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Not long after the first reported aerial strafing in the province of Oriental Mindoro, another case was reported on March 1 by a human rights group, endangering farmers and Mangyan-Hanunuo indigenous peoples.
Asian indigenous peoples and advocates from Indonesia, India, Tripura, Bangladesh, Nepal, Denmark, and Australia express their solidarity with the Mangyan indigenous peoples in Mindoro and join the call to uphold Mangyan rights to ancestral lands and self determination, to stop the militarization, and uphold the International Humanitarian Law (IHL)
Human rights groups expressed alarm on reports of aerial strafing in indigenous peoples communities in Pola, Oriental Mindoro.
“What happened on Nov. 20 and Dec. 4? Women were almost stripped naked. And just this January 31, 2025, SMC staff and the Indigenous Peoples Mandatory Representative of Balabac, along with NCIP staff, stormed in,” Angelica Nasiron, a Molbog resident, said.“What happened on Nov. 20 and Dec. 4? Women were almost stripped naked. And just this January 31, 2025, SMC staff and the Indigenous Peoples Mandatory Representative of Balabac, along with NCIP staff, stormed in,” Angelica Nasiron, a Molbog resident, said.
Nearly 20 years in the making, their application for CADT remains uncertain. Current Molbog indigenous leaders said that ten of their elders have already died waiting in vain.
“Although Tatay Pepe was able to identify that the remains in Dimatulac Funeral Homes were his daughter’s, both the Roxas police and 4th IBPA are making things hard on him for no discernible reason,” human rights watchdog Karapatan Southern Tagalog said in a statement. “They are miring Tatay Pepe through documents and bureaucracy, despite the law clearly stating what considerations and rights should be given to indigenous people.”
In total, ten indigenous and non-indigenous residents of Sitio Mariahangin are currently facing a criminal complaint filed by Caesar M. Ortega, former NCIP director for the Ancestral Domain Office (ADO) and former officer-in-charge executive director, who identifies himself as the “authorized representative of the nine (9) land owners of the nine titled properties situated within Bowen Island (Sitio Mariahangin).”
According to the IDP-led group Reclaiming Marawi Movement, approximately 5,000 displaced families are subject to eviction before the end of this year due to the expiring contract between the government and private landowners for the establishment of these shelters.
“[Secretary] Estrella, we are pleading to you. Please have mercy on us. The attacks against us have gone too far and our human rights are being violated. We can no longer go to school because of what San Miguel Corporation (SMC) is doing to us. Many young people among us still want to study, but I am one of those who had to stop because we can no longer live in peace there," Rustene Pelayo Leoncio said in Filipino.
Residents said that in 2023, SMC initially presented a “resettlement program" for Mariahangin families, offering money amounting to P75,000 with land or P100,000 if without land. Recently, the offer has increased to P400,000 per family to urge them to vacate their ancestral lands.
In 2023, DAR revoked the NOC of the 10,821 hectares of land of the indigenous peoples in Bugsuk, Palawan which was initially issued in 2014. Residents said that this decision by DAR Secretary Conrado Estrella III prompted escalated harassment and intimidation in their community in Sitio Mariahangin.
The child-focused group noted there was an estimate of 10,000 IP students in Mindanao who were affected after the discontinuation of over 200 Lumad schools, which were built by non-government organizations, IP communities, and church workers.
Eusebio Pelayo, 69, a community leader and a Molbog resident in Mariahangin, Bugsuk, Palawan, is summoned to court on December 4 due to a criminal complaint filed by Caesar M. Ortega, described as the “Authorized Representative of Land owners situated within Bowen Island” in the document. Ortega is NCIP’s former OIC executive director of the NCIP and Ancestral Domain Office’s (ADO) former director.
“We cannot sleep well these days because we fear that they will enter the community. Our husbands have skipped work and our livelihoods have been paralyzed just so we can defend our ancestral land from their attempts to seize it. Our children sometimes do not have anything to eat.”
The dispute over Hacienda Almeda dates back to the implementation of the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program in 1988. The 1,546-hectare property, spanning the municipalities of Mamburao and Abra de Ilog, was initially placed under agrarian reform coverage due to its agricultural use.
“The nominees of Epanaw have no rightful claim to represent Indigenous Peoples (IP). Their reckless red-tagging has endangered the lives of IP leaders, organizations, and communities,” said Beverly Longid, national convener of KATRIBU.
“We live in a society where those who would do good are those who would be put to jail while the real terrorists and killers are free and in government positions.”
Badjao, also known as “sea gypsies,” are indigenous people from the islands of Mindanao. They are known to have a rich maritime heritage. Historically, they have traversed the water of Sulu and lived nomadically. However, the long-running armed conflict in Mindanao has displaced them, forcing them to migrate to urban areas like Lucena City.
The case stemmed from a solidarity mission that was aimed to bring food and other essentials to Lumad students of the Salugpongan Ta’Tanu Igkanogon Community Learning Center Inc. (STTICLC) and the Community Technical College of Southeastern Mindanao (CTCSM) that are based in the hinterlands of Talaingod.
“While no words can truly console Kuni's family, we stand in unwavering solidarity with them and all Lumad people fighting for their children's right to education amidst escalating violence, militarization, and impunity in their ancestral lands,” said SOS Network, demanding justice for Kuni, his family, and all victims of Lumad killings.
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