Tenure & Governance

Rural and Indigenous women in the Philippines turn voice into presence in local governance to keep forests standing. Read the 2025 Assembly highlights.

From shy documenter to trusted guide: Lovely’s journey with UGNAYIN PH and GLA shows how indigenous youth defend Sierra Madre’s forests and culture

Tagbanwa youth leader Monitte Lantas moved from quiet student to UGNAYIN PH Secretary and SK officer, championing Palawan’s forests and living culture. With support from NTFP-EP Philippines under the Green Livelihoods Alliance, she’s organizing peers, reclaiming language, and keeping Tagbanwa traditions alive where they belong.

Higaonon and partner IP youth gathered in Balingasag for I-YES Camp Mindanao 2024—four days of intergenerational learning, nature-based solutions, and culture-in-action. The camp clarified youth roles in forest governance, advanced IKSP transmission, and set concrete steps for protecting ancestral domains.

From July 9–11, 2025, Indigenous youth leaders from across the Philippines gathered in Quezon City for the Indigenous Youth for Environmental Sustainability (I-YES) Camp 2025, carrying the theme “Sa Ugat Nagmumula: Pagtibayin ang Ugnayan para sa Kinabukasan.”

Almost a year ago, from September 3-6, 2024, Nanay Camp Mindanao took place in the ancestral land of Sitio Mintapod, Impasug-ong Bukidnon. 30 Higaonon women participated in this transformative gathering, which was centered on gender, culture, and forest governance for the women of the forests.