We are aware of the significance of indigenous peoples in other countries. They are always linked to environmental action, and their struggles are often in the news.

But in the Philippines, indigenous peoples remain largely unnoticed and neglected, even though they similarly struggle for their rights — from dealing with stolen ancestral lands to demanding access to basic social services.

Some Filipinos may have picked up bits and pieces about cultural minorities from their social studies and history classes. But many are blissfully unaware that the water they drink and the electricity they use more often than not come from watersheds that are part of ancestral lands. Many modern devices rely on minerals ripped out of mountains in ancestral domains. The homes of indigenous peoples are continually devastated to make modern life possible for the common Filipino. Yet the indigenous peoples themselves are mostly discarded and ignored.

One person hopes to bring down these barricades of neglect against indigenous peoples – Teddy Baguilat.

Baguilat is a former Congressman of Ifugao. A full-blooded indigenous person with Tuwali and Gaddang roots, he is passionate about many things, such as human rights, the environment, and K-dramas.

Indeed, common misconceptions about indigenous tribes condemn them as ignorant and unsophisticated. In truth, they have similar aspirations and interests as any other Filipino. And when given the chance, they can rise to even greater heights.

These are some of the reasons why Baguilat is keen on promoting the welfare and heritage of indigenous peoples. Their rich culture and wisdom promise a goldmine of learnings that can help overcome many of the challenges that the country is facing. Their close relationship with the environment, for example, hint at solutions to climate change.

Baguilat is committed to breaking the stigma against indigenous peoples, and he hopes that indigenous communities will finally gain the respect they deserve.

As a Congressman, he ceaselessly sought to protect and empower indigenous peoples by pushing for such measures such as the institutionalization of indigenous educational systems, the extension of the period for indigenous communities to secure titles to their ancestral lands, and the protection of indigenous and local communities conserved areas, among many other proposed laws.

For a time, he chaired the House of Representatives Committee on National Cultural Communities, where he not only led deliberations on proposed laws affecting indigenous communities, but he was also sought out by tribes to mediate disputes owing to their respect for Baguilat. It is not too late for Filipinos to shake off their prejudices against indigenous peoples. With Teddy Baguilat championing their cause, indigenous peoples may yet herald an age of sustainable progress for the country.

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Sa mahabang panahon na ako ay naglingkod sa publiko, isa sa aking prayoridad ang pagsulong ng mga karapatan ng mga kabataan na mas lalo nilang malinang ang kanilang kakayahan, mamuhay ng walang takot, at malayang maipahayag ang kanilang mga saloobin. 

Sa linggong ito, nananawagan ako na patuloy nating pangalagaan, igalang at isulong ang mga karapatan ng mga kabataang Pilipino. Gawin sana natin ang lahat ng ating makakaya upang maitaguyod natin ang isang bansang karapat-dapat na maipamana sa mga kabataan, nang maisakatuparan natin ang mga kataga ni Rizal na kabataan ang pag-asa ng bayan!

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As we celebrate International Anti-Corruption Day, we must remember to choose leaders who govern well by responding to the people’s needs. Let us not again be victims of trapos who only want to further their selfish interests. Let us also bring political dynasties to an end. In the upcoming elections, we have the power to change the status quo of traditional politics. Let us therefore claim a better and cleaner government.

Iba naman: Ang tao naman sa darating na halalan!

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“The covenant calls for actions that I have backed throughout my many years in public service, especially during my tenure as Congressman,” Baguilat said.

ALL4LENI leaders and Vice President Robredo signed the covenant on November 29, the eve of Bonifacio Day.

Baguilat stressed that he has consistently advocated for reasonable wages and expanded social protection for workers, as exemplified by his championing of such measures as the Expanded Maternity Leave Act and legislative proposals like various magna carta for specialized labor sectors.

“I especially support the covenant’s call to promote green and climate jobs, especially now that the whole world is in the eleventh hour of a climate disaster,” Baguilat added.

Baguilat emphasized that the country needs to wean itself away from a fossil fuel-driven economy and shift to clean energy options, while abandoning polluting and wasteful consumer practices.

“This shift entails the creation of green jobs and the development of new technologies and materials. We need to train and prepare our workforce for the challenges of the green economy so we can ensure that everyone contributes to arresting climate change and no one is left behind,” Baguilat explained.

“I look forward to making the aspirations in the covenant a reality through laws that will be closely consulted with stakeholders,” 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. #

Senate aspirant Teodoro “Teddy” Baguilat Jr. expressed his all-out support for the covenant between the Alliance of Labor Leaders for Leni (ALL4Leni) and Vice President Leni Robredo.

“The covenant calls for actions that I have backed throughout my many years in public service, especially during my tenure as Congressman,” Baguilat said.

ALL4LENI leaders and Vice President Robredo signed the covenant on November 29, the eve of Bonifacio Day.

Baguilat stressed that he has consistently advocated for reasonable wages and expanded social protection for workers, as exemplified by his championing of such measures as the Expanded Maternity Leave Act and legislative proposals like various magna carta for specialized labor sectors.

“I especially support the covenant’s call to promote green and climate jobs, especially now that the whole world is in the eleventh hour of a climate disaster,” Baguilat added.

Baguilat emphasized that the country needs to wean itself away from a fossil fuel-driven economy and shift to clean energy options, while abandoning polluting and wasteful consumer practices.

“This shift entails the creation of green jobs and the development of new technologies and materials. We need to train and prepare our workforce for the challenges of the green economy so we can ensure that everyone contributes to arresting climate change and no one is left behind,” Baguilat explained.

“I look forward to making the aspirations in the covenant a reality through laws that will be closely consulted with stakeholders,” 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. #

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“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 15^th 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. #

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“I spoke with several affected vendors and they felt that they were not sufficiently consulted for the project,” Baguilat explained.

He also noted that Carbon market is part of Cebu’s cultural identity with a century of history, and it is a trading hub where many Cebuanos can access affordable goods.

“I understand a portion of Cebu City’s Freedom Park will also be affected by the new structure,” Baguilat added.

Baguilat observed that even Cebu City Vice Mayor Michael Rama had reservations about the project, and the United Church of Christ in the Philippines pleaded for the suspension of demolition works that would displace vendors and residents. These are on top of objections from cooperatives and barangay officials.

“With so many concerns being aired, I believe it is only right that this contract be reviewed and explained to the public,” Baguilat suggested.

“It is not that I oppose change – change is not necessarily bad – but we need to ensure that everyone and everything that will be affected will be consulted and considered before change is imposed,” Baguilat clarified.

“There should be a mechanism to ensure that government projects go through open consultation to address all reasonable concerns, otherwise objections will come up time and again and render those projects a failure,” Baguilat said.

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Former Ifugao Congressman Teddy Baguilat, Jr. made this challenge as indigenous peoples across the globe commemorate International IP Heroes Day today, November 10.

“I join the Panaghiusa Philippine Network in its Unity Statement observing this international event. In the Philippines, we remember most especially, Macli-ing Dulag and Petra Macliing, who opposed  Marcos’s Chico River Basin Hydroelectric Dam Project. More recently, we lost Dumagat leader Nicanor Delos Santos, who protested the Kaliwa Dam, and Nelson Mallari, an Aeta hero who resisted destructive mining and eco-tourism projects in Mount Pinatubo,” he said.

Baguilat applauded the perseverance of these martyrs, together with living IP defenders, to keep and protect their ancestral domains and preserve the environment for future generations.

Baguilat aspires to be the first Cordilleran IP Senator in 2022. #

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“Indigenous peoples have built up a treasure trove of knowledge from generations of observing and coping with the environment, and it is time that we listen to our indigenous brothers and sisters to overcome the climate crisis,” Baguilat said.

Baguilat cited as an example the muyong of the Ifugaos, a community-based conservation system of small patches of forests. “The system is integral to the irrigation of rice terraces, which emphasizes the muyong’s importance to the Ifugaos,” Baguilat explained.

Indigenous peoples across the globe have various community-based conservation methods, strategies that are being promoted by the Global Indigenous Community-Conserved Areas and Territories (ICCA) Consortium, an international organization of which Baguilat is the current president.

“As the Global ICCA Consortium continues to document community-based conservation practices across the world, governments must not only learn to protect the communities concerned as pockets of climate action, but also learn from the indigenous communities as they evolve ways of resisting and responding to climate challenges,” Baguilat said.

Baguilat welcomes the discussion at COP26 of indigenous knowledge to meet the challenges of climate change and hopes that these discussions will translate to State laws to protect and promote community conservation methods.

He cautions though that the exploration of indigenous knowledge must be done with respect for the indigenous communities. “While I am sure that indigenous communities want to share their knowledge about the preservation of the planet we all live in, their insights must not be extracted by force but must be examined through dialogue where all participants are equals,” Baguilat said.

“This is another thing that indigenous peoples can teach us: Discussions with mutual respect will yield more durable lessons for all concerned,” Baguilat remarked.

Baguilat is running for the Senate in the 2022 elections under the unified ticket of Vice President Leni Robredo and Sen. Kiko Pangilinan. He aims to bring to the Senate the perspective of indigenous peoples in the promotion and protection of the environment, culture and human rights. #

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Senate aspirant Teodoro “Teddy” Baguilat Jr. lamented this double whammy besetting the country as he spoke at the “Pandesal Forum” on Oct. 28.

“It is understandable that the government put much attention to the COVID crisis. But while the handling of the crisis proved to be a disaster, it also exposed the government’s further failure to address the climate crisis,” Baguilat noted.

Baguilat cited as an example President Duterte’s decision to lift a nine-year moratorium on new mining permits, which was justified as a way to support the government’s COVID response and its Build-Build-Build program.

He also noted that the coal moratorium announced by the Department of Energy  appears to be leniently enforced as at least 3,800 megawatts of coal-powered generators are still set to be built.

“The government’s response is an invitation to further environmental damage which can aggravate the global climate situation,” Baguilat observed.

He emphasized that climate change is very real, citing the recent torrential rains that hit both ends of the country.

“These events have serious consequences, like the disruption of the country’s food supply, which can further harm the country’s economy and development,” Baguilat said.

The government, he said, should focus more on building back better, that is, encourage economic activities that shift the country away from fossil fuel dependence to clean and renewable energy.

“It is possible to stimulate the economy on the back of a green recovery program. The industrial pause afforded by the COVID pandemic provided an opportunity to do that, but unfortunately the country didn’t take it,” Baguilat remarked.

“I wish that the government would view the economy the way we indigenous people would look at it, that is, part of a whole that is made up of various systems that include the environment. Therefore, a sustainable environment is part and parcel of a healthy economy,” 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. #

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