Project Caraga Launches CADT Operations Planning Workshop in Surigao del Sur

Empowering indigenous communities through participatory planning and forest conservation

The Project Caraga CADT Operations Planning Workshop officially kicked off with a pilot run on August 13–15, 2025, at the Municipal Gym in Cortes, Surigao del Sur. The session opened with welcome remarks from Cortes Municipal Mayor Dennis Yu, followed by a Project Caraga refresher presented by Chief Operating Officer Bonnie Sanchez and Chief Marketing Officer Rowil Aguillon. Both underscored the project’s mission as a leading forest conservation and community-based initiative dedicated to protecting forests and upholding Indigenous rights across the region.

The Operations Planning exercise actively engages community representatives in identifying and laying down priority plans for implementation within their respective Certificate of Ancestral Domain Titles (CADTs). This participatory approach ensures that project activities are rooted in local priorities and reflect the aspirations of partner indigenous communities.

Under the Indigenous Peoples’ Rights Act (IPRA) of 1997, CADTs are formal titles issued by the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP), legally recognizing the rights of Indigenous Cultural Communities/Indigenous Peoples (ICCs/IPs) to their ancestral lands and domains. By anchoring its planning process on CADTs, Project Caraga reinforces Indigenous self-determination while strengthening governance and conservation practices within these territories

As part of its participatory governance model, Project Caraga is rolling out the CADT Operations Planning Workshop in all ten partner communities across the Caraga Region. This series of workshops aims to align community-driven initiatives with the project’s broader goals of biodiversity protection, sustainable livelihoods, and climate action, further cementing the role of Indigenous peoples as stewards of the region’s forests.