Mayor clarifies opposition to IPMR in the city

August 15, 2018 Metro BLISTT

Perhaps the darkest day for indigenous peoples rights here, Cordillera IP groups noticing a betrayal even by its supposed allies are protesting the Baguio City government’s objection versus an Indigenous Peoples Mandatory Representative (IPMR).
Even supposed moderates–Baguio City Councilors Art Allad-iw, Peter Fianza and Faustino Olowan–have gone with Baguio City Mayor Mauricio Domogan in asking the court to exempt Baguio City from having IPMR.
Olowan and Allad-iw are both full blooded Kankanaey-Igorots while Fianza is also a full-blood Ibaloy-Igorot. Domogan is also a full blood Kankanaey-Igorot.
Mayor Domogan had been leading the opposition against elected IPMR representative Roger Sinot arguing among other things that there needs no more IPMR in Baguio City because most of the city officials are IPs and they are not marginalized.   The city mayor has also argued that there is no budget for the IPMR.
During his media ugnayan on August 8, Mayor Domogan defended his opposition of installing an IPMR in the city council saying it would be a form of “reverse discrimination”.
“Mandatory ang representation kung talagang walang IP sa council, that’s the time that it is mandatory,” Domogan explained, adding “The declaratory relief that has been filed in court to have this provision be interpreted is not a violation of human rights.”
He said that in the local government unit where the majority are IPs, adding another IP representative would result to the discrimination of the minority.
Only three councilors are not indigenous persons in the 14-member Baguio City Council.
Except for the ciity, all cities and provinces in the highland region, mostly inhabited by IPs, have installed their IPMRs.
On August 9, indigenous peoples around the world including the Philippines are commemorating the “International Day of the World Indigenous Peoples”.
Leaders and representatives of indigenous groups in the country have gathered in the city for a national consultation on “Free and Prior Informed Consent” (FPIC). Accordingly, the customary decision-making process is threatened with continuing state violations in IP communities, despite the government’s adoption of the UN Declaration on the Rights of IPs and the Indigenous Peoples Rigths Act (IPRA).
“We will make them realize the need,” Sarah Dekdeken, secretary general of the Cordillera Peoples Alliance, the biggest alliance of indigenous peoples organizations all throughout the highland region said.
Baguio’s celebration of International Day of the World Indigenous Peoples is focusing protests on the local government’s travesty to do away with an IPMR, the CPA said.   “Tumitindi ang rights violations dito,” added Dekdeken, also citing the continued depletion of resources of the region from big business. ACE ALEGRE, with report from MELANIE ANGA-ANGAN / ABN