Indigenous communities in the Philippines remain under threat despite existing legal protections, according to a newly released report submitted to the United Nations by rights advocates.
The document details ongoing violations of Indigenous Peoples’ rights, including land encroachments, militarization, and environmental destruction.
The report, addressed to UN Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples José Francisco Calí Tzay and Dr. Pichamon Yeophantong of the UN Working Group on Business and Human Rights, was publicly launched during a forum held at the University of the Philippines Diliman.
It was organized by the Panaghiusa Philippine Network to Uphold Indigenous Peoples’ Rights (Panaghiusa), the Legal Rights and Natural Resources Center (LRC), and Indigenous Peoples Rights International.
“Despite their vital contributions to sustaining the nation’s ecological health, Indigenous Peoples face systemic discrimination and oppression from the Philippine Government,” said Beverly Longid, co-convener of Panaghiusa, during the launch.
Longid added that destructive projects and policies continue to be implemented in indigenous territories, resulting in a rise in human rights abuses such as forced evacuations, militarization, and other violations affecting tens of thousands.
The report highlights a series of abuses, notably violations of the Indigenous Peoples’ right to Free, Prior, and Informed Consent (FPIC), red-tagging of community leaders, and the militarization of ancestral lands.
Among the documented cases is a forest plantation in Negros Occidental that reportedly operates without FPIC from the Bukidnon-Ituman and Bukidnon Karul-anon tribes.
Other cited violations include the Matigsalug Manobo tribe’s exposure to a watershed project and threats to the Mansaka community in Davao de Oro.
The Teduray in the Bangsamoro region continue to suffer from violence and displacement amid unresolved land disputes, the report said. Illegal mining in Zamboanga del Norte endangers the Subanen tribes, while the Tampakan copper-gold project in South Cotabato could displace 4,000 members of the Blaan tribe.
Internal security forces, including the Armed Forces of the Philippines, Philippine National Police, and Citizen Armed Force Geographical Unit, are also implicated in cases of harassment, intimidation, and extrajudicial killings.
The report claims that counterinsurgency operations have been used to suppress Indigenous opposition to land encroachments in areas such as Cagayan Valley, Rizal, Oriental Mindoro, Capiz, Negros Island, and Sultan Kudarat.
While the Philippine government expressed commitment during the 41st Universal Periodic Review in 2022 to respect FPIC and protect Indigenous Peoples’ rights and Human Rights Defenders, rights groups said implementation remains weak.
In light of what they describe as a worsening crisis, the organizations called on the UN to conduct a “full-scale investigation” into the situation of Indigenous Peoples in the Philippines.
They urged the probe to address “land and environmental conflicts, cease militarization and red-tagging, ensure fair trials, and provide support for local Indigenous initiatives and humanitarian assistance.”
“It is crucial to uphold the Indigenous Peoples’ right to Free, Prior, and Informed Consent, address tenurial overlaps and land grabbing, and ensure the safety and well-being of Indigenous Peoples Human Rights Defenders,” Longid said.
