MANILA – With the deployment of 80 private armed guards in Sitio Mariahangin, Bugsuk, Palawan, concerned groups and individuals expressed support for the Molbog indigenous peoples’ right to their ancestral land.

In a statement, Puerto Princesa, Palawan Bishop Socrates Mesiona said that justice and peace should prevail in the lives of the indigenous peoples. “All they seek is to live peacefully and earn a livelihood on their ancestral land.”

He called on the government agencies to intervene and prevent any potential violence brought by the presence of the armed guards.

“It is important to acknowledge that the people of Mariahangin, primarily Molbogs and Cagayanens, have inhabited the area for a significant period. Many residents were born and raised there, and they consider it their true home,” Mesiona said in a radio interview with Radyo Veritas.

Ancestral land dispute in Sitio Mariahangin has a long history. The application of the Molbog and Cagayanen indigenous peoples for Certificate of Ancestral Domain Title (CADT) has been pending for two decades. 

“Lately, there has been a petition submitted to our office through Atty. Ortega, to cancel your application because there was ‘no basis’ [to the claim],” said Jansen Jontilla of National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP) to the residents in Filipino during a recent dialogue between the residents and the government agencies on January 7.

Read: Ancestral land title application in Palawan marred with delays

Their struggle for land may also be traced back to the dictatorship of Ferdinand Marcos Sr, who awarded the land to his crony Danding Cojuangco Jr. In 1974, the indigenous peoples were driven away from the 10,821 hectare of ancestral land on Bugsuk islands to give way for the establishment of a nursery for hybrid coconut trees, a business interest of the late crony.

Makabayan senatorial aspirant Amirah Lidasan condemned the ongoing harassment and intimidation due to the presence of armed guards from JMV security services.

“Deploying armed men in Indigenous communities to enforce displacement and make way for big business interests has no place in a democratic society,” Lidasan said in a statement.

On June 27, 2024, a staff allegedly representing the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) informed local residents of the impending demolition of their homes to make way for a large-scale eco-luxury tourism project spanning more than 5,500 hectares known as the Bugsuk Island Resort.

The project is proposed by Bricktree Properties, a subsidiary of San Miguel Corporation (SMC). According to the Environmental Impact Summary (EIS) uploaded by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), it is scheduled to be finished in 2038.

The same government report showed that the Municipality of Balabac’s Office of Sangguniang Bayan endorsed a resolution in support of the eco-tourism project, recommending the issuance of a Strategic Environment Plan (SEP) Clearance and an Environmental Compliance Certificate (ECC) by the DENR.

The development is only ongoing in the adjacent island (Bugsuk island) of Sitio Mariahangin. Since they are two different islands, the SMC released a statement last year confirming its “legal ownership” of 7,000 hectares of titled properties on Bugsuk Island except Sitio Mariahangin, a separate island, where the Molbog indigenous peoples are residing.

The denial of ownership and involvement with Mariahangin island, however, contradicts the residents’ claim. They said that in 2023, SMC initially presented a “resettlement program” for Mariahangin families, offering P75,000 ($1284.79) with land or P100,000 ($1713.05) if without land. In 2024, the offer was allegedly increased to P400,000 ($6852.19) per family to urge them to vacate their ancestral lands.

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

More than 90 families stood their grounds and refused to accept the offered resettlement program.

“I urge the government to rule in favor of the Indigenous Peoples and recognize their rightful claim to their ancestral domain. The Marcos Jr. administration must correct the injustice committed by Marcos Sr. in granting ancestral lands to his cronies,” Lidasan said.

She called for the immediate withdrawal of the armed guards from the indigenous communities and for the authorities to uphold the collective rights of the indigenous people to land ownership and self-determination.

Meanwhile, more than 20 organizations in Ateneo de Manila University urged Marcos Jr., DAR, and the NCIP to intervene as regards withdrawal of armed troops.

“The constant and intensifying aggression against the residents of Sitio Mariahangin have and continue to seriously damage social and economic activity,” the Ateneo organizations said collectively in an open letter.

In response to the presence of armed guards, the residents of Sitio Mariahangin have taken turns day and night to guard their island and prevent guards from entering. (DAA)