NCIP Administrative Order No. 2
Series of 2012
THE GENERAL GUIDELINES ON THE CONFIRMATION OF INDIGENOUS POLITICAL
STRUCTURES
AND
THE
REGISTRATION
OF
INDIGENOUS
PEOPLES’
ORGANIZATIONS
This Guidelines on the Confirmation of Indigenous Political Structures and Registration of
Indigenous Peoples’ Organizations is hereby promulgated for the effective implementation of the
provisions of the Indigenous Peoples Rights Act or RA 8371 and for other purposes.
ARTICLE I
OVERVIEW
Section 1. Title. This Administrative Order shall be known as the “General Guidelines on the
Confirmation of Indigenous Political Structures and the Registration of Indigenous Peoples’
Organization”.
Section 2. Statutory Bases.
Article XII (National Economy and Patrimony), Section 5 of the Constitution provides that
the State, subject to the provisions of the Constitution and national development policies and
programs, shall protect the rights of indigenous cultural communities to their ancestral lands to
ensure their economic, social, and cultural well-being. The Congress may provide for the
applicability of customary laws governing property rights and relations in determining the
ownership and extent of ancestral domain.
Article XIII (Social Justice and Human Rights), Section 15 of the Constitution defines
People's organizations as bona fide associations of citizens with demonstrated capacity to
promote the public interest and with identifiable leadership, membership, and structure. It
further provides that the State shall respect the role of independent people's organizations to
enable the people to pursue and protect, within the democratic framework, their legitimate and
collective interests and aspirations through peaceful and lawful means. Section 16 provides that
the right of the people and their organizations to effective and reasonable participation at all
levels of social, political, and economic decision-making shall not be abridged. The State shall, by
law, facilitate the establishment of adequate consultation mechanisms.
Republic Act No. 8371 (RA 8371) otherwise known as the Indigenous Peoples Rights Act
(IPRA) of 1997 enumerates provisions on Rights to Ancestral Domains (Chapter III), SelfGovernance and Empowerment (Chapter IV), Social Justice and Human Rights (Chapter V), and
Cultural Integrity (Chapter VI) in order to implement the promotion of the political, economic and
cultural rights of the Indigenous Cultural Communities/Indigenous Peoples (ICCs/IPs);
Chapter II, Sections 3 (i) of RA 8371 defines Indigenous Political Structures (IPS) as
referring to organizational and cultural leadership systems, institutions, relationships, patterns
and processes for decision-making and participation identified and accepted by ICCs/IPs (e.g.
Council of Timuays, Bodong Holders);
Chapter II, Section 3 (n) of RA 8371, on the other hand, defines people’s organizations as
private, non-profit voluntary organizations of members of ICCs/IPs which are accepted as
representatives of such ICCs/IPs.
Chapter IV, Section 16 of RA 8371 provides that ICCs/IPs have the right to participate
fully, if they so choose, at all levels of decision-making in matters which may affect their rights,
lives, and destinies through procedures determined by them as well as to maintain and develop
their own IPS.
Page 1 of 9
NCIP Administrative Order No. 2, Series of 2012 (Confirmation of IPS & Registration of IPOs)