By Engr. Jay B. Laurino IP representative Thelma Aumentado raises Indigenous rights concerns in the proposed governance of the Sierra M...
By Engr. Jay B. Laurino
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| IP representative Thelma Aumentado raises Indigenous rights concerns in the proposed governance of the Sierra Madre. (Quezon PIO) |
LUCENA CITY, Quezon - Questions over who should govern the Sierra Madre have placed Indigenous rights and local autonomy at the center of a policy debate in Quezon. Provincial lawmakers are considering a position that supports stronger protection of the mountain range while questioning powers that may conflict with existing mandates.
Indigenous Peoples Mandatory Representative Thelma P. Aumentado recently raised the issue through a privilege speech before the Sangguniang Panlalawigan. She urged the board to support conservation while asking Congress to review proposed legislation creating the Sierra Madre Mountain Range Authority.
The working draft cited by Aumentado would designate the proposed authority as the lead policy, planning, coordinating and regulatory body for the mountain range. Its functions would include preparing a master plan, establishing management zones and requiring conformity certificates for certain permits and approvals.
Those powers extend beyond environmental protection because the Sierra Madre crosses local jurisdictions, protected areas and ancestral domains. Their implementation may intersect with the responsibilities of environmental agencies, protected-area boards, local governments and recognized Indigenous political structures.
Aumentado questioned whether establishing another institution would improve conservation or merely add another level of regulation. She argued that stronger coordination among existing authorities may offer a more direct response to the problems affecting the Sierra Madre.
“Bago tayo magdagdag ng panibagong authority, nararapat lamang na itanong natin kung ang problema ba talaga ay kakulangan ng institusyon o kakulangan ng koordinasyon at harmonisasyon sa pagitan ng mga institusyong mayroon na tayo. Baka mas kailangan natin ng isang malinaw at matibay na mekanismo ng koordinasyon, hindi panibagong antas ng regulasyon,” Aumentado said.
Her speech also raised concerns that conformity certificates would introduce another requirement for permits and approvals already handled by local governments. Proposed provisions covering environmental charges collected by LGUs likewise prompted questions about local planning, fiscal authority and autonomy.
The issue carries particular weight for Indigenous communities whose ancestral domains are located within the Sierra Madre. Republic Act No. 8371 recognizes their rights to ancestral domains, self-governance, customary laws and participation in decisions affecting their territories.
Aumentado said Indigenous communities should not be treated merely as beneficiaries or stakeholders in environmental programs. Their governance systems and long-standing responsibility for forests, watersheds, sacred sites and natural resources should remain part of any Sierra Madre-wide policy.
“Protektahan natin ang Sierra Madre, pero gawin natin ito sa paraang malinaw, magkakaugnay at gumagalang sa mga umiiral na batas at mandato. Hindi dapat magmukhang ang isang bagong authority ang siyang nagbibigay ng pahintulot sa isang katutubong pamayanan na gamitin ang sarili nitong sistema ng pamamahala,” Aumentado said.
Her proposed resolution supports the protection, conservation, rehabilitation and sustainable management of the Sierra Madre while seeking congressional review of the authority’s regulatory structure. It also calls for meaningful participation by affected local governments and Indigenous communities in developing national policy for the mountain range.
The provincial board referred the privilege speech jointly to its committees on Indigenous Peoples and environment for consolidation and deliberation. Quezon has not adopted a formal position while the committees review Aumentado’s proposals and prepare the appropriate legislative action.
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