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Atitiw v. Zamora

NESTOR G. ATITIW, as taxpayer, lawyer and in his capacity as Chief Executive of the Cordillera Bodong Administration (CBA) and as member of the Cordillera Executive Board (CEB), Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR); MAYLENE D. GAYO, as taxpayer, lawyer and in her capacity as Legal Officer of the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR); FLORENCIO KIGIS, as taxpayer and in his capacity as member of Cordillera Regional Assembly (CRA), Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR); and MODESTO SAGUDANG, as taxpayer and in his capacity as member of Cordillera Regional Assembly (CRA), and Chief, Cordillera People’s Liberation Army (CPLA), petitioners vs. RONALDO V. ZAMORA, in his Capacity as Executive Secretary, Office of the President, Malacañang, Manila; BENJAMIN E. DIOKNO, in his capacity as Secretary of the Department of Budget and Management (DBM), Office of the President, Malacañang, Manila; and THE REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES, through the Office of the Solicitor General as Counsel of the Republic, in its capacity as a public Corporation that entered into contract with the CBA-CPLA, respondents.

G.R. No. 143374 | 2005-09-30

TINGA, J.:

 

PROLOGUE

The ethnographic diversity of the Filipino People is a source of national pride, enriching as it has, our nation’s culture. Nonetheless, it has likewise been the source, on occasion, of political discomfort. The inherent right of peoples to maintain their traditional way of life has not always met a welcome response from the entrenched majority. The perceived discriminatory treatment of cultural minorities has in turn engendered unrest.

The restoration of democracy,with the resultant promulgation of the 1987 Constitution, has allowed more room for creative solutions that accord the utmost respect to the rights and...