By ANGELICA PALLER
Bulatlat.com

MANILA – Residents of a disputed island in Palawan on Wednesday rejected government claims that dismiss allegations of harassment, land grabbing, and restricted access to fishing and basic services.

Marihangin Island residents refuted statements from the Palawan Provincial Mobile Force Company (PMFC) and the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG)-Palawan that no harassment incidents have occurred since Nov. 18, 2024.

“What happened on Nov. 20 and Dec. 4? Women were almost stripped naked. And just this January 31, 2025, SMC [San Miguel Corporation] staff and the IPMR (Indigenous Peoples Mandatory Representative) of Balabac, along with NCIP (National Commission on Indigenous Peoples) staff, stormed in,” Angelica Nasiron, a Molbog resident, said.

Police and suspected SMC representatives attempted to enter the community on Nov. 18 and Nov. 20, without proper coordination, residents said. SMC has since stationed armed guards about 400 to 500 meters from Marihangin, despite ongoing opposition.

“People there can barely earn a living because they’re constantly guarding against those armed men at the edge of the island,” Nasiron revealed. “Is that what they call peaceful? They just sleep at home while [we] have to go to the end of the island, day and night, just to stand guard.”

Since June 29, residents, including Molbog leader Marilyn Pelayo, have been guarding the area, citing threats from armed guards from JMV Services, a company reportedly connected to an SMC subsidiary.

Read: Security guards in Palawan ancestral island hired by SMC subsidiary, police probe shows

“The day they fired on us, they also built a post there,” Pelayo said, adding that the guards are armed, preventing them from asserting their right to access to the area. “We are afraid as to what they might do to us.”

Meanwhile, PtCol. Christopher Navida of PMFC countered residents’ “land-grabbing claims,” noting the barangay hall is on SMC property in mainland Bugsuk Island. Because of this, according to Navida, barangay officials must request permission from SMC to enter and access the hall.

“I have no experience dealing with the barangay because we’re not allowed to enter,” said Oscar Pelayo Jr., a Molbog resident of Marihangin. “When I applied for clearances and certificates, employees would assist us, going into Bugsuk themselves to get the documents.”

For Pelayo Jr., the lack of direct access to essential documents is more than an inconvenience, it is a denial of their rights as citizens.

SMC has confirmed its legal ownership of 7,000 hectares of titled property on Bugsuk Island, excluding Sitio Marihangin, an island inhabited by the Molbog people and non-indigenous farmers and fisherfolk.

Read: Residents expose resettlement program offered by SMC amid denial of involvement

Romillano Calo, chairperson of Sambilog-Balik Bugsuk Movement (SBBM), said during a Dec. 4, 2024 dialogue with government agencies, official reports failed to reflect the reality of land-grabbing, harassment, and intimidation they face from entities linked to SMC.

“If there is no land-grabbing in Bugsuk, why is the company offering residents of Marihangin large sums of money to sell their homes and leave the island?” Calo said in an interview.

On fishing restrictions and basic services

NCIP representatives Engr. Ysmael Fontanilla and Aurea Abadilla said no ancestral waters are officially designated in the area, despite allegations of fishing restrictions.

Mariahangin fishermen, however, reported security guards blocking access, seizing gear, and harassing them—some were even struck with paddles, forced to sleep in wet clothes, illegally detained, and being denied to return home.

On Jan. 23, 2025, fisherman and seaweed farmer Reymark Pelayo said a speedboat, allegedly owned by Jewelmer Corporation, rammed his boat. “There were three of us with five boats, but we were hit the hardest,” he said.

“Our boat was destroyed,” Pelayo said. “They told us not to board their speedboat, even as we were sinking. Another boat came to rescue us.”

Both parties eventually agreed that the speedboat owner would shoulder the cost of repairing the fishermen’s damaged boat.

“Daily life is difficult due to the harassment,” Pelayo added. “We rely solely on the sea to support our families. If we can’t fish for even a single day, what will we eat?”

As tensions persist, Marihangin residents and SBBM continue to demand unrestricted access to government services, recognition of their ancestral land and water rights, and an end to harassment, including the presence of armed guards.

“We will continue to call for the removal of those armed men,” Nasiron said. “We are asking for your help. What we need is assistance in removing those armed men, not just temporary aid.” (RTS, RVO)