Indigenous rights alliance *Katribu Kalipunan ng Katutubong Mamamayan ng Pilipinas* strongly denounces the recent statement issued by the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) on July 21, which falsely accused Indigenous educators and advocates of conducting a “reckless, ideologically driven operation” in their 2018 rescue of Lumad children in Talaingod, Davao del Norte.
“What NTF-ELCAC calls a crime was an act of courage,” said Beverly Longid, National Convener of Katribu.
“The Talaingod 13 stepped in to protect Lumad students and teachers under threat from paramilitary groups. Their response was urgent, necessary, and life-saving.”
Katribu rejects the task force’s weaponization of Indigenous governance structures, citing NTF-ELCAC’s reference to a July 15 statement from the Ata-Manobo Tribal Council as manipulative.
“This tactic is a dangerous attempt to legitimize continued attacks against Lumad educators, advocates, and schools built by Indigenous communities themselves,” Longid stressed.
Salugpongan and similar community-run schools have long provided culturally-rooted education in areas neglected by the state.
“These schools are beacons of hope,” Longid emphasized. “They are born out of community need and sustained by solidarity, not insurgency.”
Since its inception under Executive Order 70 in 2018, NTF-ELCAC has been widely criticized for its aggressive counter-insurgency tactics—including red-tagging, militarization, forced and fake surrenders, and disinformation.
Katribu calls for accountability over the 2021 Lianga massacre, the 2022 killings of the New Bataan 5, and the deaths of young Lumads *Kuni Cuba* and *Elioterio Ugking*.
“The convictions of Teacher France Castro, Ka Satur Ocampo, and other rights defenders are not justice—they criminalize compassion,” Longid stated.
Katribu also condemned the task force’s use of coerced testimonies and deceptive international citations.
The group pointed out that UN Special Rapporteurs Irene Khan and Ian Fry both called for NTF-ELCAC’s abolition in 2024 and 2025, citing its role in repression, disinformation, and obstruction of peacebuilding efforts.
“To the Ata-Manobo Tribal Council: let us not be used as pawns of state propaganda,” Longid urged. “We must ask—who gains when our schools are shut down, our teachers persecuted, and our youth displaced?”
Katribu firmly asserts that Indigenous education is not a threat—it is a lifeline. The group is renewing its call to dismantle the NTF-ELCAC and end state-sponsored harassment of Indigenous communities.
“We have received no services, no protection—only violence and vilification,” Longid concluded. “The time to abolish NTF-ELCAC is now.” (ZIA LUNA)
