HELPING IPs. A member of the Indigenous Peoples in Iloilo receives a food pack from the government on Friday (May 22, 2020). The National Commission on Indigenous Peoples and other government agencies continued to help IPs who are not spared from the effects of coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19). (Photo courtesy of Tubungan LGU)
ILOILO CITY – The government continues to extend a helping hand to the members of the Indigenous Peoples (IP) who were not spared from the effects of the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic.
Through the National Commission of Indigenous Peoples' (NCIP) Oplan Bayanihan "Abot Kamay Alagang NCIP Laban sa Covid-19", around 105 households of Panay-Bukidnon in the villages of Igpajo, Igtuble, and Molina of Tubungan town have received food packs on Friday.
In an interview on Monday, Ana Burgos, regional director of NCIP 6, commended Tubungan's commitment to looking after the welfare of the IPs.
"We thank the Tubungan for their support being given to our IPs and it is an ongoing challenge for them to have their own Indigenous Peoples Municipal Representation in their town's council," she said.
The relief initiative was also supported by the Department of Social Welfare and Development, the Department of the Interior and Local Government and the Philippine Army, among others.
The convergence of efforts of the government agencies has also provided the IPs with free medical consultation.
They were taught on the importance of keeping good hygiene for disease prevention like wearing of face masks and proper handwashing.
Aside from Covid-19 awareness, agencies also took the opportunity to discuss the government's anti-insurgency efforts.
The three villages are included in the list of insurgency-affected villages in the province, Lt. Col. Joel Benedict Batara, commander of the Philippine Army's 61st Infantry Battalion said on Monday.
"We are here for them, not for war, but to give our full support and to look after them in this dire time of crisis," he said.
He underscored that the government's continued assistance to the IPs will prevent them from joining the armed struggle.
Batara also said that he has seen Tubungan's effort in facilitating the return of the rebels to the government's fold.
"I laud the local government of Tubungan for implementing sustainable programs that are beneficial and promising to the former rebels," he said. (PNA)
