⧫ Right to Social Justice and Human Rights ➢ Government’s neglect to provide basic social services to indigenous peoples. While almost all national highways in Cordillera are already completed, a lot of its municipal and barangay roads are nowhere near completion. Residents situated in the remotest areas of CAR need to traverse mountains and rivers just to visit the nearest school and health facility; ➢ Institutionalized discrimination. Cordillerans are still being portrayed by its outside brothers and sisters as a primitive society. Further, Cordillera still has the smallest slice of the pie in the national budget despite the fact that Cordillera is one of the top contributors in the national tax collection. Rules on situs of taxation still prevails; ➢ Since most of our IPs are farmers, their source of livelihood was adversely affected by the COVID-19 community quarantine as they cannot market their agricultural products due to travel restrictions; ➢ A post on social media which created conflict between a duly elected official and a people’s organization. The issue arose from the refusal of Mayor Gabino Ganggangan of Sadanga, Mountain Province to accept food relief for his constituents during the COVID-19 community quarantine saying that the same be better given to urban poor communities. This move was criticized by the Cordillera People’s Alliance which the Mayor responded by saying that the organization is a communist front which should not speak like it is the representative of the people; and ➢ Social media post of an IPO of Sitio Punganay on the allegations of the AFP labeling the residents of Sitio Punganay as members of the “Milisyang Bayan”; ⧫ Right to Cultural Integrity ➢ Misrepresentation of cultural dances and indigenous attires such as that seen in LGU-led festivals where dances are overdone or choreographed for entertainment’s sake. The same is seen in beauty pageants where so-called indigenous attires get overly done that no IP group would willingly own it. 32 P a g e CHR CAR REGIONAL HR SITUATION REPORT – JANUARY to JUNE 2020