Culturally Driven, Indigenous Sea to Dive-in

    In my life, I have experienced many things. For example, at the National Jamboree last year in Passi City, I was given a chance to take a tribal dance. It was only supposed to be a contest as we needed to represent the place's tradition, but I felt the air lingering through my hair, the accessories strolling with grace, and my proud self in front of the thousand Filipino youth, and guess what, we won. Yes! There were yells and claps around me, which I reflected, that what can I represent without this winning dance, ergo, an original of a community, no other than Indigenous peoples'.

       (The photo is taken from Passi City official page, unfortunately, the live was already deleted or taken down, and a screenshot is only provided making it blurry. Hence, CTO.)

    Indigenous people are our ancestral beginning that needs to be protected. They were the focal attendees of preserved pure Filipino culture. Yet, they are underestimated in circumstances of fading and peek to trending relevance. 

    This year, in 2024, we get to have our 27th year of Indigenous Peoples' Rights, or IPRA, in October. This, also known as Republic Act no. 8371 states that they have all the authority rights to ancestral domains, cultural integrity, access within needs, and justice for empowerment and governance in any place. "Mga Katutubo at Katutubong Dunong: Pahalagahan, Pangalagaan, at Parangalana" is today's theme, in which I propose that they are manipulated in distinct characteristics of welfare and selfishness, that should be given up as it is what it is supposed to be, fostering upon the birth and death of our own.

    Let's take a look at these people, the country is home to more than 17 million Indigenous individuals and about 110 ethnolinguistic groups, to tell, these are the Igorot, Lumad, Mangyan, Aetas, etc. that revolves around the isolation from the country of freedom and justice.

    Bringing back, we have our National Indigenous Peoples' Month, by this authority, we are given a chance to correct our instances in the minority of our relation, our own flesh and blood. Protecting the rights and culture of these people is beyond the means.

    We have the stereotype that when we see them, as distinct and very different from us, mainly called "black" "ugly" and "poor", cruelty is mentioned to their names because of their differences, and this needs to be bothered for their beauty are concealed by threats and modernity. 

    The promotion of our yearly education and celebration will always set us up to remember where we came from. The rights of the Indigenous tribes aren't what should be taken advantage of. Our country respects that, and I hope it will be the same with discriminators. From the law's protection, we ensure that they are within the national affairs and decisions. The vision in initiatives and development as a choice home of reserved persons journeying towards union. Committing ourselves, steadfastly providing integral excellencies, the future we await is from the indigenous' contribution that needs recognition. The celebration brings back the opportunity to prepare, nurture, and give attention to the issues revolving around our boundaries.

    For our Filipino Indegenous people, saludo ako sainyo. These communities continued to inspire the country where they belong in which the riches of gold and diamond are bypassed by the beauty of salvation. You're not the holding what was nor what's now, but what will be.

For personal tribute, here's my own made Campaign Infographics...

https://www.canva.com/design/DAGA9Koxlzo/qCmELtnILDobbR0lWIgOqw/edit?utm_content=DAGA9Koxlzo&utm_campaign=designshare&utm_medium=link2&utm_source=sharebutton

References:

https://www.blogger.com/

Santos,Jennilyn.news-and-storiesstoriestowards-inclusion-for-indigenous-peoples-in-the-philippines&psig.www.unops.org.https://content.unops.org/photos/News-and-Stories/_image1800x900/PXL_20230721_031416033.jpg

Calleja, Joseph Peter (Oct. 7,2020). Philippine bishops demand protection of indigenous people's rights. https://i.ucanews.com/ucanews/uploads/2020/10/philippine-bishops-call-for-protection of-indigenous-peoples-rights-5f7d6e8b7e1a2_600.jpeg