The Philippines is one of the countries that established a comprehensive system for the protection of the rights of its indigenous peoples (IPs) or indigenous cultural communities (ICCs), as embodied in the Philippine Indigenous Peoples Rights Act (IPRA) of 1997. This review was conducted to identify strengths and weaknesses of the IPRA and to help the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP) develop and implement a program to achieve a more efficient and effective safeguard system for the IPs. The review focused on the legal and institutional framework of the IPRA and the Free and Prior Informed Consent (FPIC) in relation to projects and development interventions falling within the domain of the IPs. The review also indicated that the IPRA, through the FPIC, has truly provided a venue for and empowered IPs to freely exercise their rights to self-determination within their domain.
