Access the full text of the Indigenous Peoples' Rights Act (IPRA), its IRR, and key international instruments like the UNDRIP and ILO Convention 169.
An understanding of the law is fundamental to empowerment. This section provides public access to the essential legal frameworks that underpin FISTCOP’s work and the rights of all Indigenous Peoples (IPs) in the Philippines. These documents are the bedrock of our advocacy and serve as critical tools for communities, partners, and policymakers in the ongoing effort to transform legal rights into lived realities.
Republic Act No. 8371
The Indigenous Peoples’ Rights Act (IPRA) is a landmark statute in the Philippines, officially titled “An Act to Recognize, Protect and Promote the Rights of Indigenous Cultural Communities/Indigenous Peoples”. Enacted in 1997, IPRA was designed to dismantle historical legal fictions of state ownership and formally establish Indigenous Peoples as self-governing stewards of their ancestral lands, cultures, and futures. The law recognizes the rights of ICCs/IPs to their ancestral domains, ensures their economic, social and cultural well-being, and recognizes the applicability of customary laws.
NCIP Administrative Order No. 1, Series of 1998
The Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) of IPRA provide a comprehensive and detailed guide to the law’s application. These rules were promulgated to prescribe the specific procedures and guidelines for the implementation of Republic Act No. 8371. The IRR is essential for understanding the operational details of processes like the delineation of ancestral domains, securing Free and Prior Informed Consent (FPIC), and the functions of the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP).
The rights of Indigenous Peoples are also affirmed by key international agreements and declarations. These instruments provide a global context for our advocacy and underscore the universal nature of the rights we work to protect.
UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP): An essential global standard that elaborates on existing human rights standards and fundamental freedoms as they apply to the specific situation of Indigenous peoples.
ILO Convention 169: A legally binding international instrument open to ratification, which deals specifically with the rights of indigenous and tribal peoples.
Each of these sections provides insight into who we are as a federation and how we fulfill our promise to empower Indigenous Peoples through self-determined development.