Philippines forum urges governments to put Indigenous knowledge at the centre of policy

A national policy forum in the Philippines has highlighted the role Indigenous knowledge systems can play in shaping sustainable development, with researchers and educators urging governments to treat community-based leadership and land stewardship as practical assets – not just cultural heritage.

The Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PIDS) says its 12th Knowledge-Sharing Forum, held through the SocioEconomic Research Portal for the Philippines (SERP-P), focused on “Indigenous Peoples and Nation-Building: Lessons in Leadership, Sustainability, and Peace”. The discussions drew together academics and development stakeholders in Bukidnon to consider how Indigenous approaches to governance and environmental care can inform national decision-making.

PIDS president Philip Arnold P. Tuaño said long-standing knowledge systems are increasingly relevant to modern policy challenges. “These values are increasingly recognized as vital principles for sustainability, cooperation, and respect for both people and nature” he said during the forum.

The event comes as new datasets shed clearer light on the size and diversity of Indigenous populations. A World Bank report drawing on the Philippines’ 2020 census data says about 9.46 million people identified as Indigenous(round 8.7 per cent of the national population) providing a stronger statistical basis for targeted policy and budgeting.

Speakers at the forum argued that Indigenous knowledge is not only about history, but about problem-solving in areas such as food systems, local dispute resolution, disaster preparedness and biodiversity protection. PIDS said the exchange explored the contribution of Indigenous practices to peacebuilding, environmental protection and community governance, including how intergenerational knowledge can support “nation-building efforts”.

One session highlighted the intersection of conservation policy and Indigenous rights. PIDS researcher Sally Domingo discussed how protected-area frameworks can better recognise Indigenous Peoples’ rights and ancestral lands, pointing to the need for governance models that do not treat Indigenous communities as an afterthought inside national parks or conservation zones.

The forum was organised in partnership with Bukidnon State University and the Polytechnic University of the Philippines, with organisers saying the goal is to strengthen research networks and ensure Indigenous knowledge informs long-term national strategies.

For Indigenous leaders and communities, the stakes are immediate: policy made without local input can undermine cultural authority and weaken community capacity to care for Country. For government, proponents say the opportunity is equally concrete – learning from systems that have managed land, water and social cohesion for generations, and adapting those insights to contemporary challenges like climate change, inequality and rural development.

While the forum did not claim Indigenous knowledge can replace modern science, the central message was that sustainable policy is more likely when research and government decisions are built with Indigenous peoples, not merely about them.