Keywords
Ayta, Ancestral Domain, Indigenous Peoples, IPRA, NCIP
Abstract
With the enactment of the Indigenous Peoples’ Rights Act (IPRA) in 1997, the Philippines became one of the first Asian countries to legally recognize and protect the rights of Indigenous Peoples. Yet many Indigenous communities continue to struggle to realize the very promises that the law was intended to fulfill. This paper therefore examines how IPRA has shaped—and continues to shape—the Ayta’s efforts to assert ownership and control over their ancestral domain. Drawing on multi-sited ethnography conducted in selected Ayta communities, the study reveals that IPRA remains a paradox. While it has heightened the Ayta’s awareness of their rights and strengthened their political mobilization, it has largely failed to protect the lands and rights it promised. Both IPRA and its implementing agency, the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP), are widely perceived by the Ayta as “toothless” and “inefficient,” largely due to their failure to address longstanding land issues that continue to produce marginalization and dispossession. As these issues persist, Ayta communities and the NCIP often blame one another for perceived irregularities, inefficiencies, and lapses in responsibility. Ultimately, this paper underscores the need to revisit and strengthen IPRA, while also fostering a more collaborative relationship between Ayta communities and the NCIP to advance their shared goal of fully realizing Indigenous Peoples’ rights and dignity.
Recommended Citation
Dela Rosa, John Albert R.
(2026)
"Who’s to Blame? The Politics of Recognition in Ayta Land Claims under IPRA,"
Social Sciences and Development Review: Vol. 18:
No.
1, Article 8.
Available at:
https://scholar.pup.edu.ph/ssdr/vol18/iss1/8
