The City Government of Davao created the Davao city Indigenous People’s Affairs Office (DC-IPAO) as a unit under the City Mayor’s Office, through Executive Order No. 14.
Davao City is a multicultural city of diverse inhabitants, including its 11 ethnolinguistic groups. In a bid to promote equality and unity, the DC-IPAO was created to cater to the needs of these ethnolinguistic groups in the city.
Led by the 11 Deputy Mayors, the new office will serve as the primary pipeline in the implementation of executive instruction, programs, and projects of the city designed to promote the welfare, growth, and development of the Indigenous Cultural Communities/Indigenous Peoples (ICCs/IPs) in the city.
The DC-IPAO shall also lead in preserving and developing the culture, tradition, institutions, and well-being of the 11 ethnolinguistic groups in Davao City.
Additionally, the office will serve as a medium through which ICCs/IPs can seek linkages with local and national offices for IP affairs, and as a nerve center for information for the IP groups.
The office is also mandated to participate in the peace process involving conflicts between ICCs/IPs or individuals in Davao City and the government, in cooperation with the appropriate agencies and institutions.
Further details about the ordinance, including the list of functions of the DC-IPAO may be accessed here: https://davaocity.gov.ph/transparency/executive-orders/2026-2/. CIO
Written by: J. Villaluz
Edited by: A. Nawal