Amnesty International Philippines supports indigenous communities in promoting and protecting their rights in accordance to national laws and international human rights principles.
In particular, AIPh works with IP communities in addressing development issues within their ancestral domain areas. The Section also demands accountability from private sectors operating within IP-protected areas and from the government mandated to uphold the rights of indigenous communities.
In 2013, AIPh launched a five-year project that focused on Indigenous Peoples communities led by IP women who are working for the promotion of corporate accountability and protection of human rights.
The project was supported by Amnesty International Norway as part of their Education, Empowerment, and Justice Program (EEJ). Three Ancestral Domain areas situated in three provinces of CARAGA region were chosen as project sites for the EEJ project.
Members of the three communities remain as active members of AIPh and staunch human rights defenders in the CARAGA region. A campaign in support of the ancestral land registration of the EEJ communities was launched in 2018 by the Philippine section.
The petition addressed to three government offices: National Commission of Indigenous Peoples (NCIP), Office of the Presidential Adviser to the Peace Process (OPAPP), and the Land Registration Authority (LRA), urged the LRA to register the land titles of the three ancestral domains to protect it from potential illegal entries and resettlements.
As of 2017, the campaign has garnered 28,158 signatures from both national and international supporters. Leaders from indigenous communities also met with national government officials to personally deliver the petition sheets and discuss with them their concern.