PRESENT SITUATION OF

INDIGENOUS PEOPLE
IN THE PHILIPPINES
MOTIVATIONAL ACTIVITY!
"GUESS WHO?"
LEARNING OBJECTIVES:

At the end of the lesson students are expected to;

A. Determine the present situation of the Indigenous people in the Philippines
B. Discuss the factors that affect their present situation, and
C. Explain what could be the possible solution in the present situation of the Indigenous
Philippines is home to over 17 million indigenous peoples, who make up 110 ethnolinguistic groups.
Indigenous communities tend to live in geographically isolated areas, where they have retained much of
their traditional culture and livelihood activities But like other indigenous communities around the
world, they are consistently ranked among the poorest and most disadvantaged people in the world.

Many of the 110 ethno-linguistic indigenous groups in the Philippines experience discrimination,
degradation of resource bases, and armed conflict. IP communities, generally located in distinct
ancestral territories, have high rates of unemployment, underemployment, andeducation, lack of access
to social services, economic and political opportunities and etc.
FACTORS OF THE CURRENT/PRESENT ISSUES

• Historical Discrimination
• Lack of access to social services and economic
• Political Opportunities
• High level of pervasive illiteracy
• Unemployment
• Accessing a birth certificate.
• Historical discrimination
• affect access to education and resources needed to understand and protect intellectual property
rights, particularly for marginalized communities.

• Lack of access to social services and economic

• can hinder individuals’ ability to pursue education and training in intellectual property law, as
well as afford the costs associated with filing for and defending IP rights.
• Political Opportunities
• can influence the legal framework surrounding intellectual property rights and enforcement,
potentially creating barriers or loopholes that affect individuals or companies seeking to
protect their IP.

• High level of pervasive illiteracy

• can prevent individuals from understanding their intellectual property rights or navigating the
legal processes required to protect them.
• Unemployment
• high levels of unemployment can lead individuals to seek alternative means of income,
potentially resulting in IP infringement or theft.

• Accessing a birth certificate

• lack of official identification documents like birth certificates can create obstacles in accessing
education, employment, and legal rights, including those related to intellectual property.
TO ADDRESS THE ISSUE OF THE IPS, AGENCIES, AND ORGANIZATIONS WHO
IMPLEMENTED PROJECTS FOR THE IPS IN THE PHILIPPINES AND THOSE
ORGANIZATION HELPED THE IPS TO STRENGTHEN THEIR RIGHTS

1. ILO
The ILO supports the empowerment of indigenous women and men through a dual
strategy of intervention, promoting policies to protect their rights, including through the
Indigenous and Tribal Peoples Convention, 1989 (No.169) and supporting capacity-
building initiatives through technical cooperation projects for indigenous peoples in their
ancestral domains.
2. EU-Grant (GOJUST) Governance in Justice Programme
Bring justice to indigenous people, because of this Father Satumino Urios University
(FSUU) has been providing legal aid services to the Manobo community. Affidavits were
notarized so families could secure birth certificates for children in the community
establishing their legal identity and positioning them to better access their rights.