Who are we?

The decrees that have been passed fail to encompass all the needs of the indigenous people primarily because of failure in implementation and sole focus on the land and domains only.

Because of this, a more comprehensive law is needed that "seeks to stop prejudice against indigenous people through recognition of certain rights over their ancestral lands, and to live in accordance recognize and protect the rights of the indigenous people not only to their ancestral domain  but to social justice and human rights, self-determination and empowerment, and their cultural integrity," This then gave birth to movements for a comprehensive law that will protect not only the lands, but human rights of the Filipino indigenous people.

IPRA, formerly known as Ancestral Domain Bill, was first filed in the Congress sometime in 1987 under the Senate Bill No. 909 authored by Senator Santanina Rasul, Senator Joseph Estrada and Senator Alberto Romulo, during the 8th Congress, but was never enacted into law. In the 9th Congress, Senator Rasul introduced Senate Bill No. 1029 and Senator Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo introduced Senate Bill No. 1849. However, the bill was never sponsored and deliberated upon on the floor.

Despite difficult hurdles and amendments enacted in the Congress that nearly brought the movement to its death, the House of Representatives finally approved the bill late in September 1997. President Fidel V. Ramos signed it on October 29, 1997 officially making it Republic Act No. 8371 Indigenous People's Rights Act of 1997, which aims to "Recognize, Protect and Promote the Rights of Indigenous cultural Communities/Indigenous Peoples (ICCs/IPS) and for other Purposes."

As this act were implemented, its was a good thing for those who are in the state of indigenous people. For the record, August is the month for these people, as they are the people who preserve the last culture.