QUEZON City, Philippines (August 10) – Former President Benigno Aquino III signed Republic Act No. 10689 on October 23, 2015, declaring August 9 every year as the National Indigenous People’s Day to promote the rights of indigenous people groups in the country. (Official Gazette)
August 9 is also the International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples.
Indigenous people are inheritors and practitioners of unique cultures and ways of relating to people and the environment. They have retained social, cultural, economic and political characteristics that are distinct from those of the dominant societies in which they live. Despite their cultural differences, indigenous peoples from around the world share common problems related to the protection of their rights as distinct peoples.
