By Franklin P. Gumapon
PAGADIAN CITY – To engender a meaningful education for indigenous peoples (IPs) in the
region, the Department of Education (DepEd)-9 has conducted here recently a
forum on Indigenous Peoples Education (IPEd) with school superintendents,
education supervisors, representatives from the different government agencies
and private organizations as participants.
The forum tackled the
national IPEd policy framework in pursuance of the Indigenous Peoples Rights
Act of 1997 otherwise known as RA 8371, which seeks to design a curriculum
appropriate for the IPs.
With an “indigenized
curriculum,” the subjects are discussed from IP perspective in relation to
their cultural heritage, customary laws, traditions, beliefs and practices.
DepEd also aims to come
up with an IPEd curriculum that reflects and integrates indigenous knowledge,
system and practices.
Engr. Aphli Dave I.
Lampayan, a full-blooded Subanen working for the National Commission for
Indigenous Peoples (NCIP) in Zamboanga del Sur, said a total of 110
ethno-linguistic groups are found in the different parts of the country and
most of these tribes are in Mindanao. He, however, lamented that these IPs
remain the poorest sector in the society.
Based on the 2010
census, the IPs in the country accounted for 14 million.
In Zamboanga Peninsula,
the dominant IP group is Subanen. This tribe can be traced in the provinces of
Zamboanga del Norte, Zamboanga del Sur, Zamboanga Sibugay and even in Misamis
Occidental of region 10.
Other ethnic groups
living in the region are Badjaos, Yakans, Kalibugan,Tausugs and Samals.
The forum was capped by
a declaration of commitment among stakeholders for IPEd. (PIA9)