Republic of the Philippines 
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
Constitution Hills, Quezon City 
NINETEENTHCONGRESS 
First Regular Session 
House Bill No._____ 
________________________________________________________________ 
Introduced by: REPRESENTATIVE EDWIN L. OLIVAREZ 
“AN ACT MANDATING THE PAYMENT OF DEATH AND BURIAL BENEFITS TO 
INDIGENOUS PEOPLES MANDATORY REPRESENTATIVES (IPMR) IN 
BARANGAYS” 
EXPLANATORY NOTE 
The Philippines is a culturally diverse country with an estimated 14 to 17 
million Indigenous Peoples (IPs) belonging to 110 ethno-linguistic groups.  While vital 
members of our culturally-rich country, IPs have had historical experiences of 
exclusion, loss of ancestral lands, displacement, pressures to change or let go of 
traditional ways of life and practices, and loss of identity and culture, among other 
concerns. Indeed, IPs are vulnerable to abuses and discrimination and, as such, is 
considered as one of the marginalized sectors in our society. This is why no less than 
our Constitution mandates the utmost protection, promotion, and fulfillment of their 
rights. 
Section 17 Article XIV of the 1987 Constitution provides that the State shall 
recognize, respect, and protect the rights of indigenous cultural communities to 
preserve and develop their cultures, traditions, and institutions, and that it shall 
consider these rights in the formulation of national plans and policies. 
Republic Act 8371, otherwise known as the “Indigenous Peoples’ Rights Act”, 
was also enacted in 1997 to further ensure and operationalize the guarantees of the 
Constitution. The said law provides, among others, that the Indigenous Cultural 
Communities (ICCs) or the Indigenous Peoples (IPs) shall have the right to participate 
fully, if they so choose, at all levels of decision- making in matters which may affect 
their rights, lives, and destinies through procedures determined by them as well as 
to maintain and develop their own indigenous political structures. In this regard, 
Section 16 of the said law states that ICCs/IPs shall be given mandatory 
representation in all policy-making bodies and other local legislative councils. 
The Implementing Rules and Regulations of RA 8371 expressly states that 
ICCs/IPs taking part in all policy-making bodies and in local legislative councils shall 
have the same privileges as the regular members of the legislative bodies and/or 
policy making bodies. This is consistent with the principles of equality or more 
specifically the principle of “equal pay for equal work” considering that the powers, 
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duties, and functions of the Indigenous Peoples Mandatory Representatives (IPMRs) 
are essentially the same as that of the regular members except that the former was 
specifically selected to advance the interested of the IPs as a marginalized sector of 
society. In this perspective, it is in fact also in keeping with the principles of equity 
and social justice well enshrined in our Constitution. 
Considering that the Local Government Code of 1991 (RA 7160) grants death 
and funeral benefits to officials of the barangay, it is therefore only proper to grant 
the same death and burial benefits to IPMRs who are working in the local legislative 
bodies, particularly in the barangay level. 
It is for the reasons of upholding the principles of both equality and equity 
that this Bill is being proposed. 
EDWIN L. OLIVAREZ 


Republic of the Philippines 
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
Constitution Hills, Quezon City 
NINETEENTHCONGRESS 
First Regular Session 
House Bill No._____ 
________________________________________________________________ 
Introduced by: REPRESENTATIVE EDWIN L. OLIVAREZ 
“AN ACT MANDATING THE PAYMENT OF DEATH AND BURIAL BENEFITS TO 
INDIGENOUS PEOPLES MANDATORY REPRESENTATIVES (IPMR) IN 
BARANGAYS” 
Be it enacted in the Senate and the House of Representatives of the Republic of the 
Philippines in Congress assembled: 
SECTION 1. Short Title. — This Act shall be known as the “IPMR Death 
Benefits Act of 2022”. 
SECTION 2. Coverage. This Act shall cover Indigenous Peoples (IPs) or 
members of the Indigenous Cultural Communities (ICCs) who, having all the 
qualifications and none of the disqualifications provided for in NCIP Administrative 
Order 001, have been selected as the Indigenous People’s Mandatory Representatives 
(IPMRs) in local legislative councils, particularly in the barangay level, in accordance 
with existing laws, orders, rules, and guidelines, and who died during his/her term 
of office as IPMR. 
SEC. 3. Definition of Terms. For purposes of this Act, the following terms 
shall be understood to mean as: 
a) Indigenous Cultural Communities/Indigenous Peoples — refer to a
group of people or homogenous societies identified by self-ascription and
ascription by others who have continuously lived as organized community on
communally bound and defined territory, and who have, under claims of
ownership since time immemorial, occupied, possessed and utilized such
territories, sharing common bonds of language, customs, traditions and other
distinctive cultural traits, or who have, through resistance to political, social
and cultural inroads of colonization, non-indigenous religions and cultures,
became historically differentiated from the majority of Filipinos.
ICGs/IPs shall likewise include peoples who are regarded as indigenous 
on account of their descent from the populations which inhabited the country 
at the time of conquest or colonization or at the time of inroads of non-
indigenous religions and cultures or the establishment of present state 
boundaries who retain some or all of their own social, economic, cultural and 
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political institutions, but who may have been displaced from their traditional 
domains or who may have resettled outside their ancestral domains; 
 
b) Death Benefits - a cash grant given to the beneficiaries of the deceased 
IPMR. 
 
c) Burial Benefits - a cash grant given for the purpose of paying for the burial 
expenses of the deceased member. 
 
Sec. 4. Provision of Death and Burial Benefits. Indigenous Peoples 
Mandatory Representatives (IPMRs) who die of whatever cause while serving their 
term as such shall be eligible for death benefits which shall in no case be less than 
ten thousand pesos (Php 10,000.00), and burial benefits which shall in no case be 
less than two thousand pesos (Php 2,000.00). The death and burial benefits hereby 
provided shall be directly given to his/her beneficiaries. In cases where the IPMR did 
not leave behind any immediate family members or beneficiaries, the death benefit 
shall be given to the next closest relative of the deceased and the burial benefit shall 
be given to whoever arranges and pays for his/her funeral expenses, subject to the 
showing of sufficient proof thereof. 
 
Sec. 5. IPMRs Serving in Hold-Over Capacity. An IPMR who dies while 
actively serving in a hold-over capacity in the absence of a newly selected IPMR to 
take his/her place for whatever valid and legal reasons shall, for the purposes of this 
Act, be eligible to receive the death and burial benefits if he/she dies while serving in 
said hold-over capacity. 
 
Sec. 6. Determination of Amount. The Department of Interior and Local 
Government (DILG), in coordination with the Department of Budget and Management 
(DBM), and the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP), is directed to 
determine such amount that is necessary to cover the payment of the death benefits 
which shall in no case be less than 10,000.00, and burial benefits which shall in no 
case be less than 2,000.00, of IPMRs in barangays who die during their term of office, 
and include the same in its annual budget proposal, subject to the regular budgeting 
process. 
 
Sec. 7. Appropriations. The death and burial benefit provisions for the 
IPMRs shall be charged to the General Appropriations Act (GAA) in a given fiscal year. 
 
Sec. 8. Implementing Rules and Regulations. The Department of Interior 
and Local Government (DILG), in coordination with the Department of Budget and 
Management (DBM) and the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP) 
shall, within thirty (30) days from the implementation of this Act, promulgate the 
implementing rules and regulations to effectively carry out the provisions of this Act. 
 
Sec. 9. Separability Clause. lf, for any reason, any part, section or provision 
of this Act is held invalid or unconstitutional, the remaining provisions not affected 
thereby shall continue to be in force and effect. 
 
Sec. 
10. 
Repealing 
Clause. 
All 
laws, 
decrees, 
executive 
orders, 
proclamations, rules and regulations, and other issuances, or part or parts thereof, 
which are inconsistent with the provisions of this Act are hereby repealed, amended 
or modified accordingly. 
 


Sec. 11. Effectivity Clause. This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after 
its publication in the Official Gazette or at least two (2) newspapers of general 
circulation, whichever comes earlier. 
 
APPROVED.