth Council (MIPYC) and Mindanao Indigenous Peoples Council of Elders (MIPCE) who visited Los Angeles on 12-16 July 2019.
The MIPYC and MIPCE members were from the Obo Manobo, Langilan Manobo, Ata Manobo and Mandaya tribes found in the areas of Southern Philippines.
The town hall meeting arranged by the Consulate General on 15 July 2019 served as a platform for the members of the IP delegation - half of whom are datus in their tribes while some are former child soldiers - to specifically bring to their fellow Filipinos in the Los Angeles the plight of their own communities and scourge brought upon them by their communities’ former association with the the Communist Party of the Philippines-National Peoples’ Army (CPP-NPA).
Deputy Consul General Ambrosio Brian F. Enciso III highlighted the importance given by Philippine Government for the promotion of indigenous people’s rights during his opening remarks. “In the Philippines, it is a state policy to recognize and promote the rights of indigenous cultural communities within the framework of national unity and development.”
A few minutes after IP delegation members started making their statements, a number of leftist protesters who seated themselves among the town hall meeting attendees attempted to present a counter-narrative by aggressively shouting out slogans. Consulate General personnel were able to swiftly took down the disruption and continued the meeting.
The Consulate General, as the representative of the Philippine government in the Southwestern United States, endeavors to fully embody the thrust towards inclusive governance within a healthy democracy and this entails ensuring the fair play between the enjoyment of rights and the exercise of respect and civility towards one another.
In response to the allegations being put forward by the leftist protesters, members of the IP delegation asserted that the narrative they bring to the United States is based on their personal experiences in the hands of the CPP-NPA. According to them, if they will not speak up, no one will voice out for them and their communities.
Prior to the town hall meeting, the IP delegation met Filipino-American youth organizer and now Cerritos City Council member Mark Pulido. On the sidelines, an interaction with mainstream and social media journalists, including a one-on-one with a popular Filipino-American vlogger Bb. Maharlika, was held.
A recurring theme in all of the delegation’s engagements is the emphasis on the peace covenant between the Philippine Government and the indigenous people community through the enactment of Republic Act 8371 or the Indigenous Peoples’ Rights Act of 1997, the deception of said communities by the CPP-NPA in its attempt to usurp their lands and train their people as soldiers, the supplanting of their tribal leaders and the subverting of their way of life.
Their engagements consistently ended with an appeal for the Filipino-American community to stop funding front organizations based in the United States, such as Salugpungan International, which funnels resources directly to the CPP-NPA.
The IP delegation’s visit was dovetailed to its meeting with the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues in New York City, where the members gave their personal testimonies on the atrocities committed by the CPP-NPA.
The Philippines’ southernmost island of Mindanao is home to 60 percent or majority of all the indigenous peoples’ population across the Philippines. END
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Datu Jacob “Jake” Llanes responds to questions of the media. (Los Angeles PCG photo)
Deputy Consul General Enciso sets the tone for the town hall meeting of the IP Delegation with the Filipino community with his welcome remarks. (Los Angeles PCG photo)
Bai Christine Banugan responds to the allegations of the leftist protesters (Los Angeles PCG photo)
Members of the IP delegation together with Consulate General personnel pose with Cerritos City Council member Mark Pulido (seated, center). (Los Angeles PCG photo)
Council member Mark Pulido interacts with the IP delegation. (Los Angeles PCG photo)
Bai Christine Banugan shares her testimony.
The members of the IP delegation with Bb. Maharlika. (Los Angeles PCG photo)
The members of the IP delegation during their interview with UNTV, Asian Journal, LA 18, Mabuhay Radio and Weekend Balita. (Los Angeles PCG photo)
For more information, visit https://www.philippineconsulatela.org, or https://www.facebook.com/PHLinLA/.