DAVAO CITY (November 13)– Protecting peace in the Bangsamoro means protecting not only people from violence, but also the rights, identity, culture, and ancestral lands of Indigenous Peoples.
This message underpinned a two-day training conducted by the Ministry of Indigenous Peoples’ Affairs (MIPA) for 50 members of the Joint Peace and Security Team (JPST) on Oct. 28-29, 2026, at Villa Lalaine in Esperanza, Sultan Kudarat.
The training, conducted through MIPA’s Special Public Assistance and Legal Aid Division (SPALAD), focused on the Bangsamoro Autonomy Act No. 64, or the Bangsamoro Indigenous Peoples’ Act of 2024 (BIPA)—a landmark regional law designed to recognize, protect, promote, and preserve the collective rights of Indigenous Cultural Communities/Indigenous Peoples (ICCs/IPs) in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.
The law is important because it puts Indigenous Peoples’ rights within the framework of Bangsamoro governance and recognizes that their communities have distinct cultures, traditions, institutions and ancestral domains that must be protected. It specifically provides for the recognition and development of ancestral domains, the strengthening of Indigenous Political Structures, greater political participation, and protection of minority and marginalized Indigenous communities from discrimination and exclusion.
In simple terms, the law tells government agencies and duty bearers that Indigenous communities cannot be treated merely as ordinary stakeholders when government actions affect their lives, culture, or ancestral territories. Their rights, traditions, institutions and participation in decisions affecting them must be respected.
This is particularly important for peace and security personnel, whose work may bring them directly into Indigenous communities during security operations, conflict prevention, peacekeeping, law enforcement and other interventions.
Atty. Mona Diragen, chief of SPALAD, stressed the need for JPST members to have sufficient knowledge of Indigenous Peoples’ rights, culture, customs and traditions so they can perform their duties without compromising the identity and rights of the communities they serve.
The training, she said, was intended to make government personnel more sensitive and cautious when dealing with Indigenous communities, particularly in matters involving ancestral lands, cultural practices and traditions.
The BIPA recognizes ancestral domains, referred to in the law as Fusaka Inged, as an important part of Indigenous Peoples’ collective rights. These are not simply parcels of land. They encompass territories and natural resources that Indigenous communities have historically owned, occupied, or used, including lands, forests, rivers, and other resources that are essential to their social, economic, and cultural life.
The law also recognizes that Indigenous Peoples have their own political structures and provides mechanisms for their participation in governance. Its implementing rules further set out how these rights are to be carried out, including the recognition and confirmation of Indigenous Political Structures.
For members of the JPST, understanding these provisions is therefore not simply a matter of knowing another law. It is about knowing the people they are tasked to protect.
JPST Capt. Armando Villanueva welcomed the initiative, saying that increasing awareness among duty bearers would help them recognize, exercise, and defend the rights of Indigenous Peoples in the region.
The JPST brings together personnel from the Philippine National Police (PNP), Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), and Bangsamoro Islamic Armed Forces (BIAF). Its members operate in communities where peace and security concerns may intersect with Indigenous Peoples’ rights, making cultural awareness and knowledge of the law particularly important.
The training also underscored the broader commitment to protecting Indigenous communities during National Indigenous Peoples Month, observed every October.
For MIPA, however, protecting Indigenous Peoples’ rights cannot be limited to a month-long observance.
The real test of the Bangsamoro Indigenous Peoples’ Act is how its principles are applied on the ground when government personnel enter an ancestral domain, when security operations affect an Indigenous community, when decisions are made about land and natural resources, and when Indigenous traditions and institutions come into contact with government authority.
The law provides the framework. The challenge is ensuring that those who exercise government authority understand it well enough to put it into practice.
And for the men and women of the JPST, that understanding can make the difference between simply maintaining peace and building peace with respect for the rights and dignity of the Indigenous Peoples they serve.-with a report from John-Jeo Cejudo/ BIO
