PDRF empowers Dumagat-Remontado communities to lead risk and resource mapping in their ancestral domain

ANTIPOLO CITY—Recognizing the Indigenous knowledge and practices of the Dumagat-Remontado of Antipolo City, the Philippine Disaster Resilience Foundation (PDRF), through its Building Resilience through Inclusive Development and Gender Equality (BRIDGE) Project and supported by the Antipolo City Government, conducted a community risks and resources mapping led by the chieftains and elders of the Kaksaan Ne Dumaget de Antipolo on September 14-18, 2026.

Rapu Modesto Sta. Ana and seven Chieftains of Kaksaan Ne Dumaget de Antipolo indigenous group participated and led the discussions during the five-day participatory risks and resources mapping workshops and field survey across the nine communities within their Ancestral Domain in Antipolo City. 

"When Indigenous Peoples lead the identification and planning of programs that affect their communities, we unlock genuine ownership, trust, and wisdom that outside experts simply cannot replicate," said BRIDGE Project Director Anna Katrina Aspuria. "These communities have stewarded these ancestral lands for generations. Any resilience strategy that doesn't draw on that knowledge is fundamentally incomplete."

During the workshops conducted from September 14-16, the chieftains, elders, and community members identified and mapped the locations of the household settlements, critical facilities, lifelines, livelihoods, and water sources of the upland communities across their ancestral domain.

With the chieftains and the elders serving as the local guides, the BRIDGE Project Team and the representatives from the Protected Area Management Office surveyed, geo-tagged, and validated the location and status of the risks and resources mapped by the community during the last two days of the activity, including visiting areas that have the potential to become eco-tourism sites managed by the communities of Indigenous People (IP) in Barangay San Jose and Barangay Calawis. 

"The chieftains didn't simply point us to locations," noted the field team. "They explained the reasoning behind each settlement, the seasonal patterns, the vulnerabilities. That contextual knowledge is irreplaceable in building resilient communities."

The data and insights gathered through these activities will serve as input to the Ancestral Domain Sustainable Development and Protection Plan (ADSDPP) of the Dumagat-Remontado of Antipolo, the critical document that outlines how an indigenous group manages, develops, and protects the ancestral lands and natural resources included in their Certificate of Ancestral Domain Title (CADT). 

BRIDGE Project is providing technical assistance in the development of their ADSDPP as part of the Foundation’s commitment to assist in the enhancement of resilience of Antipolo City through the increase in adoption of gender-responsive, climate and disaster resilient Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) practices by women and indigenous people.

Within the context of the BRIDGE Project, resilience is defined as “the ability of the communities and local institutions to foster self-reliance in building a sustainable future.” 

Funded by Global Affairs Canada, BRIDGE is a four-year project implemented by PDRF in partnership with the local governments and indigenous communities of Antipolo City and Baguio City.