The bicameral conference of the Philippine Congress is due to take place on July 9-12, 2018. This is a crucial stage in the legislative process for indigenous peoples’ (IP) in Mindanao, as both versions of the Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) from the House and the Senate will be consolidated into one final version.

This version will be submitted to the President, who will then sign it into law. Duterte has certified the BBL as urgent, and hopes to report the passage into law of the BBL in his third State of the Nation Address on July 23 2018.

IP groups and supporters have been following the legislative process for a number of years and advocating for the full inclusion of indigenous peoples’ (IP) rights in the BBL, including the Lumad. The Lumad are non-Moro IPs whose rights to ancestral domain were not covered by earlier versions of the BBL.

To support the advocacy of the Lumad and to share their perspectives on IP rights, Focus on the Global South has published the following interviews with Lumad leaders.

Leticio Datuwata (On Their Right to Identity)

 

Julieto Gandor (On Their Right to Free, Prior, and Informed Consent)

 

Datu Boy Sumin (On Inclusive and Lasting Peace)

 

Bencita Saliling (On Their Right to Their Ancestral Domains)

 

Leonora Mokudef (On the Indigenous Peoples’ Rights Act)