An Indigenous group decried their long-standing struggle for the approval of their ancestral domain titles, claiming that despite fulfilling all requirements, their applications have seen no progress.
Indigenous Aeta chieftain Petronila Muñoz of Capas, Tarlac province, said there has been no progress in their application for Certificates of Ancestral Domain Titles (CADTs) since the 1980s, “even though the requirements are complete.”
Muñoz made the statement during a press briefing in Quezon City on August 6, coinciding with the observance of the International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples.
The chieftain accused the Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA) of encroaching on their ancestral lands without securing the required ‘Free, Prior, and Informed Consent’ (FPIC) from the community.
According to Philippine laws, Indigenous communities have to give FPIC before the government can start a development project in ancestral territory.
“Why did BCDA enter our lands without holding FPIC? Who is responsible for this?” she said, adding that their CADT has not been approved yet because of the government-owned corporation.
In May, BCDA announced the imminent launch of 2,000 to 3,000 ‘affordable’ housing units in New Clark City, including the 83-hectare Capas Housing Site as one of the three initial sites.
The construction of the new city is expected to displace at least 65,000 people in 12 villages, including about 18,000 indigenous Aeta people.
In 1992, former President Corazon Aquino signed into law the Bases Conversion and Development Act, mandating the Bases Conversion and Development Authority to manage lands inside the former US military base.
The law had no mention of the Indigenous peoples living in the former military reservations.
Meanwhile, the KATRIBU Kalipunan ng Katutubong Mamamayan ng Pilipinas urged the United Nations to conduct an independent investigation into the human rights situation of Indigenous Peoples in the country.
“Under the Marcos Jr. administration, impunity against Indigenous Peoples persists even after the recent conclusion of the UN-PH joint programme on human rights cooperation,” said Beverly Longid, national convenor of the group.
During the National Academic Forum on July 24-25 at the University of the Philippines College of Law, representatives of Indigenous Peoples communities voiced their concerns to UN experts.
The most highlighted issue was the violation of the right to FPIC in projects related to mining, energy, and dams, accounting for 51 percent of reported cases.
Red-tagging and criminalization of Indigenous leaders made up 31 percent of the cases, with many violations linked to the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict.
These included trumped-up charges and incarceration of several IP leaders and the terrorist designation of Cordillera People’s Alliance leaders.
Militarization and human rights abuses comprised 17 percent of the cases, including the abduction of Dexter Capuyan and Bazoo De Jesus, and the murder of Dulangan Manobo youth Kuni Cuba in June 2024.
