After years of struggling for the rights of indigenous peoples (IPs), Manobo tribeswoman Eufemia Cullamat from Surigao del Sur finally leveled up her advocacy with a seat in the House of Representatives. “I will pledge my life for our struggle and bring it to Congress,” said Cullamat, a native of Lianga town, after she took…
Philippine Network of Food Security Programmes, Inc. (PNFSP) vehemently condemn another desperate attempt by the military to discredit and close down the Lumad schools, Alternative Learning Center for Agricultural and Livelihood Development (ALCADEV) and Tribal Filipino Programs for Surigao del Sur (TRIFFPSS) on the pretext of legislative inquiry orchestrated by the Office of the Presidential…
Indigenous Women offered song, prayer to protest Kaliwa Dam Project March 8, 2019/Quezon City – “Ang lupa ay ginawa hindi para lunurin sa tubig.” “Land has been created not to be drowned in water”. This is a line in the song sang in Dumagat, translated in Filipino, by the Indigenous Women in front of the…
Govt’ body finds 2 Army commanders in Mindanao liable for human rights violations LAKE SEBU, South Cotabato (MindaNews / 08 Dec) –The Commission on Human Rights (CHR) has found two military commanders liable for human rights abuses in connection with the killing of seven tribal members in a remote village on December 3 last year.…
URGENT APPEAL July 9, 2018 (PHILIPPINES) Torture of Indigenous People ISSUES: Assertion of right to life; freedom from torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment ______________________________________________________ Dear friends, The Task Force Detainees of the Philippines (TFDP) is forwarding to you an appeal regarding the torture of four indigenous people in Upi, Maguindanao.…
To have IP rights in the BBL means inclusive peace, say Lumads “To include non-Moro indigenous peoples rights in the proposed Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) means inclusive peace, and a more lasting one,” says Titay Bleyen Santos Unsad, a Teduray leader from Upi, Maguindanao. “Peace in Mindanao is a common aspiration of the Moro people…
March 8 2018 – International Women’s Day RISE, RESIST, RECLAIM our rights, our voice, our territories We have been told to go to hell when we filed a complaint against then candidate Duterte with the Gender Ombud for violation of Magna Carta of Women, with his rape jokes and other sexist remarks. We were on…
Philippines warned over “massive” impact of military operations on Mindanao indigenous peoples GENEVA (27 December 2017) – The ongoing militarization of Mindanao in the Philippines is having a massive and potentially irreversible impact on the human rights of some of the island’s indigenous Lumad communities, UN experts* have warned. “Thousands of Lumads have already been…
Philippine Police Probe Violent Protest Dispersal Lack of Accountability Fuels Impunity By Carlos H. Conde Researcher, Asia Division @condeHRW October 21, 2016 The Philippine National Police have suspended nine officers involved in the violent dispersal of protesters – some of whom were bearing batons and throwing stones – demonstrating in support of President Rodrigo Duterte’s…
Workers’ group slam Duterte’s defense of police brutality, holds President accountable Socialist workers’ group Bukluran ng Manggagawang Pilipino today lambasted President Rodrigo Duterte’s response to the violent dispersal of protests in front of the US embassy this week, calling it “an act of violence against the people.” “Instead of saying the only thing that must…
Philippine Tribal Minorities Demand Justice Duterte has Opportunity to Deliver on Indigenous Rights By Carlos H. Conde Researcher, Asia Division @condeHRW Hundreds of indigenous people marched in the streets of Manila on Monday, demanding respect for their basic human rights. They called for the government of President Rodrigo Duterte to drop trumped-up charges brought by…
ATM Statement on the International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples Solidarity with and Justice for Indigenous Peoples! August 4, 2016 Alyansa Tigil Mina, an alliance of mining-affected communities and their support groups from civil society, which opposes the aggressive promotion of large-scale mining in the Philippines, is strongly supporting the Indigenous Peoples (IP) and…
Mining affects indigenous women human rights, Phil women’s groups said at 64thCEDAW session Geneva, Switzerland – Mining projects which encroached upon IP territories without our genuine consent causing a web of women human rights violations has been one of the statements issued by indigenous women and women’s rights advocates from the Philippines in the Convention…
Dispatches: The Philippine Picture of Badjao Displacement By Carlos H. Conde The striking image of a Filipino girl – a member of the indigenous Badjao tribe – begging in the streets of Lucban, a town in Quezon province south of Manila, has gone viral in the Philippines and prompted a flood of public concern and…
YOUTH GROUPS: HYPE WON’T SOLVE BADJAO GIRL’S PROBLEMS Student-Leaders challenge Aquino, Duterte to address ‘neglected’ IP issues in country Youth groups expressed concern over the growing hype surrounding rising internet sensations from marginalized sectors in society, particularly Rita Gabiola, popularly known as ‘BadjaoGirl.’ Viral photos of Gabiola, taken while she was begging for alms in…
URGENT APPEAL April 13, 2016 (PHILIPPINES) Torture and Killing of Indigenous People ISSUES: Assertion of right to life; freedom from torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment ______________________________________________________________________________ Dear friends, The Task Force Detainees of the Philippines (TFDP) is forwarding to you an appeal regarding the torture and killing of three indigenous…
Damn the Kaliwa Dam in the Sierra Madre Posted on Youtube by Pedro Montallana Published on Oct 23, 2015 The video is about the peoples’ opposition to the construction of the Kaliwa, Laiban and Kanan B-1 Dams. President Benigno Aquino III cited Kaliwa dam in his 5th State of the Nation Address (On July 28, 2014)…
NCIP inaction worsens IP killings, groups say Calling the agency “inutile”, indigenous leaders and environmentalists under the banner of Tampakan Forum today held a protest action in front of the National Commission for Indigenous Peoples (NCIP) central office for their continued inaction on the killings and other human rights violations being experienced by IPs around…
Back to School By Judy A. Pasimio LILAK (Purple Action for Indigenous Women’s Rights) Reynalyn Enriquez breathed her last at 3 am of September 8. Or at least that’s when her mother noticed her lifeless. She was suffering from asthma for the past week. She was 4 years old. According to news reports, Maribel, Reynalyn’s…
Philippines: Soldiers Stand Aside While Paramilitaries Attack Villagers, Students Military claims of ‘tribal war’ and denials of complicity fall flat when troops do nothing (Manila, September 24, 2015) – The Philippine military has repeatedly stood aside while paramilitary forces have attacked indigenous villages and schools in the southern region of Mindanao, Human Rights Watch said…
