The Department of Agriculture (DA) and the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP) on Monday signed a memorandum of agreement (MOA) aimed at uplifting the lives of some 120,000 Indigenous Peoples (IP) members in Mindanao.

Agriculture Senior Undersecretary Domingo Panganiban said the MOA for the implementation of the Mindanao Inclusive Agriculture Development Project (MIADP) will enhance agricultural productivity and improve access to markets and services for farmers and fisherfolk in selected ancestral domains in the region.

The project has a total cost of PHP6.6 billion, wherein PHP5.3 billion will be coming from the World Bank’s loan financing scheme.

“MIADP is designed to build the capabilities of local governments to increase the farm productivity and business opportunities of 120,000 indigenous farmers and fisherfolk in six regions across Mindanao,” he said in a statement.

“This is a project that corrects a long history of neglect on the part of our government and society,” the DA official added.

Under the agreement, the DA will lead the planning, implementation, monitoring, evaluation and other relevant activities.

It will also provide technical support and assistance and ensure that all activities will be in accordance with environmental and social safeguards.

The program also has a social preparation component that will capacitate IP organizations during the first year of implementation. It is expected to commence by August this year and will run until 2028.

On the other hand, NCIP chairperson Allen Capuyan underscored the importance of the indigenous community in the country’s southern regions.

“Ang katutubong pamayanan ay isang napaka-significant na sektor sa Mindanao (The IP community is a very significant sector in Mindanao). Almost one-half of the Mindanao land area is ancestral domains and also half of the Mindanao population is IP. I am very glad that the MOA signing will formalize everything so that the communities in Mindanao will become resilient, relevant and responsive,” he added.

NCIP, for its part, shall select and endorse IPs and Indigenous Cultural Communities and facilitate processes related to the conduct of the program, including the gathering of necessary data such as Ancestral Domain Title, Certificate of Ancestral Domain Claim, Certificate of Ancestral Land Title and other pertinent documents.

Also present during the signing ceremony were DA Assistant Secretary for Operations Arnel De Mesa and NCIP Executive Director Mervyn Espadero. (PNA)