Strong linkages and connectivity are vital components to promote and develop the Indigenous Peoples (IP) communities, an official said Monday.

Lawyer Fritzie Lynne Sumando, legal officer of the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples-Caraga (NCIP-13), said most of the IP communities in the region now have wider access to various livelihood programs and projects.

“The IP mandatory representatives (IPMRs) in the provincial, municipal, and barangay levels play vital roles in strengthening the connectivity and linkages of our communities to support groups and institutions in the government,” Sumando said in a phone interview.

She cited a series of livelihood training conducted for IP women groups in Agusan del Norte.

“These linkage-building activities are among the functions of our IPMRs, aside from their main responsibility of crafting local ordinances and resolutions that pertain to the welfare of the IPs in their localities,” Sumando said.

Most of the IP areas in the region have potential for tourism activities, which “will drive more opportunities for our people, including the tourism potentials within their domains,” she added.

Sumando said NCIP-13, with the support of the IPMRs, is coordinating with the local tourism councils to tap such potentials without compromising the natural environment and habitats of ancestral lands.

On Monday, the NCIP-13 joined the different tribes in the region in opening the 2023 IP Month celebration at the provincial capitol of Agusan del Norte here.

This year’s celebration emphasizes the development of the resources of IP areas, while recognizing the connection between the IPs and their ancestral lands through the promotion of sustainable land management practices, economic empowerment, and the preservation of their cultural practices.

The region has six major IP groups — Manobo, Mamanwa, Mandaya, Higaonon, Banwaon, and Talaandig — located in the provinces of Surigao del Norte, Surigao del Sur, Agusan del Norte, and Agusan del Sur. (PNA)