Caravan for IPs brings gov’t services to remote Sorsogon town
- Bicolmail Web Admin
- Sep 6
- 3 min read
By Benilda Recebido
SORSOGON CITY, Sorsogon --- Representatives from major government agencies, including the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) and the Department of Health (DOH), visited Donsol town in Sorsogon to provide essential frontline services to indigenous peoples (IPs).
Rosyl Tabla, a community development officer from the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP), said that the caravan, which brought together 27 government agencies, allowed the IPs of Donsol—a remote area in Sorsogon—to access vital government services that are often out of reach for them.
“The IPs in Donsol rarely receive services from different government agencies, so the service caravan we organized was truly a big help for them. In fact, they greatly appreciated it because in the past, they belonged to groups that were somewhat neglected when it came to access to government services,” she explained.
Tabla observed that many IPs still lacked birth certificates, and others had not utilized services offered by the DOH.
“This (situation arises) because some communities in Donsol are located in GIDA (geographically isolated and disadvantaged areas),” she added.
The participating agencies provided various services, including medical consultations, food packages, seedling distribution, engaging activities for children of IPs, and assistance in obtaining civil documents such as birth and marriage certificates. They also offered lectures, consultations, and information campaigns about various government programs and services.
About 500 IPs from different barangays in Donsol received support from 27 agencies. Hamin Valenzuela Magdamin, a beneficiary from Barangay Gimagaan, expressed her gratitude after obtaining important civil registry documents.
She secured a copy of her child’s birth certificate and inquired about correcting her own records. Hamin noted that the cost of obtaining these documents was significantly lower than in a city. “I only spent around P250, including transportation and food. But if we were to get it in Legazpi (city), each document would cost nearly P500. That’s why we are thankful to the Philippine Information Agency and the Philippine Statistics Authority.”
PIA and PSA led the caravan in collaboration with the Sorsogon Communicators’ Network (Sorcomnet), which includes information officers from various agencies and local governments.
According to the PSA in Sorsogon, the data gathered during the information caravan indicated that 159 beneficiaries received services from various agencies.
A total of 332 civil registration documents were released, 15 national ID papers were issued, 33 individuals were registered in the national ID system, and nine individuals were registered under the Birth Registration Assistance Project.
Roberto Capispisan, the president of the Indigenous People’s Mandatory Representatives of Donsol, expressed his gratitude for the opportunity, highlighting the significance of the IP community being chosen to benefit from the caravan.
“We no longer need to travel far or spend a lot on transportation just to access the offices because they are now here in Donsol. This has been a significant help, especially regarding the information and services provided to us, the Agta,” Capispisan stated.
Donsol is home to two subtribes of the Agta people: the Agta Tabangnon, who are the result of intermarriage with lowlanders, and the Agta Cimaron, descendants of the nomadic Agta in Bicol who intermarried with foreigners.
As of December 2024, NCIP records showed that there were a total of 38,071 IPs scattered across 48 different barangays in the municipalities of Pilar, Donsol, Irosin, Bulusan, Prieto Diaz, and Matnog.
Among these municipalities, Donsol has the largest population of IPs, with 14,094 individuals. (Bertuldo Jr. Bueza contributed to this report/PIA Bicol/Sorsogon)
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