đź“· Amirah “Mek” LidasanÂ
Makabayan senatorial candidate and Moro woman activist Amirah “Mek” Ali Lidasan condemns the arrest of Ayta individuals in Barangay Sta. Juliana, Capas, Tarlac on April 18, 2025. The arrests followed a barricade set up by the Ayta community at the foot of Mt. Pinatubo to protest the unjust compensation they receive in the name of tourism.
“Karapatan ng mga kapatid nating Ayta ang magreklamo. Bahagi ng kanilang lupaing ninuno ang ginagamit sa Mt. Pinatubo para sa turismo, pero ultimo pangkabuhayan ay pinagkakait sa kanila,” Lidasan said. “Paggigiit sa karapatan sa free, prior, and informed consent ang kanilang ginagawa, kaya makatwiran lamang ito.”
Lidasan also expresses her support for the Ayta community’s defense of their ancestral land. “Ang paglapastangan sa kanilang kabuhayan ay paglapastangan din sa kanilang kultura bilang mga katutubo. Marapat lamang na harapin ang kanilang hinaing at respetuhin ang kanilang karapatan sa lupa, kabuhayan, at kultura,” she added.
In 2020, the first victims of the Anti-Terrorism Law were Ayta in Zambales. Lidasan further emphasized that the Ayta have long endured discrimination and the suppression of their rights, yet they continue to resist. This reflects the escalating abuses they face, perpetuated by both local and national governments.
Lidasan calls on the local government of Tarlac, as well as the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP), to take immediate action on the issue. She also urged state forces to cease their intimidation and harassment of the Ayta people. “Makiisa at tumindig tayo kasama ang mga kapatid nating katutubo, dahil hindi kailanman naging mali ang lumaban para sa ating mga karapatan,” Lidasan concluded. #
