Tinglayan’s Bangad sub-tribe receives title to their ancestral domain

Tabuk City, Kalinga – The ancestral domain of three barangays of the Bangad sub-tribe in Tinglayan has been officially recognized following the awarding of the much-awaited certificate of ancestral domain title on Monday, Oct. 23.

The awarding was held alongside the commemoration of National Indigenous Peoples Month at the Kalinga Astrodome in Bulanao, Tabuk City.

It was led by National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP) Chairperson Jennifer Pia Sibug-Las, Governor James S. Edduba, Vice Governor Jocel C. Baac, and Congressman Allen Jesse Mangaoang.

The awarding of the title is a mandate of RA 8371, or the act recognizing and promoting the rights of indigenous cultural communities and indigenous peoples.

This signifies the formal recognition of the rights of possession and ownership of indigenous peoples (IPs) over their ancestral domain that they have occupied since time immemorial.

The domain title covers an area of 1,654.1780 hectares that spans the barangays of Bangad Centro, Lower Bangad, and Upper Bangad.

With the title they receive, Bangad now have the ‘rights to own, develop, control, manage, and utilize the ancestral domain collectively for the betterment of all generations within the community.’

However, the provincial local government unit reminded them that lands within the ancestral domain are not for sale, disposed of, or destroyed.

In a statement, Mayor Sacrament Gumilab extended his felicitation to the yBangads and reminded them of their responsibility to take care of their ancestral lands for the benefit of their children and descendants in the future.

"May all iBangad value and treasure their ancestral lands for this is our home, our birthplace that shaped who we are today. It is also our treasure and inheritance worthy of respect and care for us, from us and the future generations to come," he stated.

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