Environment Secretary Regina Lopez assured Tuesday indigenous people from Mindanao, who have been holding a series of protest actions in Metro Manila, that they will not be evicted from their ancestral lands.
“No one will be evicted from your land. That is your exclusive right,” Lopez told the IPs, as they continued to protest against what they claimed as the continued plunder and militarization of ancestral lands across the country.
Lopez directed Undersecretary Isabelo Montejo to look deeper into the issues being raised by the IPs.
The Environment chief also said the government would engage the IPs in the National Greening Program, the government’s massive reforestation initiative that doubles as a poverty alleviation measure.
“We want to include you in our National Greening Program so that you can have economic activities in your areas and you’ll have money,” Lopez said.
She urged them to help the government in protecting the resources in their ancestral lands.
“You should protect the resources in your ancestral lands so that your rivers will continue to be clean,” Lopez said.
On the clamor of the IPs to stop mining in their areas, Lopez said she had already issued a moratorium on new mining projects.
Lopez added the department would pursue an immediate investigation on issues allegedly being perpetrated by mining companies against the lumads and other minority groups in the country.
“No new mining. I want to go to agriculture and eco-tourism,” Lopez said.