THE NATIONAL  Commission on Indigenous Peoples lauded the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority for empowering members of indigenous groups in remote communities.

During the recent virtual meeting of representatives of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict’s Poverty Reduction Livelihood and Employment Cluster, NCIP Secretary Allen Capuyan said that TESDA initiated a lot of ‘convergence’ with its partner-agencies to help IPs.

As PRLEC chairman, TESDA Secretary General Isidro Lapeña assured the NCIP that the cluster will continue to assist indigenous people.

NCIP Commissioner Dominador Gomez presented the Strategic Workflow and the essential building blocks to strengthen IPs, IP organizations and IPs outside of the ancestral domains towards IP Integration.

The NCIP’s regional directors reported on the 124 IP areas in Mindanao.

Several concerns were identified by the group involving IPs — the right to ancestral domain/land; right to self-governance; empowerment; social justice; human rights; and rights to cultural integrity.

During the meeting, the NCIP reported that TESDA conducted a skills training on Animal Production (Poultry-Chicken) NC II in the village of Malabog, Paquibato District which was attended by 25 Lumads.

Meanwhile, 50 IP trainees underwent competency assessment in Photovoltaic Systems Installation NC II in Barangay Ned, Lake Sebu, South Cotabato.

Lapeña urged the PRLEC cluster to reach as many ‘kababayan’  as possible and give them assistance and support.