Ten years of the Philippines’ National Indigenous Peoples Day: Who defends the defenders?

Ten years of the Philippines’ National Indigenous Peoples Day: Who defends the defenders?

August 9 is celebrated as the International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples. In the Philippines, Republic Act No. 10689 made August 9 a special working holiday and declared as state policy the advancement of “the rights and collective well-being of indigenous peoples through the annual observance of the National Indigenous Peoples Day in the Philippines”.  The year 2025 marks the 10th anniversary of RA 10689 which legislated the National I…