Doing IP research in the Philippines specially if you are a stranger to the research environment is a complicated affair. The first step is to search the agency that administers research and dealings with the IP – the National Council for Indigenous Peoples (NCIP), an agency mandated by the Indigenous Peoples Rights Act (IPRA). The intentions of the NCIP are noble, that is to fulfill the provisions set forth by the IPRA legislation that was passed to protect the property and cultural rights of the IP. After that its the bureauracy. The essential problem is that their website is minimalist: there is a pronouncement page and phone numbers to call. You have to call. This when the adventure starts. A call is taken by an administrator who after a few questions and will send you a page of agency directories. The application to do research among the IPs is administered at the regional level, which almost for certain you have to travel to the regional office in the province to process the request. The regional offices do not have a published email. You have to call. At the regional office, the call is received by an administator who, thankfully, gives you an email address to send documents. The problem is that three of the documents require your physical presence – the application form, a notarized statement, and a fee of Php500. Easy enough, except for the notary part. There might be none in the vicinity. I was fortunate because the Region IV office was in familiar territory – Cubao/Araneta complex, but finding a notary was challenging. Security guards say they seem to have heard from someone that there is a notary around but could not tell where. The code word it turns out is- passports. Where do they process passports? Using the code word, directions were forthcoming but with a word of warning – traffic. Another code word but all it really means is that there is a long line. Indeed, a notary was to be found in the Dept of Foreign Affairs office in Ali Mall, a spanky large office where scores of Filipinos were lining up for the precious document that can take them away to a foreign job. Using another code word – stamp only, I was directed to a stamp-only notary vendor. Three stamps for Php 50. Mission accomplished, all transacted in less than hour. I rewarded myself with Starbucks Frappuchino and headed back to bureaucracy. The lady bureaucrat was out to lunch. Sigh.

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