500 IPs from 30 tribes avail of government services in Iriga

LEGAZPI CITY — About 500 members of 30 Agta indigenous tribes gathered at the Iriga City Sports Center on Thursday (Oct. 29), for the city’s Indigenous Peoples Day celebration, where they accessed government services and took part in cultural activities.

The event featured competitions in poetry, singing and dancing, traditional games, storytelling, indigenous music and cultural presentations. A forum was also held to hear the concerns and needs of Agta households.

READ: Sen. Lapid launches P30-M multi-purpose center for IPs in Iriga City

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Government agencies provided services through a caravan that included the Philippine Information Agency, Technical Education and Skills Development Authority, Land Transportation Office, Department of Social Welfare and Development, Department of Agriculture, Philippine Health Insurance Corp., Social Security System and Commission on Elections.

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Iriga City Mayor Rex Oliva said the local government was providing scholarships and livelihood assistance to indigenous peoples to improve their lives.

He said indigenous communities deserved recognition for their contributions to the city’s culture, history and development. The local government was also working to expand its programs for the Agta, including the construction of a multipurpose hall for indigenous communities and the establishment of an Agta museum, he said.

Nona Vanessa Santiago, the city tourism officer overseeing IP-related concerns, said her office continues to conduct research and cultural mapping of the Agta communities.

“From the perspective of the tourism office, I want tourism to be IP-led, inclusive, respectful and sustainable,” Santiago said.

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Institutionalized through Iriga City Ordinance No. 2026-25, the annual celebration is held every October. This year’s event carried the theme “Empowering Indigenous Peoples: Strengthening Rights, Culture and Ancestral Domains” and coincided with Indigenous Peoples Month.

The celebration also marked National Indigenous Peoples Thanksgiving Day, observed every Oct. 29 in recognition of indigenous peoples’ culture, rights and contributions. The date commemorates the enactment of Republic Act No. 8371 (the Indigenous Peoples’ Rights Act) on Oct. 29, 1997. /jpv