`Better late than never’

Subanons in mobile registration for marriage, birth to celebrate World IP Day

Thousands of indigenous people (IPs) around the country have too often been denied benefits and services only because they lack basic documents such as certificates of birth or marriage. The Subanon IPs of Canatuan in the mountains of Siocon, Zamboanga del Norte were among them. Not anymore.

On the occasion of the World Indigenous People’s Day, TVI Resource Development Philippines, Inc. (TVIRD) brought in officials of the Siocon Local Civil Registry Office to Canatuan ancestral domain so that the company’s gracious Subanon hosts can have themselves or their relatives listed in the town’s roster of voters or senior citizens, or even for marriage or late birth registration. Dubbed “Rehistro Ko, Benepisyo Ko” (My Registration, My Benefit), the activity was initiated by Subanon tribal leaders and supported by TVIRD, which operates a Copper-Zinc mining facility in Canatuan.

“This is indeed a noble project which helps fulfill my office’s mandate of 100% birth registration of all Filipinos, including IPs,” Rey Caragan, Siocon Civil Registrar said. He said a total of 195 Subanons were able to officially register because of this activity, while 205 more are awaiting his office’s accomplishment of official forms to complete their registration.

Caragan added that the on-site registration would be one of the legacies that TVIRD will leave its host community. Certificates of birth and marriage, he explained, are vital so that Subanons can enjoy benefits due them as members of the Social Security System (SSS), Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (or PhilHealth, particularly useful in cases requiring hospitalization), and Pag-IBIG (or Home Development Mutual Fund, where soft loans and housing loans are available for members). Many Subanons in Canatuan are employed in TVIRD, a benefit they have been enjoying since they partnered with the company in 2004.

“Birth certificates are also needed during enrolment and graduation of children and in securing passports and clearances from the National Bureau of Investigation,” Caragan pointed out. “Because of the importance of these documents, my office conducts mobile registration campaigns in the remotest barangays of Siocon every year. I would like to thank TVIRD for facilitating our campaign in Canatuan.”

Equally thankful was Mercy Jaug of the Siocon Municipal Social Welfare and Development office, which oversees the wellbeing of the town’s elderly population. “The Subanon elderly will now be able to enjoy the privileges provided for by the Senior Citizens Act, the law which provides free medical, dental, diagnostic and laboratory services to all senior citizens in the Philippines,” she detailed. “They are also entitled to a 20% discount in hotels, lodging facilities and restaurants, and on bus and jeepney fares, theaters and cinemas, as well as a special discount of the regular retail prices of basic and prime commodities. It is the mandate of our office to register all the elderly, which is why I am thankful to TVIRD for giving us the privilege to participate in the World IP Day celebration.”

TVIRD Canatuan General Manager Ely Valmores, who graced the occasion, encouraged the company’s Subanon employees to register their children so they could enjoy the privileges as members of Pag-IBIG, PhilHealth and SSS. “It’s better late than never,” he said.

For her part, Thess Limpin, Manager of Canatuan’s Community Relations and Development Office (CReDO), said the project is “our response to the United Nations’ call to strengthen programs and projects that are geared towards solving problems faced by indigenous peoples in the areas of culture, education, health, environment, social and economic, as well as activities that help promote their rights,” she said.

“Subanons have the right to be registered. The birth and senior citizens registration promote their rights to education, health and socio-economic development, which is why we are implementing `Rehistro ko, Benepisyo ko’,” Limpin stressed. “We like our Subanon partners to continue to enjoy the benefits they deserve as members of the government social and financial institutions even long after the life of our mine.”

Gina Angeles, a Subanon resident of Paduan adjacent to Canatuan said the birth certificate her husband obtained from the Rehistro Ko, Benepisyo Ko project enabled him to land a job in TVIRD. “It also became easier for my children to be enrolled in TVIRD-supported schools in Canatuan.”

Elsa Dandana, another Subanon from Canatuan, said she didn’t know the importance of birth certificates until after she received them during the registration campaign. “Now I am able to run to government institutions for help, especially during times of great need,” she said. “Now my family is not alone.” (Lullie Micabalo and Joana Tiglao)