g)To negotiate for funds and to accept grants, donations, gifts and/or properties in whatever
form and from whatever source, local and international, subject to the approval of the
President of the Philippines, for the benefit of ICCs/IPs and administer the same in
accordance with the terms thereof; or in the absence of any condition, in such manner
consistent with the interest of ICCs/IPs as well as existing laws;
h) To coordinate development programs and projects for the advancement of the ICCs/IPs
and to oversee the proper implementation thereof;
i) To convene periodic conventions or assemblies of IPs to review, assess as well as propose
policies or plans;
j) To advise the President of the Philippines on all matters relating to the ICCs/IPs and to
submit within sixty (60) days after the close of each calendar year, a report of its operations
and achievements;
k) To submit to Congress appropriate legislative proposals intended to carry out the policies
under this Act;
1) To prepare and submit the appropriate budget to the Office of the President;
m)To issue appropriate certification as a pre-condition to the grant of permit, lease, grant, or
any other similar authority for the disposition, utilization, management and appropriation by
any private individual, corporate entity or any government agency, corporation or subdivision
thereof on any part or portion of the ancestral domain taking into consideration the consensus
approval of the ICCs/IPs concerned;
n) To decide all appeals from the decisions and acts of all the various offices within the
Commission;
o) To promulgate the necessary rules and regulations for the implementation of this Act;
p) To exercise such other powers and functions as may be directed by the President of the
Republic of the Philippines; and
q) To represent the Philippine ICCs/IPs in all international conferences and conventions
dealing with indigenous peoples and other related concerns.
SEC. 45. Accessibility and Transparency. - Subject to such limitations as may be provided by
law or by rules and regulations promulgated pursuant thereto, all official records, documents
and papers pertaining to official acts, transactions or decisions, as well as research data used
as basis for policy development of the Commission shall be made accessible to the public.
SEC. 46. Offices within the NCIP. - The NCIP shall have the following offices which shall
be responsible for the implementation of the policies hereinafter provided:
a) Ancestral Domains Office - The Ancestral Domain Office shall be responsible for the
identification, delineation and recognition of ancestral lands/domains. It shall also be
responsible for the management of ancestral lands/domains in accordance with a master plan
as well as the implementation of the ancestral domain rights of the ICCs/IPs as provided in
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