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25August
Photo courtesy of MIPA
MIPA Holds Orientation on IP Rights in Tawi-Tawi
- Aug 25, 2025
- Gandhi Kinjiyo
- HITS: 463
The activity, held on August 23 in Almari, was spearheaded by MIPA’s Special Public Assistance and Legal Aid Division (SPALAD) under the guidance of Minister Guiamal B. Abdurahman. The session gathered 50 youth representatives from the Sama and Badjao tribes.
Organizers said the orientation aimed to raise awareness among IP youth about their basic rights as guaranteed under the Bangsamoro Indigenous Peoples’ Rights Act (BIPA). It also sought to empower participants to actively engage in the preservation of their cultural identity while safeguarding their communities against possible threats to their rights.
As the lead Bangsamoro government ministry mandated to protect and advance the rights and welfare of Indigenous Peoples, MIPA continues to design programs and interventions that strengthen cultural integrity, uphold ancestral rights, and ensure meaningful participation of IPs in the region’s development.
BIPA is a regional law passed by the Bangsamoro Parliament that specifically safeguards the rights and welfare of Indigenous Peoples (IPs) within the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).
It serves as the counterpart of the national Indigenous Peoples’ Rights Act (IPRA, R.A. 8371) but is designed to fit the unique social, cultural, and political context of the Bangsamoro region.
BIPA upholds the identity, customs, traditions, and institutions of non-Moro Indigenous Peoples (NMIPs) such as the Teduray, Lambangian, Dulangan Manobo, Higaonon, Sama, and Badjao, while also safeguarding their ancestral domains and lands to ensure that Indigenous communities fully enjoy their rights to territory and cultural integrity
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