ENHANCED access to water, sanitation, education, health services and economic opportunities could significantly uplift the living standards of indigenous people in the Philippines, according to a new World Bank report.
The report, titled No Story, No Data: Indigenous Peoples in the Philippines, highlights the need for more data and faster processing of legal land titles to further benefit indigenous communities.
Approximately 9.4 million indigenous individuals, making up about 8.7 percent of the population, reside in the Philippines, often in geographically disadvantaged areas.
The World Bank suggests that enhancing connectivity and other interventions in these regions can accelerate poverty reduction.
Additionally, disaggregated data by ethnicity could refine poverty reduction strategies and the targeting of social programs.
“Understanding the interplay of ethnicity, gender, and geography is crucial to comprehending the challenges faced by Indigenous Peoples,” Ndiamé Diop, World Bank country director for Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines and Thailand, said in a statement.
He noted that indigenous people are disadvantaged in various aspects of well-being, including education, labor and access to productive opportunities.
The 2023 Indigenous Peoples Survey revealed that 59 percent of indigenous respondents consider themselves “poor,” compared to 52 percent of non-indigenous respondents. Education, health, clean water access and social assistance were identified as the most pressing concerns by almost half of the indigenous participants.
Approximately 51 percent of indigenous people consider themselves “food poor,” higher than the 45 percent reported by non-indigenous people.
Continuing to strengthen and protect the legal recognition of the rights of indigenous people to their ancestral domains is a further avenue for improving their welfare, the World Bank said.
“For Indigenous Peoples, land is a fundamental aspect of their identity, culture and subsistence. Protecting Indigenous Peoples’ land rights is therefore a crucial step in addressing poverty and conflict in the country,” said World Bank senior social development specialist Carlos Perez-Brito.
