DAVAO CITY, Philippines – Davao City’s Indigenous Peoples’ Mandatory Representative (IPMR) Councilor Rodolfo Mande signified his intention to continue his public service after his three-year term ends this month as he is running for the city council’s third district.
It is a rare occasion in Davao City politics for an indigenous person to run for public office. In the city’s history, the late Elias Lopez was the only Bagobo to become mayor of Davao in 1966 to 1970 and from 1981 to 1986. Lopez was also elected as third district representative from 1988 to 1997.
Mande, from the Matigsalug Tribe, has passed two landmark ordinances in the city council: the institutionalization of the “Iskolar ng Tribu” program, which provides educational assistance to members of indigenous tribes in Davao, and establishment of a three-story IP Center at the Southern Philippines Medical Center (SPMC) for Indigenous Peoples and Muslim runners and watchers.
In an interview with the media, he confirmed that his term as IPMR was supposed to end on January 10, but he is now requesting a one-month extension or “until the tribe chooses its new representative.”
He told reporters that he filed a letter requesting hold-over status on Monday, January 6, with the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP) Region XI and is waiting for their response.
“Karon nagfile ko for hold over status until nga maplastar gyud ang sunod nga tribu kay ang Davao City (government) dili sya magpalingkod og naay problema, (I filed for a hold over status, until we could find the next representative, as the city government will not want any problems to arise)” Mande said.
According to Mande, the next IPMR position might be given to the Bagobo Klata tribe, as they lost their previous turn to select a representative when the NCIP XI disqualified Bai Cherry Ann Codilla as IPMR due to a lack of genealogical qualifications. Davao City has 11 tribes from the Moro and Lumad communities.
“Based on the IPMR (rules), it’s rotational basis. So, Ata, then Kagan, followed by Klata, then my tribe Matigsalug. The next should be Tagabawa, but there is this arrangement, as the Bagobo Klata had not assumed this post, there is an arrangement for them but it is still being finalized who will be next,” Mande said in Cebuano.
The Bagobo Klata tribe is currently conducting a validation process and is expected to endorse their chosen representative “anytime soon.”
The IPMR is a position mandated by the Indigenous Peoples Rights Act (IPRA) or Republic Act 8371 where indigenous peoples can participate in policy-making decisions in local government units by selecting its representative in city councils of Sanggunian or other local bodies. The website Open Government Partnership recorded 4,294 IPMR in local government units. (davaotoday.com)
davao city, indigenous people
