Village Connect
NEW YORK, USA — Indigenous leadership from the Philippines took center stage at Pace University’s Elizabeth Haub School of Law as Hon. Limpayen Sibug Las highlighted the role of Indigenous women in protecting communities, ancestral lands, and cultural heritage.
Sibug Las, president of the Tribal Communities Association of the Philippines (TRICAP) and former Secretary/Chairperson of the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP), addressed scholars and international conservation leaders through a presentation titled “Empowering and Promoting Indigenous Women’s Rights in the Philippines.”
Held as Pace Law marks its 50th anniversary, the gathering provided an international platform for discussing Indigenous rights alongside environmental protection and legal advocacy.
For Sibug Las, the mission is closely connected to her family history. Her late father, Hon. Datu Joseph Sibug, was involved in the development of the Indigenous Peoples’ Rights Act during his service in the Philippine House of Representatives.
“I believe that my presence here today is a call by my ancestors,” Sibug Las told the audience, connecting contemporary advocacy with the traditions and responsibilities passed through generations.
The visit also opened another opportunity for Philippine conservation efforts. During discussions facilitated by Pace Law Professor Nicholas Robinson, Philippine delegates were invited to present Mount Busa at the World Parks Congress scheduled in Panama in 2027.
Mount Busa, located in Sarangani, is regarded by surrounding Indigenous communities as an important ancestral and ecological landscape. Local efforts to protect the mountain have included the creation of the Mount Busa Task Force and its initial designation as a Local Conservation Area.
House Bill 5093 has also been introduced to declare Mount Busa a Protected Landscape. Advocates are pursuing broader recognition of the area, including its potential future consideration as an Indigenous Community Conserved Area and UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The conservation initiative involves local government officials, Indigenous Political Structures across Maitum, Kiamba and Maasim, DENR Region 12, academic institutions, and civil society organizations.
Its environmental significance is further underscored by the presence of the critically endangered Philippine Eagle.
“Mount Busa stands as one of the very last strongholds for the Philippine Eagle,” said Carol Villanueva Peralta of the Kiamba Sarangani Development Foundation, Inc., stressing the threats posed by habitat destruction, deforestation, and human encroachment.
With preparations toward the 2027 World Parks Congress, TRICAP and its partners hope to bring Mount Busa’s story before a wider international audience—connecting Indigenous stewardship, biodiversity conservation, and the protection of ancestral heritage.
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