Naval Station Felix Apolinario, Panacan, Davao City
February 1, 2018

President Rodrigo Roa Duterte graced the culmination activity of Panagtagbo Alang sa Kalinaw ug Kalambuan: An Indigenous Peoples (IPs) Leaders’ Summit at the Naval Station Felix Apolinario in Panacan, Davao City.

With the theme, ‘Advancing Inclusivity for Peace and Development’, the first IPs Leaders’ Summit aims to provide the Indigenous Peoples an avenue to air their concerns with national government agencies.

The two-day Summit took place from January 31 to February 1, 2018. The first day of the event was held at the Green Heights Convention Center in Buhangin, Davao City wherein the tribal leaders discussed the issues in the different communities.

The culmination day of the Summit focused on the meeting of the IPs with the representatives of the national government agencies that included the Department of Justice (DOJ), Department of Agriculture (DA), Department of Education (DepEd), Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), Department of Health (DOH), Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR), National Security Council (NSC), Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (OPAPP), Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA), Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), Department of National Defense (DND), Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), Department of Tourism (DOT), Commission on Higher Education (CHED), Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council (HUDCC), National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP), Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), and the Philippine Coconut Authority (PCA).

During the event, President Duterte received a signed manifesto presented by Datu Roel Arthur Ali, Chairman of the Mindanao IP Council for Peace and Development. The manifesto was signed by the customary leaders, elders and representatives from Regions X, XI, XII, and XIII who attended the Summit.

In his keynote address, the President gave his assurance to the IPs that the government would help and assist them, saying, “I will build temporary shelter, unya buhatan tamo og permanent one, katung gihatag nako sa mga Moro sa Lanao; unya trabaho…basta tabang, masking unsa; timan-I na ha, basta tabang, masking unsa, ospital, pagkaon.”

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