Indigenous peoples condemn land-grabbing, violence in the name of ’development’
The forum, organized by the Indigenous advocates and church groups, highlighted what they called the continuing plunder of ancestral lands under the Marcos Jr. administration, a policy they said is masked by the rhetoric of progress and modernization.
By Helaena Rhyne Pontillas
Bulatlat.com
MANILA – “They call it development, but it means displacement.” said Almirah Lidasan of the Moro-Christian Peoples Alliance.
Her statement reflects the sentiments of indigenous groups who gathered at the Maryhill School of Theology in Quezon City on August 9 to mark the International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples (IDWIP).
The forum, organized by the Indigenous advocates and church groups, highlighted what they called the continuing plunder of ancestral lands under the Marcos Jr. administration, a policy they said is masked by the rhetoric of progress and modernization.
Land grabbing disguised as development
Indigenous peoples across the country face what human rights defenders called a “worsening climate of impunity” marked by development aggression, militarization, and criminalization of land defenders.
Data from human rights group Karapatan showed that from July 2022 to December 2024, there was a sharp rise in serious human rights and International Humanitarian Law (IHL) violations under President Marcos Jr. counterinsurgency programs – including 119 extrajudicial killings and 14 enforced disappearances as of 2024.
Speaking at the forum, Imelda Tabiando, spokesperson of Innabuyog-Cordillera, said that the attacks go beyond land grabs. “Leaders are harassed, threatened, and even killed. This is silencing the truth, and worse, they are criminalizing support, even individuals like Marcylyn Pilala, Sarah Alikes, and Petronila Guzman.”
The three are accused of terrorist financing under the Terrorism Financing Prevention and Suppression Act (TFPSA) of 2012. Various groups stressed that this reflects a pattern of red-tagging and fabricated cases against Indigenous rights defenders.
In an interview with Bulatlat, Lidasan said, “They use the term ‘development’ to grab ancestral lands, to take away the lands of the Moro, and even the areas of former MILF camps.”
“In the name of development–the government is stealing land, evicting the Moro and Indigenous peoples, and stripping away their right to self-determination,” she explained.
In Mindoro, the reported killing of 50-year old farmer Juan Sumilhig by the 4th infantry Battalion in San Jose, followed by intensified military operations in Roxas, Oriental Mindoro, further endangered the lives of Indigenous peoples. These attacks violate the core principle of International Humanitarian Law (IHL) which upholds the protection of civilians and those who have laid down arms in times of conflict.
From indigenous peoples of the Philippines to the people of Palestine
After the forum, participants held an indignation protest outside the venue against the Israeli Cabinet’s recent approval to occupy Gaza City. Eloisa Mesina, Chairperson of Kabataan para sa Tribung Pilipino (Katribu) said the move – framed as a “humanitarian intervention,” – will only mean further occupation and displacement for Palestinians.
“The struggle of Moro and Indigenous peoples in the Philippines is tied to the battle of the Palestinian people. Both are resisting occupation, militarization, and the theft of their homelands,” Mesina said. (DVG, AMU, DAA)
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