Indigenous leaders in the Caraga region have voiced strong opposition to the actions of the Federal Tribal Government of the Philippines (FTGP), a group deemed illegitimate by the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples in Caraga (NCIP-13). Datu Rico Maca, the IP Mandatory Representative for San Miguel, Surigao del Sur, and leader of the regional IPMR association, has criticized FTGP members, including Jorgeto Corpuz Santisas, for causing disturbances in Surigao City. Recently, Santisas and his group locked two businesses and established a checkpoint on a highway near their office in Barangay Sabang, actions which were quickly addressed by the Surigao City Police Station. The FTGP asserts ownership over lands in Surigao City and the broader Caraga region, claiming these as part of their ancestral domain. Bae Lourdes Infante, the FTGP’s chieftain for Surigao City, has used social media to argue that the Indigenous Peoples’ Rights Act of 1997 grants them the right to claim these lands. However, Maca has dismissed Infante, Santisas, and other FTGP leaders as non-legitimate members of any Indigenous Cultural Communities in the region. He called for government intervention against what he described as the ‘bogus’ actions of Santisas’ group, which he believes contravene the law. NCIP-13 has also issued a public warning about the FTGP’s activities, advising residents to check the legitimacy of IP organizations with their office. Datu Jimmy Guinsod, the provincial IPMR of Surigao del Sur, echoed these sentiments, accusing FTGP leaders of exploiting the Indigenous Peoples Rights Act to further their own interests. The Surigao City Police Office is preparing to file criminal charges against Santisas and over 40 FTGP members for their disruptive actions.
