As the country commemorates Indigenous Peoples (IP) Month this October, Katribu Kalipunan ng Katutubong Mamamayan ng Pilipinas has issued a strong condemnation of what it describes as escalating state-sponsored attacks against Indigenous communities nationwide.
The group accused President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. of hypocrisy, citing his public celebration of Indigenous heritage while allegedly enabling military and corporate aggression against Indigenous Peoples defending their ancestral lands.
Katribu highlighted a series of incidents across multiple regions, painting a grim picture of militarization, harassment, and displacement:
- Southern Tagalog: Indigenous communities have reportedly faced intensified military operations, bombings, and land-grabbing. An International Solidarity Mission (ISM) launched to investigate these abuses has itself been subjected to surveillance, drone monitoring, and checkpoint interrogations, raising concerns over the safety of human rights defenders.
- Occidental Mindoro: Mangyan-Iraya communities in Sitio Malatabako, Abra de Ilog, are allegedly under a food blockade and legal harassment by Pieceland Corporation. The company is accused of filing fabricated cases to displace residents and restrict access to essential supplies since October 2024.
- Rizal Province: Dumagat families in Tanay continue to report harassment from the 80th Infantry Battalion of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), the same unit linked to the 2021 Bloody Sunday killings. Military presence has reportedly disrupted livelihoods and revived trauma among survivors.
- Cordillera Region: On September 28, soldiers from the 503rd Infantry Brigade allegedly entered the home of Indigenous leader Betty Belen in Lubuagan, Kalinga without a warrant. Belen, previously detained in 2021 for opposing a geothermal project, was later accused of being on an “NPA list.”
- Benguet Province: In Itogon, security guards of Sangilo Mines, operated by Itogon-Suyoc Resources Inc. under Apex Mining, allegedly assaulted small-scale miners on October 1. In Mankayan, Kankanaey residents have mounted barricades to resist Crescent Mining and Development Corporation’s drilling operations, citing threats to food sources and lack of consent.
Katribu also criticized the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) and its Barangay Development Program (BDP), claiming that billions in public funds are being used to finance militarization and surveillance rather than genuine development. The group further denounced the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP), which marks its 28th anniversary this month, for allegedly failing to protect Indigenous rights and siding with corporate and military interests.
In its statement, Katribu held the Marcos Jr. administration, AFP, NTF-ELCAC, and NCIP accountable for what it described as “state-sponsored atrocities” and called for the abolition of NTF-ELCAC and the reallocation of its budget to public services.
The group urged Indigenous communities, advocates, and the broader public to stand in solidarity with land defenders and resist what it called “state terror,” reaffirming the right to ancestral lands and self-determination. (ZIA LUNA)
