The National Commission on Indigenous People (NCIP) was invited to join a meeting in connection with the recent reactivation of the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC)

The National Commission on Indigenous People (NCIP) was invited to join a meeting in connection with the recent reactivation of the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC) to secure the nation against organized criminality and rampant or prevalent threats to national security in OSETC Conference Room, Camp Rafael T. Crame, Quezon City on 08 March 2023. The PAOCC through the NCIP adheres to the advocacy of concerned stakeholders in environmental law and among these are the Indigenous Cultural Communities/Indigenous Peoples (ICCs/IPs) that are affected by violators who are wittingly and unwittingly ravaging the ancestral domains and lands.
The meeting was led by the Deputy Executive Director Genesis L. Tolejano supported by the Heads of the Office of Integrated Operations and the Administrative and Legislative Affairs Office and their Technical Adviser. More so, representatives from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) and the NCIP were also present to discuss the mechanics and inputs to contribute in the creation of a technical working group (TWG) for the drafting of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in relation to the training program.
The PAOCC has proposed a training program funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) for the unarmed deputization of ICCs/IPs wherein they will become licensed forest rangers or protectors of the environment in their respective territories and the country.
THE WAYS FORWARD are as follows:
1. The PAOCC will serve as the Secretariat in the drafting of the MoU supported by the DENR and the NCIP.
2. The NCIP will need to provide inputs to determine the desired output of the program to prioritize the needs of the ICCs/IPs.
3. If the training program will be effective, coordination with the security sectors such as the AFP, PNP, and NICA must be established to enforce the security in high-risk areas in the regions.
HIGHLIGHTS OF THE ACTIVITY:
– The proposal of a training program funded by the USAID
– The creation of a TWG for comments and further inputs of the drafting of the MOU
– Agreements and Ways Forward
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