Kalinga elders push for ‘Rights of Nature law’ to protect ancestral lands, rivers

FEATURE

TALOCTOC, Tanudan, Kalinga – A river sustains life. A forest shelters communities. Ancestral lands carry the stories, traditions and identity of generations.

For the Indigenous communities of Kalinga, these are more than natural resources. They are part of a living heritage that must be protected, respected and passed on to the next generation.

This belief stood at the heart of a gathering along the Tanudan River in Taloctoc, Tanudan, on October 10, when Indigenous elders, youth leaders, Church communities, civil society representatives and local government partners united in a call for stronger legal protection of nature and ancestral lands.

During the culmination of the Season of Creation and the provincial kickoff of Indigenous Peoples’ Month 2026, the participants adopted the Manifesto and Call to Action: A Unified Declaration for the Rights of Nature and Ancestral Land Guardianship.

Their message was clear: protecting nature must go beyond preventing environmental destruction. It must also recognize the rights of ecosystems to exist, endure and regenerate—and the longstanding role of Indigenous communities in caring for them.

For Father Jeorge Mamisen, one of the advocates behind the initiative, the manifesto is part of a continuing effort to bring the proposed Rights of Nature legislation before lawmakers, particularly Kalinga Representative Caroline B. Agyao.

“Daytoy manifesto and call to action, daytoy ti resulta ti aramiden tayo nga ag-appeal ti Congresswoman tayo Caroline Agyao nga maki-autohor suna with Congressmen Bernos and Leah,” Mamisen said.

Through the declaration, the participating groups are asking Agyao to become a co-author and champion of the proposed measure in the House of Representatives, working with other lawmakers to advance the legislation.

More than resources to be used

The Rights of Nature movement seeks to change how people understand their relationship with the environment. Instead of viewing rivers, forests and other ecosystems only in terms of what they can provide to people, the movement advocates recognizing nature’s own right to exist and flourish.

“It is a national movement daytoy Right of Nature- ikkan tayo ti kalintegan ti nature diay balance of interaction kanyatayo nga tattao,” Mamisen explained.

For Kalinga, the call has particular meaning. Rivers and watersheds sustain communities, while forests and ancestral domains are closely linked to Indigenous livelihoods, cultural identity and customary practices.

The manifesto specifically reaffirms the participants’ commitment to protecting the Chico River Basin, the Tanudan River Watershed and other ancestral domains from illegal logging, destructive mining, environmental pollution and development projects pursued without proper consultation with affected communities.

The proposed legislation, advocates believe, could help address gaps and conflicting provisions in existing environmental policies by providing a stronger legal framework for protecting ecosystems.

But the campaign is not solely about legislation. It is also about preserving the Indigenous values that have guided communities in their relationship with the land for generations.

The wisdom of Paniyaw, Ngilin and Bain

Rooted in traditional iKalinga values of Paniyaw, Ngilin and Bain, the declaration calls for a renewed commitment to caring for nature and safeguarding rivers, forests, watersheds and ancestral domains for present and future generations.

These values reflect a broader principle embraced by the participating communities: stewardship is a shared responsibility, and the natural world must not be treated as something people can use without limits or accountability.

Indigenous knowledge and customary conservation practices remain important in regulating how communities use natural resources, helping protect areas and allowing them to recover for future generations.

The manifesto therefore calls not only for stronger government action but also for the continued practice and transmission of Indigenous knowledge, traditional agriculture and environmental values to younger generations.

For the communities involved, protecting ancestral lands means safeguarding more than territory. It means preserving the traditions, relationships and collective memory tied to the places their ancestors cared for.

A promise to the next generation

The gathering in Taloctoc also carried a sense of homecoming and history.

Mamisen recalled that the community had hosted a youth camp 14 years earlier, making its role in the October 10 gathering another memorable milestone.

“Daytoy nga inaramid tayo tatta ket nagpintas, memorable ken maikabil ti history ti Taloctoc. 14 yrs ago ket dakayu ti nang-host ti youth camp, karkaru manen nga napintas tatta daytoy panang-host yu ti launching of IP Month ken daytoy Seasons of Creation,” he said.

The gathering brought together different sectors around a common concern: how to ensure that Kalinga’s natural heritage remains protected amid environmental pressures and development demands.

By holding the declaration during the Season of Creation and the celebration of Indigenous Peoples’ Month, the participants connected environmental protection with Indigenous identity, cultural continuity and responsibility to future generations.

Their appeal now extends beyond the banks of the Tanudan River to the halls of Congress, where they hope lawmakers will advance the proposed Rights of Nature measure.

The manifesto itself does not make the proposed bill law. Rather, it records the participating communities’ collective call for stronger legal recognition of nature and Indigenous guardianship of ancestral lands.

For the people who gathered in Taloctoc, however, the work of protecting nature does not begin or end with legislation. It continues in the communities that care for their watersheds, uphold their customary practices and teach their children that the land and rivers sustaining them must also be sustained.

Their hope is that the next generation will inherit not only the rivers, forests and ancestral lands of Kalinga, but also the wisdom and the legal protections needed to keep them alive.