LET’S PROTECT INDIGENOUS CULTURAL EXPRESSIONS

 LET’S PROTECT INDIGENOUS CULTURAL EXPRESSIONS

I strongly support the call of the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP) for local government units (LGUs) to pass municipal ordinances protecting indigenous cultural expressions—especially handwoven arts and crafts. In fact, I have gone a step further. I have already drafted a model municipal ordinance for this purpose and submitted it to both the NCIP and the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), in the hope that they will endorse it to LGUs nationwide.

Only recently did I fully realize that God has blessed me with the thinking and writing skills needed to draft policy proposals such as municipal ordinances. Once that realization sank in, the next step became obvious: I must use these skills. From now on, I am making it my personal mission to draft as many municipal ordinances as I can—on issues that matter, issues that affect real lives, and issues where local action can make a real difference.

But this is not, and should never be, a one-man effort.

That is why I am calling on my fellow Filipinos to do their part. You don’t need to be an elected official to participate in governance. If you can write, think, research, or organize, you can help. Draft ordinances can be submitted to your own municipal or city councils. You may call this civic engagement, citizen participation, or advocacy. I prefer to call it participatory democracy—or participatory governance.

Why don’t we do it?

We often complain that the government is distant, slow, or unresponsive. Yet at the local level, governance is actually within reach. Municipal councils are closer to the people. Ordinances can be passed faster. Impacts are felt sooner. The responsibility for governance does not belong to the bureaucracy alone—it also belongs to the governed. That means all of us.

The NCIP’s call is timely. Speaking at the 2026 National Textile Convention, NCIP Chairperson Maria Grace Pascua urged LGUs to enact ordinances protecting cultural expressions within their jurisdictions. Her message was clear: while national laws like the Indigenous Peoples’ Rights Act (IPRA) exist, they are not enough. Protection must happen on the ground.

Local ordinances matter because they can prevent the mass production of sacred or traditional designs without consent or compensation. They can establish registries of authentic designs, similar to geographical indications such as “Champagne” in France. They can also ensure that the economic benefits of indigenous crafts remain with indigenous communities, rather than being captured by large commercial players.

According to data from the NCIP, there are more than 110 ethnolinguistic groups in the Philippines. Their textiles, motifs, chants, and symbols are not mere decorative elements—they are repositories of history, identity, and belief. Yet these are increasingly copied, printed, and sold without permission, often stripped of meaning and sold cheaply in markets and online.

Some LGUs have already shown that action is possible. Provinces such as Mountain Province and La Union have passed ordinances banning fake or printed replicas of indigenous weaves and regulating the respectful use of tribal attire. These are encouraging signs, but they should be the rule, not the exception.

We should also go beyond protecting indigenous cultural rights alone. There are many other areas where citizens can help draft ordinances: environmental protection, public transparency, digital governance, disaster preparedness, and social services, to name a few. National governance may sometimes feel beyond our reach, but local governance is certainly not.

For this reason, I am organizing a new think tank dedicated to drafting citizen-led policy proposals, starting with municipal ordinances. If this idea resonates with you—if you believe that ordinary citizens can help shape good local laws—I invite you to join.

Let us start here. Let us start now. Let us protect indigenous cultural expressions, not just with words, but with laws—and with citizens willing to help write them.

RAMON IKE V. SENERES

www.facebook.com/ike.seneres iseneres@yahoo.com senseneres.blogspot.com 09088877282/03-12-2027

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