LA TRINIDAD, Benguet — A proposed ordinance declaring February as Ancestral Rights Month and Feb. 23 as Ancestral Rights Day in Benguet remains under review by the provincial board for further refinement.
Introduced by Board Member Benjamin Palbusa and co-authored by a majority of the board, Provincial Ordinance No. SP12-60 seeks to establish an annual commemoration honoring the region’s indigenous heritage.
The measure marks the Feb. 23, 1909, U.S. Supreme Court ruling in Cariño v. Insular Government.
Under the landmark ruling, the decision recognized the native title of Mateo Cariño, an Ibaloi leader from Benguet, over his ancestral land in Baguio, establishing a legal doctrine for indigenous land rights globally.
Palbusa said the proposal goes beyond basic recognition, calling it a historical correction for the province and noted that the culture, land, and identity of Benguet’s people are tied to the 1909 victory, and the ordinance aims to keep the rights of their ancestors alive.
Vice Gov. Marie Rose Fongwan-Kepes meanwhile said the ordinance will still undergo scrutiny to ensure legal precision and community alignment before sending the measure to a final vote. Noemi Salatic | UC Intern
