The indigenous peoples’ rights act ’A triumph of political will’

On December 8, 1998, the Philippine Ambassador to the United States hosted a special afternoon symposium at the Philippine Embassy in Washington DC, at which Thomas Headland was the plenary speaker. An abridged version of the text of his address is presented. Headland’s main message was a warning to the Philippine leaders of the environmental crisis looming in that nation, and a plea to the Philippine government to maintain the momentum they gained in 1997 with the passage of Republic Act 8371, called the Indigenous Peoples’ Rights Act. The Philippine Ambassador hosted this event. The audience included representatives from the World Bank, USAID, the Peace Corps, the Smithsonian Institution, environmental NGOs, diplomats from other embassies, human rights lawyers, and anthropologists. Headland’s address was reported in the Anthropology Newsletter (1999) and in ASAA (1999).