By Alexander Lopez

Datu Rico Maca, the IP Mandatory Representative of San Miguel, Surigao del Sur. (PNA file photo)

BUTUAN CITY – Indigenous Peoples (IP) leaders in the Caraga region have condemned the activities of the Federal Tribal Government of the Philippines (FTGP), an organization labeled as illegitimate by the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples in Caraga (NCIP-13).

In a phone interview on Monday, Datu Rico Maca, the IP Mandatory Representative (IPMR) of San Miguel, Surigao del Sur, and head of the regional IPMR association, criticized Jorgeto Corpuz Santisas and other FTGP members for disrupting residents in Surigao City.

Last Friday, Santisas’ group padlocked two business establishments in the city and set up a checkpoint on the highway near their office in Barangay Sabang.

The Surigao City Police Station responded to the incidents and dismantled the checkpoint.

The FTGP claims ownership of lands in Surigao City and the Caraga region, asserting these areas are part of their ancestral domain. 

Bae Lourdes Infante, described as the FTGP chieftain for Surigao City, argued in recent Facebook livestreams that the Indigenous Peoples’ Rights Act of 1997 alone gives them the right to claim all lands in Surigao areas and other parts of the country.

However, Maca said that Infante, Santisas and other FTGP leaders are not legitimate IPs and do not belong to any Indigenous Cultural Communities (ICCs) in the region.

 “The government should act on these alarming and scandalous actions of Santisas. His group is a bogus IP organization,” Maca said.

“What they have done is against the law, and they must answer for it. Appropriate cases must be filed against them,” Maca said.

In a statement Sunday noon, NCIP-13 warned the public about FTGP’s activities and urged residents to verify legitimate IP organizations with their office.

“This organization (FTGP) is not recognized as an Indigenous Peoples Organization by the legitimate ICCs and IPs of the Caraga region, hence not validated by NCIP-Caraga,” the statement said.

In a separate statement, Datu Jimmy Guinsod, provincial IPMR of Surigao del Sur, said FTGP leaders are not legitimate IPs and are exploiting Republic Act 8371, or the Indigenous Peoples Rights Act of 1997, to advance their interests.

“Santisas and the other leader, Lourdes Infante, have no records at the NCIP. Their organization is bogus,” Guinsod said.

The Surigao City Police Office is expected to file criminal charges against Santisas and more than 40 FTGP members for the disturbances they caused. (PNA)