SIXTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE 
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES 
First Regular Sessio.n 
SENATE 
) 
) 
) 
S.B. No.. ---5.3 4 
j)enat? 
til}if.;. ,,\ H!.:\""rttnr~ 
Intro.duced by Senato.r LOREN LEGARDA .. 
EXPLANATORY NOTE 
The 1987 Philippine Canstitutian mandates the recagnitian and promatian 
af the rights af indigenaus cultural cammunities and the develapment ·o.f their 
cultures, traditians and institutians within the framewark af natianal unity and 
develapment. It enjains the State to. pratect the rights af indigenaus peaples to. . 
their ancestral lands to. ensure their ecanamic, sacial, and cultural well-being. 
The Indigenaus Peaples' Rights Act af 1997 (IPRA) ar Republic Act 8371 
further strengthens this mandate by praviding that, "the State shall, with due 
recagnitian af their distinct characteristics and identity, accard to. the members af 
the Indigenaus Cultural Cammunities (ICCs)/ Indigenaus Peaples (IPs) the 
rights, pratectians, and privileges enjayed by the rest af the citizemy. It shall 
extend to. them the same emplayment rights, appartunities, basic services, 
educatianal and ather rights and privileges available to. every member af the 
saciety':~ Mareaver, the law recagnizes that, "ICCs/IPs have the right to. special 
measures far the immediate, effective,. and cantinuing impravement af their 
ecanamic and sacial canditians, including areas af emplayment, vacatianal 
training and retraining, hausing, sanitatian, health, and sacial security." 
The successful implementatian af laws, hawever well meaning they are, is 
anchared an the passessian af relevant and accurate data, which is the basis af 
saund palicies that in turn are translated into. effective and targeted actian. To. 
date, the gavernment, particularly the Natianal Cammissian an Indigenaus 
Peaples (NCIP), relies on 'estimates based an autdated figures. Mare than a 
decade has passed since the recagnitian af the rights af ICCs/IPs thraugh the 
passage af the landmark legislatian and trailblazer that is IPRA but there is still a 
dearth af infarmatian and' disaggregated data an the exact papulatian af aur 
indigenaus brathers and sisters. 
This bill seeks to. remedy this absence by formally including the ethnicity 
and ethna-linguistic variable in aur natianal census. Furthermare, it requ,res that 
there be enumerators ar census data gatherers who. are trained by the NCIP an 
the different ethna-linguistic graups all aver the cauntry and the proper manner 
af asking cultura,lly-sensitive questians pertaining to. ethnicity. It is anly thraugh 
this knawledge that we can effectively make palicies that will truly promate their 
welfare and addreSS their pressing needs. In view af the fallawing, immediate 
passage af this bill is earnestly saught. 
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LORErfl:l\:GARDA 
Senatar 


51>l!tl':1h' 
SIXTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE 
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES 
First Regular Session 
) 
) 
) 
(~ffl;f_ uf tit!! _j~rl·Nhtr~ 
SENATE 
S.B. No.534 
Introduced by Senator LOREN LEGARD1\.,.w 
'"j 
'13 
JUL -8 II 8 :36 
AN ACT TO INCLUDE ETHNIC ORIGIN IN THE NATIONAL SURVEY 
CONDUCTED BY THE NATIONAL STATISTICS OFFICE 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Philippines In 
Congress assembled: 
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Section 1. Short Title. - This Act shall be known as the "Ethnic Origin Act of2013." 
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Sec. 2. Declaration of Policy. - It is the policy of the State to recognize and promote 
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the rights of indigenous culturill communities within the framework of national· unity and 
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development. The State shall give the highest priority to the enactment of measures that 
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protect and enhance the right of all the people to human dignity, reduce social, economic and 
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political inequalities, and remove cultural inequities. 
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Sec. 3. Definition of Terms. - As used in this Act, the following tenns shall mean the 
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following: 
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(a) "Ethnic Origin" includes race, national origin and ethno-linguistics origin. 
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(b) "Indigenous Peoples (IPs) or Indigenous Cultural Communities (ICCs)" shall, as 
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provided under Section 3 (h) of Chapter II of RA No. 8371 or the "Indigenous 
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People's Rights Act (IPRA) of 1997", refer to a group of people or homogenous 
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societies identified by self-ascription by others, who have continuously lived as an 
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organized community on comtnunally-bounded and defined territory, and who have, 
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under claims of ownership since time immemorial, occupied, possessed and utilized 
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such territories, sharing common bonds of language, customs, traditions, and other 
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distinctive cultural traits, or who have, through resistance to political, social, and 
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·cultural inroads of colonization, non-indigenous religions and cultures, became 
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historically differentiated from the majority of Filipinos. ICCslIPs shall likewise 
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include peoples who are regarded as indigenous on account of their descent from the 
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populations which inhabited the country, at the time ·of conquest or colonization, or at 
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the time of inroads of non-indigenous religions and cultures, or the establishment of 
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present state boundaries, who retain some or all of their own social, economic, 
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cultural and political· institutions, but who may have been displaced from their· 
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traditional domains or who may have resettled outside their ancestral domains; 
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Sec. 4. Dllty of the National Statistics Office (NSO). - It shall be the duty of the 
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National Statistics Office (NSO), in coordination with the National Commission on 
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Indigenous Peoples (NCIP) to ensure the inclusion of Ethnic Origin in its national survey and 
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national census starting the year 2011 and thereaft~L The NSO shall employ NCIP employees 
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as guides of the NSO enumerators. These NCIP guides taken from the different regions of the 
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country must be knowledgeable of the different ethno-linguistic groups of the Philippines, 
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and must know the dialect and appropriate manner of talking/asking culturally-sensitive 
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questions to IPs or members ofICCs. Furthermore, the NSO should ensll!e that all surveys 
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and documents issued by their office should be culturally sensitive. 
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Sec. 5. Duty of the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples. - It shall be the 
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dilty of the NCIP to conduct the proper training of Enumerators allover the country to ensure 
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that they have adequate knowledge of the different ethno-linguistic groups in their area and 
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manner of asking appropriate and culturally-sensitive questions to members of indigenous 
16 . cultural communities. Each barangay shall have one indigenous guide who shall accompany 
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the NSO enumerator during data gathering. The indigenous guide must be knowledgeable of 
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the dialect, way of life, and culture of the indigenous cultural communities and must be able 
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to communicate with the indigenous communities in their respective areas. 
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Sec. 6. Appropriations. - The amount of two hundred million pesos (P200,000,000) 
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that shall be given to NCIP for the training ofNSO enumerators shall be charged against any 
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available appropriation in the General Appropriations Act (GAA) of the year of its 
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implementation. Thereafter, such sums as may be necessary shall be included in the yearly 
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General Appropriati.ons Act. 
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Sec. 7. Separability Clause.- If any portion or provision of the Act is declared void 
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or unconstitutional, the remaining portions or provisions hereof shall not be affebted by such 
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declaration. 
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Sec, 8. Repealing Clause. - Any provision of law or regulations inconsistent herewith 
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is hereby repealed; revoked, or modified accordingly. 
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Sec. 9. E;ffectivity. - This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its publication in 
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two' (2) newspapers of general circulation. 
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Approved, 
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