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.”
More than a decade ago, Srang Lanh alongside members of the Bunong indigenous communities in Kbal Romeas raised multiple concerns on the implementation of the Lower Sesan 2 Hydropower Project – a 400-megawatt dam project funded by the International Finance Corporation (IFC) through its financial intermediary. The Lower Sesan 2 dam is situated below the confluence of the Sesan and Srepok rivers and 25 kilometers from the Mekong River.
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.