Decolonizing AI Policy in the Philippines: IPMRs' Perspectives on Western-Based AI Strategies and the Guiding Role of Paniyaw, Ngilin, and Bain

Abstract

This study examined Indigenous Peoples Mandatory Representatives' (IPMRs') perspectives on decolonizing Philippine AI policy through the Kalinga ethical triad of Paniyaw (prohibitions), Ngilin (stewardship), and Bain (solidarity), proposing these values as an indigenous-centered alternative to Western AI governance frameworks. Employing a mixed-methods convergent parallel design, the research surveyed 94 IPMRs across six Kalinga municipalities, namely Tinglayan, Lubuagan, Pasil, Balbalan, Tanudan, and Tabuk City, complemented by semi-structured interviews and indigenous-guided focus groups. Findings revealed that IPMRs demonstrated only slight familiarity with Western AI strategies (M=2.56), including NAISR 2.0 and GDPR-influenced frameworks, yet strongly affirmed the applicability of Paniyaw-Ngilin-Bain to AI ethics domains (M=4.42). Regression analysis showed that general AI awareness (β=.309, p=.044) and policy terminology knowledge (β=.318, p=.031) positively predicted framework affirmation, while perceived Western AI influence on local projects exerted a significant negative effect (β=-.276, p=.049). IPMRs viewed operationalization as feasible at the community level (M=3.96), affirming internal capacity for monitoring and scalability, though constrained by technical expertise gaps, funding shortages, and institutional resistance. Qualitative data positioned Paniyaw-Ngilin-Bain as sacred ethical boundaries protecting cultural knowledge from AI extractivism, data commodification, and surveillance. The study concluded that Paniyaw-Ngilin-Bain constituted a legitimate, scalable indigenous AI governance architecture, contingent upon institutional recognition, IPMR capacity-building, and policy reforms integrating indigenous data sovereignty into NAISR 2.0.