A case of dishonest claimant indigenous peoples (IP) groups is the reason for the delay in the release of royalty shares from Citinickel Mines and Development Corporation (CMDC), National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP) provincial officer Atty. Jansen Jontila said.
Jontilla said the mining firm claimed that there is a case of fraudulent claimants among the IP groups in Narra, which the NCIP received and acted upon through the commission en banc. It ordered the regional office to conduct a revalidation process to determine the rightful group that will receive the royalty shares.
“Based on a decision of the commission en banc on February 14, 2019, ni-remand sa regional office yung complete staff work and validation process para mag-recommend yung provincial office para sa pag-release ng royalty,” Jontila explained during an inquiry conducted by the Sangguniang Panlalawigan on Tuesday.
He also clarified that the problem within the Tagbanua Central of Narra is that it still has no validated Community Royalty Development Plan (CRDP), which is a primary requirement before the royalty shares can be released. Since there is still no validated CRDP, the group also has no identified Indigenous Peoples Organization (IPO) that will receive and take charge of disbursing the shares for its communities.
“Sa part ng Tagbanua Central, wala pang validation na ginawa sa kanilang CRDP, and considering na wala pang validation, wala pa ring IPO na magre-receive ng kanilang royalty,” he said.
He added that in 2012, the Tagbanua Central ICCs retracted their consent, while on the part of CMDC, the company claimed that there are other claimants. As a result, if they release the royalty, they might not be able to release it to the proper group.
On the side of the Palaw’an Indigenous Cultural Community, he said their CRDP has already been endorsed to their higher office and is awaiting the signature of Ethnographic Commissioner Jeorge Largado.
“Once ma-sign yan, diretso na yan sa chairperson for approval,” he said, noting that based on a Memorandum of Agreement signed in 2008, there are two ICC groups in Narra—the Palaw’an ICCs and the Tagbanua Central ICCs.
The issue arose when IP groups Nagsambat na Bangsa’t Palaw’an at Narra Palawan Association (NABPANAPA) and Bukid, Baw Dagat, Pangungumaan, Lugtang, Eldaw Ni Magindusa, Kat Lansangan Et Narra reached out to the Sangguniang Panlalawigan to seek help regarding their royalty shares from CMDC’s operations in Barangay San Isidro, Narra, which they said they had not received since 2012.
NABPANAPA IPO chairperson Oliver Osao said their CRDP was already validated, and their IPO was also approved by the NCIP on October 14, 2024.
Because of the impasse, Osao said they are now requesting the Sangguniang Panlalawigan to cancel CMDC’s operations and not allow the company to transport its products until the royalty shares are released.
Pastor Ramil Gerner of Bukid Baw Dagat, on the other hand, stated that he cannot deny that CMDC has already released some money, but the problem is that the funds were not given to the rightful claimants.
“Ang aming samahan ay isang lihitimong samahan ng katutubong Tagbanua subalit kami ay biktima ng misrepresentation at discrimination,” Gerner said.
He said they just want their group to be recognized as the IPO of the Tagbanua to put an end to misrepresentation and discrimination and to ensure that the royalty shares are released to them.
