State of the Indigenous People's Address (SIPA)

• Proponent: Legal Resources Center-Kasama sa Kalikasan, Friends of the Earth, Inc.
• Amount: 150,000.00
• Project Start Date: July 28, 2008
• Project End Date: November 30, 2008
• Grant Type: Advocacy Grants
• Area: National
• Grant Status: Past

Project Goals and Objectives

To provide a platform for the indigenous peoples in Mindanao to address the Arroyo Government and the Filipino public with the real state of the indigenous peoples; to counter the propaganda and glossed over situation of the IP and the country by the Arroyo government; and for their stories and experiences for their continuing struggle for the right to self-determination and genuine political recognition. At the end of the project, the participants would have -- 1. reflected and stated their real situation as IPs in Mindanao; 2. come up with collective recommendations, resolutions and calls to action; 3. contributed to the various initiatives to assess the Indigenous Peoples Rights Act (IPRA); and 4. formally delivered the State of Indigenous Peoples Address (SIPA) to local government officials.

Outputs and Outcomes

The project was able achieve its objectives. A 3-day conference was held with the theme "IPRA and BEYOND: Asserting our Right to Self-Determination." The event was attended by a total of 130 participants from 12 tribes in Mindanao, local support groups and LGU of Davao City. During the conference, PGMA's SONA was viewed, workshop discussions on various issues were conducted, and the State of the Indigenous Peoples Address (SIPA) statement was drafted. The participants also marched through the major streets of Davao City and this activity culminated in a short program during which the SIPA statement was read and given to the Davao City government.