THE INDIGENOUS People’s Mandatory Representative Office (IMPRO) is lobbying for an ordinance to install a facility in the Southern Philippines Medical Center (SPMC) to shelter Indigenous peoples (IPs).
IPMR chief-of-staff Michael Siawan, during the iSpeak media forum on Thursday, said the shelter will accommodate transient IPs, including the watchers assisting IP patients or family members in the hospital.
“Para sa atong mga IP nga naa dira sa SPMC para naa silay pwedeng madoulan (It is for our IPs who are in SPMC, so they can have a place to go to). Usahay man gud naga-anha diha louy kaayo kay diha ra mangita og higdaanan sa kilid (They are pitiful because sometimes they would just look for a place to sleep in the side),” Siawan said.
The shelter will serve as a one-stop-shop providing sleeping quarters and waiting areas for those IPs from far-flung areas such as Marilog and Paquibato District.
The reading of the ordinance is still ongoing. However, Siawan is hoping that the shelter will be approved and given a budget as soon as possible.
