Courtesy Visit by the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP), Office of the Chairperson to the Speaker of the House at the House of Representatives, Batasan Hills, Quezon City

The NCIP delegation spearheaded by the Chairperson Allen A. Capuyan was composed of NCIP Executive Director Atty. Caesar M. Ortega, Office of Empowerment and Human Rights Director Reynaldo A. Dingal, Legal Affairs Office Director Atty. Gillian S. Dunuan, Finance Services Director Hazel Marjorie H. Lucas, and Mr. Edgardo Nicolas.
The delegation was welcomed by the House of Representative Majority Leader Hon. Manuel Jose “Mannix” M. Dalipe, 2nd District Representative Zamboanga City.
The purpose of the visit was to apprise the Speaker of the House and the Majority Leader of the challenges the NCIP is facing as it endeavors to fulfill its mandate, of which, the discussion of such burning issues during the visit, nevertheless, may be resolved through their continuous support.
Some of the issues and concerns discussed were as follows:
1. Alleged absence of IP communities in the town of Sagay, Camiguin;
2. Documented Burning issues of the ICCs/IPs nationwide and the actions taken and ways forward being implemented by the NCIP;
3. Operationalization of the 11 Building Blocks of a resilient, responsive and relevant ICCs/IPs in their ADs/ALs; and
4. Augmentation MOOE as well as creation of additional offices and plantilla position in the NCIP field Offices
In closing House and the Majority Leader Hon. Mannix Dalipe assured that NCIP the full support of the House of Representatives in recognizing, respecting, promoting and protecting the rights of the ICCs/Ips and to the NCIP as a whole, and that the Honorable Dalipe will talk to House Speaker Romualdez and relay the foregoing NCIP concerns.