THE Commission on Human Rights (CHR) on Monday raised serious concern over the attempt to put the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples’ ancestral domains office under the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR).
In a statement, the CHR said if House Bill No. 9608 is passed, it would amend the Indigenous People’s Rights Act by reorganizing the NCIP.
The agency said placing the NCIP domain office to the DENR could undermine the NCIP’s core mandate and weaken its institutional capacity to protect the rights of indigenous peoples.
“The CHR firmly reminds legislators and the public that the NCIP was deliberately established as an independent body, free from external influence, to ensure its ability to effectively champion the rights and welfare of indigenous cultural communities and indigenous peoples,” the statement read.