Senate aspirant Teodoro “Teddy” Baguilat Jr. asked the government to step up the vaccination drive for the country’s indigenous peoples as they remain vulnerable to COVID.
“There are about 14 million members of indigenous communities in the country, and the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples estimates that only one million of them, or less than 10 percent of the indigenous population, have been vaccinated,” Baguilat said.
Baguilat, who chaired the Committee on National Cultural Communities at the House of Representatives during the 15th Congress, lamented that the slow vaccination rate for indigenous peoples (IPs) places the country’s cultural heritage in danger.
“At the start of the pandemic, there were apprehensions that COVID would wipe out indigenous tribes, ironically because of the purity of their genetic make-up. That risk remains today, but we have a shield now in the form of vaccines, so the government must vaccinate as many members of indigenous communities as possible, not just to protect them as Filipino citizens, but also to ensure the continuity of the country’s cultural legacy,” Baguilat said.
“Additionally, IPs remain valuable contributors to economic development as frontliners in the defense of the environment and as small-scale farmers and fisherfolk. It is imperative that their health be protected,” Baguilat stressed.
Baguilat added that the government’s vaccination data on indigenous communities highlighted the lack of a reliable census on IPs.
“It’s impossible to make an effective plan without dependable data. How can the government know, for example, how many health personnel and equipment to deploy if the number of target beneficiaries is based on guesstimates?” Baguilat asked.
Baguilat hopes that the government’s three-day vaccination drive will specifically target IPs so they can also achieve herd immunity within their communities.
“For centuries, IPs have been left out of social service efforts, even as they continue to contribute to the nation in various ways. I hope that the government’s vaccination drive will be the start of a deliberate program of inclusivity for all marginalized sectors,” Baguilat said.
Baguilat is running for the Senate in the 2022 elections under the unified ticket of Vice President Leni Robredo. He aims to bring to the Senate the platform of indigenous peoples and the indigenous mindset which nurtures and promotes rights, culture and the environment. #
