09/08/2026
โ๐๐ง๐ฏ๐ข๐ซ๐จ๐ง๐ฆ๐๐ง๐ญ ๐ข๐ฌ ๐ง๐จ๐ญ ๐ฆ๐๐ซ๐๐ฅ๐ฒ ๐ฅ๐๐ง๐, ๐๐ข๐ซ, ๐๐ง๐ ๐ฐ๐๐ญ๐๐ซ โ ๐๐ฎ๐ญ ๐๐ฅ๐ฌ๐จ ๐ฉ๐๐จ๐ฉ๐ฅ๐.โ -Gina Lopez
August 9 | ๐๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง๐๐ฅ ๐๐ง๐๐ข๐ ๐๐ง๐จ๐ฎ๐ฌ ๐๐๐จ๐ฉ๐ฅ๐๐ฌ ๐๐๐ฒ is a time to recognize and honor the Indigenous Peoples of the Philippinesโtheir identity, culture, traditions, and enduring connection to the environment. For generations, Indigenous communities have served as environmental stewards, protecting forests, watersheds, wildlife, and other ecosystems within their ancestral domains while passing down traditional ecological knowledge from one generation to the next.
Their role in protecting the environment goes hand in hand with their rights. Through the Indigenous Peoplesโ Rights Act of 1997 (RA 8371), Indigenous Peoples are recognized as having rights to their ancestral domains, self-governance, cultural integrity, and Free, Prior, and Informed Consent (FPIC) for projects that may affect their communities and territories.
Today, we celebrate Indigenous Peoples not only as keepers of culture, but also as protectors of nature and partners in building a sustainable future. To protect the environment is also to respect the people who have cared for it for generations. Let us listen to, respect, and stand with Indigenous communities in protecting both their rights and our shared environment.