Moro rebel leaders have assured the indigenous people in Mindanao that a future Moro sub-state that will result from peace negotiations with the government will not be adversarial to the rights of indigenous peoples to their ancestral domain.

“If you would be able to obtain title over your lands, the Bangsamoro sub-state respects individual and group rights,” said Professor Abhoud Syed Lingga, a member of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) panel that is negotiation for peace in Mindanao, yesterday.

The Moro rebel group held a meeting with representatives of tribes in the southern Philippines as part of a series of dialogues with various sectors and stakeholders in the Mindanao peace process.

“In addition, you don’t have to worry because we are not separating from the Philippine republic,” said Lingga, adding that the sub-state will have a different relationship with the central government “only in terms of political administration.”

Lingga said said “ancestral domain” as contemplated in their proposed peace pact with the government defines a territory for self-governance.

The Indigenous Peoples’ Rights Act (IPRA) of the Philippines defines the rights to ancestral domain as proprietary rights over a particular area where the tribes have traditional historical presence.

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