By: Mia Kruger
Introduction and Context
A Certificate of Ancestral Domain Title (CADT) is a legal title issued by the Philippine government through the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP) that formally recognizes Indigenous Peoples’ rights to their ancestral domains. It provides a legal basis for protecting defined territories against competing claims and external threats. Given the central importance of land to many Indigenous communities, securing a CADT is a sought after safeguard, despite many procedural, financial, and administrative barriers involved in obtaining one.
During my internship, myself and members of the Ateneo Human Rights Center contributed to the processing of a CADT. The cohort of interns that I belonged to was the third of its kind to assist the Tagbanwa Indigenous communities on the Chindunan, Alulad, Lamud, and Marabal islands in their pursuit of a CADT. Together, these four islands comprise the CALM Ancestral Domain, whose ancestral lands face increasing pressure from private individuals and corporations, often backed by government entities seeking to facilitate development.
Prior to our deployment to the CALM Ancestral Domain in Palawan, we were briefed on the importance of the work we would do, the tasks that had to be accomplished, and the long journey ahead for the community we were assisting. Drawing on my experiences, I will discuss the aforementioned hurdles to acquiring a CADT, as well as the measures taken by the Ateneo Human Rights Center to assist Indigenous groups in overcoming them.
1. Funding
One of the main hurdles that Indigenous communities face in the acquisition of a CADT is funding. For instance, for CALM’s application, the NCIP estimates costs amounting to 4.7 million Philippine pesos (just over $105,000 CAD) for a CADT with an area of approximately 30,000 hectares, including ancestral waters. Under Philippine law, the financial burden should be carried by the NCIP as the agency mandated to issue such CADTs. In reality, however, Indigenous communities are forced to find their own funding because the absence of which would mean absolutely no progress in their application. Each additional stage of the CADT application process imposes additional financial burdens on Indigenous communities, challenges compounded by the fact that, in practice, the process for obtaining a CADT is often unclear and inconsistently applied. Since CADTs are administered by government agencies, the same actors whose interests often conflict with those of the Indigenous Peoples, officials retain discretion over the recognition system and can impose additional procedural requirements, delays and costs, creating further obstacles to securing ancestral land rights.
To combat funding hurdles, I assisted with a benefit concert put on in part by the Ateneo Human Rights Center early in my internship. The event brought together non-government organizations (NGOs) and representatives from the Indigenous communities themselves for an afternoon of cultural exchange, music and community-building, with all proceeds supporting the Tagbanwa people’s efforts to secure their CADT. A snippet of this afternoon, including some notes from the organizers, can be viewed here.
The concert demonstrated how music can create space for understanding, humility, and genuine connection. This lesson, and the importance of allowing Tagbanwa peoples to express themselves through artistic practices meaningful to their identities, became important reminders as we navigated the process of advocating alongside a community whose experiences were so different from our own.
AHRC representatives and some members of the CALM domain at the benefit concert in May 2026.
2. Documentation
A successful CADT application requires extensive documentation, including detailed maps of the ancestral domain being claimed, records of the Indigenous community’s governance structure, and evidence of occupation of the land by the applying Indigenous cultural community since time immemorial. In order to assist with this, myself and a group of Ateneo Law School legal interns attended a five day orientation seminar in Quezon City, Manila, which briefed us on the traditions and circumstances of the Tagbanwa peoples and provided us with tools to engage with them directly to obtain this information.
Through interview simulations and affidavit workshops, we practiced documenting community narratives with accuracy and respect. In doing so, we were encouraged to tell our own life stories with one another, a stark reminder of the vulnerability and courage it takes to share intimate details with those we do not know. This exercise prompted additional consideration and mindfulness to guide us when seeking knowledge from local community members and elders.
We also visited local organizations who practice a community-oriented model of alternative lawyering. Seeing lawyers work alongside rather than simply on behalf of communities reinforced the importance of grounding advocacy in local knowledge and lived experience, and highlighted the significance of prioritizing the views of those we intend to help.
Photos from our training sessions and simulations in Quezon City, Manila.
Following this orientation seminar, we left Manila and travelled to Culion and the surrounding CALM islands to meet with Tagbanwa community members hoping to secure their CADT. This journey involved a 13 hour ferry ride from Manila and many smaller boat rides past breathtaking limestone cliffs and clear blue water with a vast array of marine life. Upon arriving, we were warmly welcomed by community elders, spent time with local children, and shared meals of freshly caught seafood prepared by our hosts.
Meeting with local community members and playing games with the children on-site.
The local law students I trained alongside were then deployed to spend a week living with Tagbanwa community members, assisting with interviews, affidavits, and other documentation required for the CADT application. Due to my lack of proficiency in Tagalog, I stayed with the program administrators at headquarters in Culion, Palawan planning for a community mapping workshop where local Indigenous communities would soon come together to exchange knowledge, strengthen relationships, and collaboratively identify ways to advance their shared interests.
Life from the CALM domain.
3. Bureaucracy
The last, and arguably most pervasive hurdle faced by Indigenous communities seeking a CADT involves the extensive bureaucracy that comes along with applying for a CADT title. The CALM ancestral domain, for example, is currently submitting its application for the third time, with the first and second attempts failing due to unclear and inconsistent reasons provided by the NCIP. According to the Community’s elders, the second application even went as far as the production of a detailed map with funding from the United Nations Development Programme, to no avail. Such setbacks can delay legal recognition of their ancestral lands for years, not to mention drain precious time and resources which had been invested into the process.
These challenges are compounded by gaps in political representation. Under Philippine law, Indigenous Peoples Mandatory Representatives (IPMR) are individuals intended to ensure that Indigenous voices and interests are represented in local policy bodies. Yet, the municipality of Culion was only able to seat an IPMR one year ago despite being a municipality for 34 years, leaving the community without a dedicated representative to advocate for its concerns throughout much of the CADT application process.
To address this, the Ateneo Human Rights Center conducted a three-day community mapping workshop on the island of Papachelen, Palawan. Forty-one (41) representatives from Indigenous ancestral domains, including representatives from CALM, came together to identify the most pressing issues facing their communities and to explore opportunities for collective action. Surrounded by mangrove forests and accessible only by boat, the gathering became a space for communities to recognize that many of the barriers they face are shared ones. Those with experience engaging with the NCIP were able to share their knowledge and experiences with others, and the IPMR’s participation provided an opportunity for him to listen directly to the needs and priorities of the communities he represents.
The workshop encouraged participation in ways that reflected the communities’ own traditions and forms of expression, including through art, song and dance, with a goal of grounding change and promoting advocacy from those most affected.
One of the activities asked members of each ancestral domain to identify their biggest dream for their community moving forward. I was touched to learn that almost instantly, all of the groups identified their most prominent wish as being the success of their CADT applications, a dream I became increasingly invested in achieving alongside them.
AHRC representatives facilitating reflection and team-building activities during the community mapping workshop.
Conclusion
Throughout this immersion, it was reinforced to me that the most effective legal work is grounded in the knowledge and priorities of the communities themselves. Rather than arriving with answers, we learned the most from one another and from the visions that Indigenous communities had already articulated for their own future.
Before we departed, one elder offered a final piece of wisdom using the metaphor of a broom. He explained that a single bristle is fragile and can accomplish very little on its own. Bound together, however, those same bristles become strong enough to accomplish its purpose. In many ways, the Tagbanwa peoples’ pursuit of a CADT is not solely about obtaining legal recognition, but about creating the conditions for communities to sustain their Indigenous governance systems, protect sacred places, and safeguard their lands and resources for generations to come. I am honoured to have witnessed and assisted in achieving this goal, and to be a bristle in their broom, even for a short time.
My batchmates, batch Sadlaw (sunlight) <3