IP Leaders in Panay Craft Shared IP Code

Tribal leaders from various communities in Panay Island showed a united front at a two-day conference in Boracay. Source: Facebook

Tribal leaders and elders from various Indigenous Peoples (IP) communities across Panay Island gathered for the first time at the Paradise Garden Resort in Boracay on December 5-6, 2025, to craft a shared, region-wide IP code.

The consultative summit was convened by the National Anti-Poverty Commission (NAPC), the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP), and the Indigenous Peoples Congress of Unified Panay Inc. (IPCUPI), a non-government organization advocating for the welfare and rights of Panay’s IP communities.

Among the participants were representatives of IP groups from mainland Panay, the Boracay Tumandok Independent Tribe, and the Panay Bukidnon, among others. The meeting sought to advance an inclusive and rights-based framework for IP communities and to clarify their role in the government’s Local Poverty Reduction Action Plan (LPRAP).

NAPC Assistant Secretary Mary Rose Villaflor emphasized the importance of amplifying IP voices, particularly in local governance and development planning.

Princess Bai Doriedelle Dominguez Onting of IPCUPI said the gathering marks the beginning of a broader series of dialogues toward formulating the shared IP code, anchored on the Indigenous Peoples’ Rights Act of 1997 (IPRA). “The code also aimed at how the young IPs could retain their respective cultures and traditions that were passed on from generations to the younger ones. This is a challenge from many of our elders,” Onting said.

In a related development, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) informed the Natives of Boracay and Business Stakeholders Inc. (NaBBSI) that it is currently determining the appropriate policy direction for Boracay Island.

In a December 22, 2025 letter signed by Assistant Secretary for Legal and Administration Norlito Eneran, DENR stated that it is coordinating with other government agencies to address the island’s continuing environmental challenges.

Eneran noted that since September 2025, DENR Secretary Raphael Lotilla has been discussing the possible revival of the now-defunct Boracay Inter-Agency Task Force (BIATF), originally created by former President Rodrigo Duterte during the 2018 Boracay closure.

“On November 18, 2025, an inter-agency meeting of the former BIATF members was held to verify any unfulfilled mandates under Executive Order 53, series of 2018. However, some of the former BIATF members were unavailable to attend this meeting, while some have yet to make a categorical recommendation on whether to reactivate or reconstitute the BIATF,” Eneran said.