It has come to our attention that some individuals are offering their assistance on social media, or even in other settings, for the acquisition of a Certificate of Confirmation (COC), for the purpose of availing benefits and privileges granted to Indigenous Cultural Communities or Indigenous Peoples.

A COC is a certification issued by the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP) affirming the Certificate of Indigenous Cultural Community or Indigenous Peoples Membership (CIPM). The CIPM is issued by the resident IP Leader/Elder certifying that an individual is a member of their Indigenous Cultural Community (ICC) or Indigenous Peoples (IPs) group. The COC is the official document used to avail benefits and privileges granted to Indigenous Cultural Communities or Indigenous Peoples in the field of education, employment, and basic social services.

This advisory serves as a notice to everyone who is not a member of an ICC or IPs group to refrain from engaging with fixers and other entities in the hopes of acquiring COCs to take advantage of the benefits and privileges supposed to be enjoyed by ICCs/lPs. Said act is punishable under the law. Further, the public is also informed that tribal adoption for the purpose of acquiring COCs to avail the benefits and privileges granted to ICCs/lPs is not recognized under NCIP Administrative Order No. 2 Series of 2019.

We urge anyone with information about individuals attempting to defraud anyone concerning COC issuance to file a complaint or report the same to the nearest NCIP office or through our official hotline 8928-6247, 0927 001 1168, and 0962 398 6640.