DATU PAGDATUA Demetrio B. Bolo, Sr. of the Bagobo-Klata Tribe, assumes position as the new Indigenous Peoples Mandatory Representative (IPMR) during the 20th City Council’s 12th regular session on Tuesday, March 25.
The new IPMR took his oath of office on March 21 before the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP).
Before assuming the IPMR post, Bolo was the IPMR of Barangay Biao Escuela of Tugbok District.
Bolo said being new to the post, he is planning to meet with the rest of the tribal chieftains and discuss the needs of their jurisdiction for proper legislation.
“Ang mga tribal chieftains, wala na silay sweldo, maong mangita ta og paagi unsaon nato sila pagtabang,” he told reporters during the session’s sideline interview.
He will also revisit the pending resolutions and ordinances that have no implementing rules and regulations for a stronger implementation.
Stricter protection of the ancestral domain and watersheds will also be one of his priority areas.
“Makig-meeting ko sa mga IPs ug mga ancestral domain officers, kay naay mga problema nga niabot na sa NCIP ug maglisod na sila og solbad,” he stressed.
Outgoing IPMR Rodolfo M. Mande emphasized in his farewell message to the city council that he hopes the new IPMR will continue the policies and programs he had pushed during his term.
“I hope the office of IPMR may continue to strive as the bridge to progress, and to my successor, may they serve with humility and steadfast commitment to the welfare of the lumads,” Mande added.
Established in 2012, the rotation of the mandatory representative of the IP in the city council is in alphabetical order. However, as in the case in 2019, where the Klata tribe could not hold the post due to genealogy concerns, after the Kagan Tribe, Mande from Matigsalug, filled in the post.
In his three-year stint, Mande passed an ordinance institutionalizing the Iskolar ng Tribu, seeking support from the city government and other stakeholders, particularly the Higher Education Institutions,” to strengthen the educational attainment of the IP community.
He also passed the ordinance establishing the KAMOTT-IKASAMA shelter for IP set to be established in the Southern Philippines Medical Center, which aims to accommodate the watchers and runners of IP patients.
Mande extended his term for two months, from January- March 2025, via holdover status, while Bolo’s position was being finalized.
He said he will continue his service as he filed his bid to run as councilor of the city’s third district.
The IPMR position stands as chairman of the city council’s committee on Indigenous Peoples.
