The Church Lauds 46th Indigenous Peoples Sunday

The Catholic Church rejoices today for the celebration of the 46th Indigenous Peoples Sunday echoing the theme “Indigenous Filipinos, One in God’s Family”. It is so significant for this year to fall on October 8 because 45 years ago, during the July 1978 Assembly of the Catholic Bishop’s Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) it was declared that every second Sunday of October be dedicated for the Indigenous Peoples, which steamed from the idea during the convention of the Episcopal Commission on Tribal Filipinos (ECTF) then chaired by the late Bishop of Marawi Bienvenido Tudtud who opened it up to the CBCP, thus on October 8, 1978 the first IP Sunday was celebrated which was then called Tribal Filipino Sunday.

The yearly celebration of the Indigenous Peoples Sunday is an affirmation of the Indigenous Peoples’ role, contribution and examples as faithful stewards of Creation in protecting their ancestral lands, preserving their culture and traditions and rising amidst thematic issues confronting them inside their Ancestral Domains. IPA Director Rev. Fr. Florencio A. Acedo Jr. would always say that there is much to learn from the simple lives of the Indigenous Peoples, “it is us who learn from them, their wisdom and strength and resilience against adversities”.

During the ECIP-IP-IPA National Convention held in Tagaytay in November 2022 it was affirmed collectively that the Church through the ECIP will continue to connect and strengthen its engagement among Indigenous Cultural Communities, to promulgate effective pastoral guidelines to sustain the objectives of the Commission, to help strengthen IP Communities and to help build Indigenous Peoples in their total human development.

According to the Decree of the Second Plenary Council of the Philippines (PCP II) Article 32, Section 5, Title 5, the Church should organize service Apostolates in favor of farmers, fishermen and tribal Filipinos, and thus make herself present to the majority of our people in the rural areas. Hence, the Indigenous Peoples Apostolate of the Archdiocese of Davao together with the Josefa Segovia Foundation worked in support of the IP Agenda through giving capacity building for Indigenous People’s Mandatory Representatives, instituted programs for educational assistance and form partnership with community-based tree caring activities such as the Bantay-Bukid under its Care for Creation initiative among others.

One of the IPA’s main advocacy channel is its Kristohanong Kalambuan Alang sa Kalinaw (KKK) program on DxGN 89.9 Spirit FM Anchored by June Guadalquiver every fourth Saturday of the month, which provides for a wider spread of its Information and Education campaign, mainstreaming the IP Programs to non-IPs which has significantly increased support on its projects and activities. During the Pandemic, KKK became the venue of the JSP-IPA IP Academy on Air program together with Atty. Ronie Bolotano then of NICP, Joy Brillos, Carmelita Padernal and the Executive Director of the Josefa Segovia Foundation Josephine Estopil.

The celebration of the IP Sunday is a sign and symbol of the Church’s Universal mission to gather God’s people from different race and ethnicity, gender, and status, inclusive and all embracing – to be one in God. We place immense value on this pastoral work to the indigenous peoples to strengthen the seal of commitment in the seeking of pardon against historical wounds inflected against them, the many cultural biases afflicted on them and most especially the failure to see Jesus because of their ethnic backgrounds. Hence, the IPA believes in constant dialogue and witnessing that Jesus is present in the cultures and lives of the IPs, thus are open to the spirit of solidarity among each other’s faith experiences which transcends beyond spiritual barriers. (June Guadalquiver)