By PR | 06:53 PM June 08, 2024
The Provincial Government of Bohol has taken definitive steps to ensure the protection and revitalization of the cultural heritage of the Eskaya Indigenous community.
The Center for Culture and Arts Development (CCAD) facilitated the meeting of the proposed oversight team composed of various national and provincial government offices tasked to see through the implementation of the Eskaya Code of Bohol.
Governor Erico Aristotle Aumentado signed on October 13, 2023, Provincial Ordinance No. 2023-13 authored by Board Member Elpidio Bonita.
The ordinance covers all the Eskaya ICCs/Ps on the ancestral land of Guindulman, Duero, Pilar, and Sierra Bullones, and those living outside the ancestral domain within the province.
It complements Republic Act No. 8371 or the Indigenous Peoples’ Rights Act of 1997 with the framework of national unity, right to ancestral domain, right to preserve and develop their cultures/traditions, and rights of protection from discrimination.
The meeting tackled the framework and structure that will guide the establishment of the Eskaya Indigenous People’s Development Plan (EIPDP).
Gavin Michael Cubillo, the CCAD project development officer, and researcher, presented the components of the ordinance.
These include infrastructure development, conservation, and livelihood.
Cubillo explained that the conservation aspect entails the enhancement of the Eskaya House/Museum, Educational Support as well as Youth Development programs.
The livelihood aspect prioritizes enterprises such as harvesting, processing, and production of rattan, peanut, ginger, and ube; tilapia farming; strawberry production; vegetable production, bamboo furniture making; and cut flower production.
Present during the meeting were representatives of the Provincial Planning and Development Office, Governor’s Office, Bohol Provincial Tourism Office, Provincial Legal Office, Office of the Provincial Agriculturist, Office of the Provincial Social Welfare and Development, Education Center and the Provincial Youth and Development Office.
National agencies such as the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples, Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Training Institute, Department of Trade and Industry, Technical Education and Skills Development Authority, Department of Environment and Natural Resources, Department of Information and Communications Technology, and the Department of Tourism were also represented.
Bonita, who is tapped to head the oversight team, for his part, said he wants to ensure that there is a clear understanding of the roles of various agencies in the process of crafting the development plan for the Eskaya communities.
Funding has already been allocated for the feasibility studies that will be undertaken to come up with the EIPDP.
The oversight team agreed that the plan must embody the way of life of the Eskaya communities while providing opportunities for economic growth and improved lives.
The initiative is part of the strategic governance roadmap of the Aumentado-Balite administration that pushes for inclusive progress. (PIMO/LMS)
