Surigao Sur IP Leaders Back Bill on IPMR Death Benefits

BUTUAN: Two leaders of the indigenous people (IP) from Surigao del Sur have shown support for a bill in the House of Representatives aimed at providing death and burial benefits to IP Mandatory Representatives (IPMRs) across the nation. House Bill (HB) 6713, proposed by Rep. Edwin Olivares of Parañaque City’s 1st District in December of the previous year, received approval from the Committee on Indigenous Cultural Communities and Indigenous Peoples this Wednesday. According to Datu Rico Maca, the IPMR of San Miguel, Surigao del Sur, “The approval of HB 6713 at the committee level is a positive step, and we are optimistic about this measure becoming a law.” Maca, together with Datu Jimmy Guinsod, the provincial IPMR of Surigao del Sur, and other IP leaders from various regions, participated in the measure’s committee deliberations at the House of Representatives. Maca emphasized the perilous nature of their work in safeguarding ancestral lands and communities. He noted that the bill initially covered only bara
ngay-level IPMRs but was later revised to include all IPMRs in the country, including those at municipal and provincial levels. “The measure also incorporated a suggestion from the National Commission on Indigenous People, granting eligibility to all IPMRs in the country,” added Maca.