By Perfecto T. Raymundo, Jr.
MANDALUYONG CITY – The nominees of the Pinoy Ako Party-list on Monday (Oct. 28) disclosed their plans and proposed legislative measures once they get elected in the May 12, 2025 national and local elections.
In a press conference in Wack-Wack Golf & Country Club, Pinoy Ako members Atty. Krista Gadionco and Atty. Apollo Emas, and Pinoy Ako Party-list third nominee Atty. Gil A. Valera voiced their heart out on the issues and concerns of the 100 major Indigenous tribes in the Philippines.
Atty. Valera just came from Indigenous Peoples or Aeta celebration in Bamban, Tarlac. He is a grandson of an Itneg in Abra, one of the seven areas comprising the Cordillera Administrative Region composed of the provinces of Abra, Benguet, Kalinga, Apayao, Mt. Province and Ifugao, and Baguio City.
80 percent of the Cordilleras are Katutubong Pilipino. He noted that many were born as Katutubong Filipino but they are not Indigenous in the real sense of the word.
Many of the Katutubos are being discriminated because they are not educated enough. “We cannot say that all Katutubos are good people. Some of them are even selling the rights of the Katutubos,” Valera said.
Pinoy Ako is here to protect the Indigenous Peoples and soon they will collect PHP600 million from Clark development projects in Clark, Pampanga.
There are 6,800 hectares ancestral lands, considered as ancestral domain, wherein the inhabitants were merely granted CLOs (Certificates of Land Ownership) in South Cotabato which is now teeming with pineapples.
Valera vowed that he and Bong Cruz and the other Pinoy Ako Party-list nominees will fight for the rights of the Indigenous Peoples and they will not be scared by the rich companies and the mining companies.
Gadionco herself experienced in going down to the grassroots of the Indigenous communities and she was able to talk to them on what they need.
They went to Mindanao and to Buscalan where the Indigenous communities are there where the areas are far-flung and the people there were lacking sufficient healthcare and they were not only able to conduct medical mission but also sending help to Indigenous peoples in these areas.
They are resilient people. Pinoy Ako will not only represent the Indigenous People in Congress.
Emas is also a member of the Pinoy Ako Party-list and one of the legal counsels of the organization. He said that they are a party-list for the Indigenous People as well as for the workers.
Danilo Castillo, a member of Pinoy Ako Party-list, said that their advocacy is to help the Indigenous People and help them in their livelihood.
Valera said that the Indigenous Peoples Reform Act (IPRA) Law was enacted in 1997, hence, many years have already lapsed and many “loop holes” need to be fixed or updated.
The budget of the NCIP (National Commission on Indigenous Peoples) should be increased to PHP5 billion so that it can take action such that they cannot even go out to the mountains as they have no money for fares and vehicles to help the marginalized.
“We will propose a bill to allow the Indigenous Peoples to at least to be at liberty to invite investors to establish a large-scale cattle industry. Wala tayong Katutubo na may libo-libong baka,” Valera said.
He added that there should be thousands of cattle for the Indigenous Peoples.
The IPRA Law provides that the Indigenous Peoples have the “priority right” to extract mineral resources.
“Babaguhin natin ang Indigenous Peoples Right Act,” Valera said.
Another PHP5 billion for the Indigenous Peoples Bank not different with the Landbank of the Philippines and the Development Bank of the Philippines.
Section 57 of the IPRA Law empowers the Indigenous People to have the priority right to “harvest the natural sources”, and “sell it as long as you plant it again when you cut trees.”
“Carbon credits” is the reward given by the United Nations to a country which plants trees such as China which earns millions of dollars for planting trees to address climate change.
“Kapag nagtanim tayo ng bamboo, bindi tayo mababaha kasi mahaba ang ugat ng bamboo,” Valera said.
“We have the right to develop housing. Pwedeng-pwede tayong gumawa ng bungalows para sa Katutubo,” he added.
Valera has 4,000 hectares in Barangay Tumbler, Gensan.
He stressed that Pag-IBIG (Ikaw, Bangko, Industriya, Gobyerno) is a good government agency because it is involved in the Pambansang Pabahay Program (PPP) wherein before the end of the term of President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. at least six million housing units are in the “pipeline”.
“We should be pro-mining, but it does not necessarily mean at the expense of the destruction of the environment. We should encourage these 15 big mining companies,” Valera said.
However, he noticed that these 15 big mining companies are only sharing 2 to 3 percent from their net profit to the Katutubos, which should be increased to at least 15 percent, so that in the end of the day, the Katutubos are not anymore riding in tricycle but in Fortuner and clad in Levi’s jeans.
“I support mining, but it should be sustainable and responsible and control their greed such that they can afford to give 15 percent of their net profit such that 85 percent is still left in their net profit,” Valera said.
“Farm-to-market roads” are implemented by the Department of Agriculture and the Department of Public Works and Highways but it is a source of “corruption”, according to Valera.
“Magbantay lang ho tayo. Problema sa ating Pilipino, maraming nagko-comment, puro dakdak lang, kulang sa gawa. Sana ang voters natin maging wise sa election,” he said.
“Hindi natatakot ang ating Party-list na isugod ang ating adbokasiya,” he added.
“We’re still continuing with our medical missions and healthcare in the far-flung areas where our Katutubong Pinoys are living,” Gadionco said.
In their last visit in Buscalan, Gadionco noted that there were three people who were at the brink of heart failure, and one child who was suffering from hernia, who needs immediate treatment, but it would cost them money to get to the población and to the nearest hospital.
Likewise, Valera cited the “Doctors to the Barrio” program of the late Sen. Juan Flavier, which is a good project that should be continued.
“Ang Pinoy Ako Party-List ay pangungunahan ang pagtatayo ng Unibersidad ng Katutubong Pilipino. Mayroon na ho akong 200 ektarya para dyan,” Valera said.
He added that Pinoy Ako Party-List will be able to generate several donations, noting that not even a single centavo will be lost in the process.
The Pinoy Ako Party-List will also propose for the establishment of a bank and a university which are both designed purposely for the Indigenous Peoples (IPs) para sa mahihirap na Katutubong Filipino.
Valera is a CPA, licensed customs broker and realtor, said “Priority namin is the Indigenous People. Lahat tayo Pinoy. Yayakapin natin lahat ng Pinoy. Tutulungan naming ang lahat ng Pinoy.”
“Dating Ako Pinoy naging Pinoy Ako naka focus sa mga obrero, mga construction workers sa Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao,” he added.
He is called “Datu Tagapagtanggol” in Mindanao, specifically in Socksargen, Davao and BARMM.
He stressed that many are supporting the establishment of the University of the Indigenous Peoples.
Valera said that Australia became a rich country because of mining such that they replace the trees that they are cutting.
He is proposing the creation of a bank for the Indigenous People with a seed money of PHP5 billion in the same manner that there is the Amanah Bank for the Muslims.
“I really believe that we need to furnish them (Fortuner) as there is no ambulance in the mountains,” Valera said.
He admitted that he belongs to a political dynasty such that their family has politically controlled their province for 60 years.