Subanen tribal leaders in the province are set to file with the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP) an Ancestral Domain claim covering the area of Bayog municipality of the province.

This came after the Subanen leaders have signed in a ceremony Thursday their Ancestral Domain Sustainable Development Protection Plan (ADSDPP), Community Royalty Development Plan (CRDP), and the Indigenous Peoples Organization (IPO), in preparation to the filing of Ancestral Domain claim.

Timuay Lucenio Manda, Bayog Subanen Tribal chieftain, told the Philippine News Agency (PNA) that the ceremony also forms part of the International Indigenous Peoples Month observation.

Manda said Saturday part of the ADSDPP goal is to ensure the preservation of their culture, customs and tradition, and the protection of their territory and its environment.

He said the ADSDPP also aims to efficiently develop and manage the natural resources, enhance the tribal capability on the management of ancestral domain, and participation in local governance.

Verma Lee Banghulot, NCIP regional community development officer, lauded the tribal council of Bayog for consolidating the ADSDPP, a five-year plan for the protection and preservation of the Ancestral Domain (AD) for the upcoming generations.

Ariel Perlado, National Intelligence Coordinating Agency (NICA) regional director, who chairs the Regional Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (RTF-ELCAC), said the ADSDPP will help strengthen and empower to further develop the community.

This way, Perlado said the Subanens in Bayog could not be easily exploited especially by the communist New People’s Army (NPA).

He noted that the Subanens have been identified as the most vulnerable and need government protection since some 90 percent of NPA recruits come from the tribe. (PNA)