Timuay Justice and Governance

The Timuay Justice and Governance (TJG; Kësëfananguwit Timuay) is the government system of the Tëduray and Lambangian peoples of Mindanao.^[2]

Timuay Justice and Governance

Kësëfananguwit Timuay
Abbreviation	TJG
Formation	October 4, 1995; 29 years ago (1995-10-04)
Type	Tribal government (Timuay system)
Legal status	Indigenous Political Structure
Purpose	Self-governance by the Teduray and Lambangian peoples
Location	Datu Odin Sinsuat, Maguindanao del Norte, Philippines[1]
Area served	Maguindanao and Sultan Kudarat

History

The Timuay Justice and Governance had its first tribal congress (Timfada Limod) on October 4, 1995 a date which the indigenous government considers as its foundation date. The Indigenous Peoples' Rights Act (IPRA) of 1997 became law leading to the TJG being recognized as a Indigenous Political Structure (IPS).^[3]

The Tëduray and Lambangian peoples has urged for the full implementation of the IPRA Law under the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao which would allow them to govern and control their ancestral domain.^[4] They held the second tribal congress in October 2010, and the third on April 2017.^[4][5]

The National Commission on Indigenous Peoples facilitated the delineation process for the Tëduray–Lambangian's ancestral domain for two decades.^[6]

However in 2019 when the Bangsamoro autonomous region was formed, the Bangsamoro Transition Authority halted the process citing jurisdiction issues and believes that the newly formed Ministry of Indigenous Peoples' Affairs (MIPA) has sole authority to delineate ancestral lands within the region.^[6]

Government and ancestral land

The TJG governs over the Tëduray and Lambangian peoples. It lays claim to ancestral domain in the Maguindanao and portions of Sultan Kudarat measuring 2,082 km² (804 sq mi) for both peoples.^[6][7] The Tëduray–Lambangian call their territory as fusaka inged and their indigenous peoples' law consist of ukit and tegudon (creed). Their justice system is called the tiyawan.^[8][9]

Activities

The TJG has also campaigned for Lumad representation when the Bangsamoro Organic Law was being drafted.^[10] It also documented killings of non-Moro people and has urged local governments to resolve this issue.^[6][11]