Towards a Pro-poor Reward Mechanism with the Bago-Kankanaey Indigenous Peoples in Bakun, the Philippines

The Bakun indigenous peoples (Ips) in the municipality of Bakun, a province of Benguet, Philippines, are aiming to develop a propoor reward mechanism from their watershed services. In 2002, through the efforts of Bakun Indigenous Tribe Organization (BITO), the Ips were awarded a municipal-wide Certificate of Ancestral Domain Title (CADT) by the national government, enabling them to exercise their traditional rights to their ancestral land. Agreements under the Philippine law and voluntary assistance have given some benefits to Bakun over the years from the hydroelectric companies. Now, development of a conditional, realistic and pro-poor reward mechanism as a new
environmental instrument comes as a challenge for the Ips since it entails a major change in the roles they would be playing. This paper presents the struggle of the Bakun Ips and the strategies and actions they have taken towards a pro-poor reward mechanism.