PROCESS Inc. was founded in 1983 as a national NGO as a result ofthe program of the international Labor organisation (ILO) called “sarilakas” sariling lakas “own strength”. The Sarilakas program provided paralegal and trainings and capability building activities to marginalised farmers, sugar cane migrant workers, women and fisherfolk in Antique. PROCESS is a legal resource NGO and a member of the national network of NGOs, the Alternative Law groups, empowering/training/organising IPs, farmers, fisherfolks, women and youth. PROCESS adopted a rights-based approach to development and maintaining critical partnership with local government units and national government agencies. They are operating in the five provinces of Panay Island and if this project becomes successful, the same experience could be replicated in the remaining IP communities of Antique, Iloilo, Aklan and Capiz with similar situation and advocacy.

The proposed project will scale up the gains of the 1st project supported by Voice that facilitated the preparation of documents that were attached to the Certificate of Ancestral Domain Title (CADT) application submitted to the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP) provincial office last November 21, 2022, requesting the declaration of 348 hectares of ancestral Land (claimed) involving 398 IP households in 4 barangays of the municipality of Hamtic as Ancestral Domain. The accelerated grant project that will be implemented will result in IP community compliance to the recommendation/s of the Provincial Delineation Team (PDT) using the Provincial Delineation Team (PDT) prescribed template based on the result of the PDT review of the application submitted to NCIP provincial office. Through this project, IPs leaders shall develop skills towards active participation during the DENR survey, documentation of agreements regarding resolving conflicts of boundaries, taking pictures of significant places, landmarks, and boundary markers, and advocating to LGUs and government agencies. The evaluated and validated proofs shall be compiled as Ancestral Domain Recognition Book that will be submitted to NCIP Commission in Banc for final evaluation. Tracking systems and mechanisms at the IP organization shall be installed to monitor the status of the CADT application, and discuss and resolve issues related to the application. All activities that will be conducted will result in the completion of validated “proofs” supporting the claims as required by law towards the declaration of Ancestral land as Ancestral Domain with the active participation of IP community leaders.