a. Empowerment. The ICCs/IPs shall freely pursue their economic, social and cultural development through their participation in decision-making, determination of priorities, a well as the practice of their justice system and peace-building processes. b. Consensus-Building and Decision-Making Process. The ICCs/IPs shall participate in the decision making process primarily through their indigenous socio-political structures. They shall likewise affirm the decision of their duty authorized representatives. c. Peace-Building. The FPIC is a peace-building measure as it promotes genuine involvement o, and exercise by, ICCs/IPs in decision-making. Adherence to the process guarantees harmony, understanding, unity and security. d. Primacy of Cultural Integrity. Within ancestral domain/lands, the holistic and integrated adherence of IPs to their respective customs, belief, traditions, indigenous knowledge system and practices(IKSP),and the assertion of their character and identity as people shall assume an important consideration in the decision-making processes required for the issuance of the Certification Precondition (CP) as a pre-requisite to the introduction, implementation or operation of plans, programs, projects or activities in Ads/ALs to ensure that the culture and traditions of the concerned ICCs/IPs are recognized and respected in the process and their general well-being promoted. e. Right to Manage Own Land and other Resources with in the Domain. This right of the ICCs/IPs to manage and develop their own land and other resources within their Ads/ALs shall be respected. It is the policy of the Commission to ensure the priority rights of ICCs/IPs to manage and pursue developments plans, programs, projects or activities in their respective ancestral domain and in the utilization, harvesting, development, extraction and/or exploitation of natural resources therein, and that any alienation or transfer of any of these rights to entities other than the owner of the ancestral domain shall require the conduct of the FPIC process. f. Primacy of Customary Law. The conduct of FBI and FPIC processes shall recognize the primacy of customs, traditions and practices of the ICCs/IPs concerned. g. Sustainable Development and Protection. The FPIC, whenever given, shall ensure the ICCs/IPs concept and requisites of sustainable and responsible development and protection of ancestral domains shall benefit the present and future generations. h. Transparency and Clarity. The process of conducting the FBI and the FPIC shall be characterized by transparency among stakeholders. All issuances, orders, decisions of the Commission relative thereto must be made known to all parties concerned. The applicants shall make a full and project or activity in a manner that is both accessible and understandable to the concerned community. i. Inter-Agency, LGU and NGO/Peoples Organization (PO) Involvement and Community Support. The collaboration of other government agencies, local government units, and the involvement of NGOs/Pos duly accredited by NCIP and authorized by the ICCs/IPs shall be encouraged in order that their rights shall be promoted and protected. j. Recognition and Exercise of Ownership Rights over Titled Properties within Ancestral Domain Areas. Titled property holders with in ancestral domain areas can exercise all the rights of an owner accorded to the by law, but the exercise of such rights shall carry with it the responsibility of respecting the rights of the ICCs/IPs within the domain. If the exercise of such rights by the titles property owner is such that the rights of the ICCs/IPs can be adversely affected, consultations among the affected ICCs/IPs shall be undertaken through their elders/leaders but the subject of the consultation shall be limited only to the determination and proper compensation through agreement of the loss, damage or injury that may be suffered, and to the satisfaction of the ICCs/IPs that measures shall be undertaken to migrate if not totally avoid such loss, damage or inquiry. Section 5. Definition of Terms. The definition of terms found in R.A. 8371, and its implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) are hereby adopted, including the terms defined herein below: a. Free and Prior Informed Consent (FPIC). This is the consensus of all members of the ICCs/IPs which is determined in accordance with their respective customary laws and practices that is free from any external manipulation, interference and coercion and obtained 2

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