The Department of Agriculture Kabuhayan at Kaunlaran ng Kababayang Katutubo (DA 4K) kicked-off their celebration of the IDWIP with the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP) on 09 August 2022 at the DA Central Office. This year’s IDWIP theme is “Role of Indigenous Women in Preservation and Transmission of Traditional Knowledge”.

The opening ceremony and the ceremonial ribbon-cutting of the Indigenous Peoples (IP) Products Display and Exhibit was graced by DA Undersecretary for Special Concerns and for the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) Zamzamin L. Ampatuan, Undersecretary for Policy, Planning, and Regulations Mercedita A. Sombilla, Undersecretary for Agri-Industrialization Rodolfo V. Vicerra, Officer-in-Charge-Undersecretary for Administration and Finance, and Department Legislative Liaison Officer (DLLO) Jane C. Bacayo, NCIP Chairperson Allen A. Capuyan, NCIP Commissioner for Central Mindanao Bo-I Jennifer Pia Sibug-Las, 4K Program Director Ervannie Jay P. Belarmino, 4K Assistant Director Lucia A. Campomanes, and Agriculture and Fisheries Industrialization Development Program (AIDPro) Program Director Jerome Bunyi.

The IP Products Display and Exhibit is situated at the DA 4K Main Lobby which showcases IP accessories, weapons, musical instruments, and food products, among others. The DA also organized a 3-day Cultural Sensitivity Webinar series on 10-12 August 2022 that will provide deep dive discussions on the Free and Prior Informed Consent (FPIC), Indigenous Peoples’ Rights Act of 1997 (IPRA), Programs and Services of the NCIP Ancestral Domains Office (ADO), Culture Sensitivity, and the eleven (11) Building Blocks of Resilient IPs.

In his message, NCIP Chairperson Capuyan mentioned that most of the economic activities envisioned by President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. during his first State of the Nation Address (SONA) last 25 July 2022 can be implemented inside the Ancestral Domains. However, inter-agency collaboration, through the Whole-of-Nation Approach (WoNA), must be realized in order to ensure the readiness of the communities and achieve the President’s vision.

After the ribbon-cutting, NCIP distributed copies of Project Epanaw’s Three (3) Coffee Table Books (CTBs) and 2021 NCIP Annual Accomplishment Report.