National Commission on Indigenous Peoples reportedly gave the Mangyans until the end of the month to sign the resolution to move to another area for the proposed municipal dump and landfill project.

This is their ancestral land and so they have the right to refuse to sign the P66 million dump project that would adversely affect their livelihood, Tamaraw Falls, and their community with a school.

The project will be on a 10-hectare land in Sitio Lapantay, Brgy. Villaflor, Puerto Galera, Oriental Mindoro. The village is home to 47 Iraya Mangyan families who have lived there for more than 40 years.

The Mangyan representatives walked out on a meeting called by the NCIP for the reason that they were told to sighn something they don;t agree to.

The Mangyan leader stressed that the NCIP must respect and honor Republic Act 8371 or the Indigenous Peoples Act of 1997 which recognizes their ancestral land rights.

Source: http://dulangan.com/iraya-mangyans-to-be-evicted-for-puerto-galera-municipal-waste-dump/