National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP) – Cordillera and CARAGA region director Marlon Bosantog is quitting the executive branch after getting nominated in an indigenous peoples partylist group.

Bosantog, a lawyer, and also one of the spokespersons of the government’s anti-insurgency multi-agency National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC), is considered resigned from NCIP, he said, effective November 15.

Newly-created partylist group “IPEACE Epanaw, has chosen Bosantog as one of its nominees in the 2022 partylist race.

Though talk is rife that Bosantog’s resignation at the NCIP was fueled by last week’s declaration by anti-dam oppositionist and IP leaders in Cabugao, Apayao of the NCIP official as “persona non grata” after disagreements on how the government tribal body handled the 5MW Gened Dam 1 in Apayao that accordingly would submerge the IPs ancestral domain. Bosantog however earlier parried the dam opposition are not legitimate representatives of the IPs affected by the mega dam project.

Bosantog, na native of Bokod, Benguet said, he will also have to resign as one of NTF-ELCAC’s spokespersons following his nomination in the partylist race.

The NCIP official claimed he has recommended officials in the agency next to him in rank to replace him in the posts in the Cordillera and CARAGA regions.