Court junks Palawan indigenous residents’ plea to stop harassment

By FRANCESSCA ABALOS
Bulatlat.com

MANILA — A Muntinlupa City court has denied a request for a Temporary Restraining Order (TRO) against JMV Security Service guards filed by indigenous Molbog residents from Sitio Marihangin in Bugsuk, Balabac, Palawan. 

This is in connection with a June 18 injunction hearing at the Muntinlupa City Hall of Justice, where six community leaders represented Sitio Marihangin. 

On July 1, the court issued its decision to dismiss the petition, citing the residents’ failure to prove that they had clear and recognized rights as landowners needing protection. Given a 2024 certificate of non-overlap identifying their island as private property, the National Commission on Indigenous People has not yet recognized them as owners, 

Additionally, the Muntinlupa court allegedly has no authority to issue orders regarding activities in Balabac, Palawan.

However, a statement by the Sambilog – Balik Bugsuk Movement disputes the dismissal. “The court’s ruling disregarded compelling evidence of the Marihangin community’s ancestral claims, including photographs of sacred burial grounds and the testimonies of three Molbog residents,” they rebutted. 

They also question the validity of the court’s jurisdiction claims since JMV Security Services’ registered address is in Muntinlupa.

An ongoing battle

The armed guards currently stationed in Sitio Marihangin are connected to San Miguel Corporation (SMC), which employed them through its subsidiary Bricktree Properties. Residents claim their presence is one of SMC’s attempts to evict them for its eco-tourism project.

Marihangin youth leader Angelica Nasiron, 27, said the guards have been intimidating the community. She recalled an incident where guards beckoned to residents while wielding itaks (bolo knives), adding that gunshots are often heard coming from within their forest. 

Nasiron said the injunction case’s filing lessened the guards’ harassment momentarily. “We were so happy because this is one of the times when we could get back at the blue guards for the panic they caused us,” she explained. 

However, Sambilog emphasized that the court’s ruling threatens to embolden further attacks on the community, reigniting tensions in the island.In response to this outcome, Molbog residents released a video of themselves singing a song of determination, expressing their intent to continue fighting for the justice their community seeks. Hope is not lost for the community as they prepare to appeal the court’s decision. (RVO)

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