Isabela, Negros Occidental — A woman leader from an indigenous peoples (IP) community in Isabela, Negros Occidental, has been nationally recognized for her dedication to preserving IP rights and culture.
According to Philippines News Agency, Culture and Arts Affairs, Teresita Enario Sinceda is the first Ati woman in Western Visayas to serve as the IP mandatory representative (IPMR) in a municipal council. She is also one of the three cultural masters awarded by the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) this year.
Sinceda was honored with the Gawad Gabay Para sa Katutubo award on October 22 at the Metropolitan Theater in Manila. The award is part of the 2023 IP Month and the 26th IP Rights Act (IPRA) commemoration this October. It recognizes Sinceda's role as a cultural master in the School of Living Traditions, where she ensures the transmission of 'Buhay na Dunong' and continues to enrich indigenous cultures and traditions.
In addition to her award, Sinceda participated as a panelist in the NCCA's Ugnayan Forum on Living Heritage: Creativity and Nature, alongside cultural workers from various Schools of Living Traditions across the country.
As the IPMR representing approximately 10,000 IPs living in eight villages of Isabela, Sinceda mentioned in a recent interview that her community now has a voice in local matters and can serve as partners for development. "We feel less discriminated because we are now better informed and empowered," she said, after taking her oath as a member of the municipal council earlier this month.
The inclusion of IPMRs in local legislative councils is supported by Section 16 of Republic Act 8371, also known as the IPRA of 1997. This act provides IPs the right to participate in decisions affecting their lives, rights, and future. Initial guidelines for IPMR inclusion have been provided by the Department of the Interior and Local Government and are further reaffirmed by the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP) Administrative Orders.
October is observed as Indigenous Peoples Month, as declared by Presidential Proclamation 1906, series of 2009. This year's theme, 'Buhay na Dunong: Pagkamalikhain at Kalikasan' (Living Heritage: Creativity and Nature), highlights the richness of IPs' creativity and nature in sustaining the country's living heritage.