CULTURAL DIVERSITY | NCIP Discusses Subanen Cultural Diversity to Friends Rescued

The National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP) headed by NCIP Region IX Director Mercilyn Hatad conducted an information drive to the Good Life Students, called Friends Rescued (FRs), of the Philippine Army’s 53rd Infantry “Matapat” Battalion (53IB).

They discussed Subanen History; the NCIP roles, duties, and responsibilities; NCIP programs, projects, and activities such as Ancestral Domain and Land Security and Development Programs, Human Socio-Economic and Ecology Development Protection Program, and Indigenous People Rights Protection Program.

The Subanen is a tribe indigenous to Zamboanga Peninsula, particularly living in the mountainous areas of Zamboanga del Sur. According to a census conducted in the past decade, there were more than 148,000 Subanen people in this province alone.