Today, as the Philippines commemorates the 28th anniversary of the Indigenous Peoples’ Rights Act (IPRA) of 1997 (RA 8371), the Non-Moro Indigenous Peoples (NMIPs) in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) continue to suffer attacks and injustices, demanding that the government to move from ceremonial remembrance to concrete actions.
For nearly three decades, the promise of IPRA—which guarantees the right to Ancestral Lands, Free, Prior, and Informed Consent (FPIC), and self-determination—was a "distant echo" in the region, with the law never implemented under the former ARMM. While the recent passage of the Bangsamoro Indigenous Peoples Act (BIPA) in the new Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) is a welcome development, it must not remain merely a paper policy.
Uncertain Future: A Crisis of Impunity and Land Insecurity
The reality on the ground is one of unrelenting violence and bureaucratic neglect:
Rampant Killings: Since 2018, more than a hundred (102) NMIP members have been killed across BARMM, with the brutal beheading of respected Teduray elder Ramon “Nel” Lupos in Datu Hoffer Ampatuan on September 30, 2025, serving as the latest tragedy in a growing wall of impunity.
Ancestral Domain Invasion: The Teduray and Lambangian people continue to watch their untitled Fusaka Inged (Ancestral Domain) shrink under the relentless assault of illegal loggers, land grabs, agribusiness ventures and miners. Similarly, the Manobo Dulangan and Erumanen ne Menuvu peoples are defenseless against land grabs and other aggression without the Certificate of Ancestral Domain Title (CADT).
The Unseen Sea: The Sama Dilaut/Bajau—the Sea People—face a unique crisis as laws fail to safeguard their crucial maritime territory from illegal fishing and coastal developers who ignore the need for consent.
Our Unified Call to Action
We call on the national and Bangsamoro governments to fulfill their constitutional and moral obligations for the Non-Moro Indigenous Peoples:
- End the Killings and Establish Security: Immediately recognize the Ancestral Domain tribal defense/Cultural Guards under the new BIPA and establish a security task force (IPS-National Government-BARMM) to dismantle armed groups and protect villages.
- Ensure Justice: Launch independent, public investigations into all 102 murders since 2018, commencing with the brutal killing of Ramon “Nel” Lupos, and parallel probes into threats and harassment.
- Fast-Track Land Recognition: Urgently fast-track all pending CADTs, especially for the Teduray-Lambangian Ancestral Domain Claim and the Sama Dilaut claim in Tampalan, Malamawi Island.
- Uphold FPIC: Guarantee that no project—road, mine, tourism, or fishing concession—proceeds without genuine Free, Prior, and Informed Consent (FPIC) backed by thorough environmental impact assessments and transparency.
We call on all solidarity groups and advocates (Regional, National and International community—UN bodies, the International Labor Organization, Civil society organizations, media institutions, religious denominations)—to monitor government institutions’ compliance with IPRA, BIPA, and international standards such as ILO Convention 169.
The Government of the Philippines and the BARMM must be reminded that the passage of the BIPA is only the first step. The true test of governance is its ability to protect the weakest and most marginalized.
"Justice for their ancestors is justice for their children.”
This anniversary must be the day we move from words to deeds, ensuring protection for every forest, river, upland farm, and open sea that sustains the first inhabitants of the region and the country.
Solidarity to the persistent fight of all Indigenous Peoples in the Philippines against all forms of human rights violations, oppression and ecological destruction!
October 29, 2025
Alyansa ng mga Mamamayan para sa Karapatang Pantao (AMKP)
Task Force Bantay Kalikasan (TFBK)
Kilusang Maralita sa Kanayunan (KILOS KA)
Lanao Alliance of Human Rights Advocates (LAHRA)
Philippine Alliance of Human Rights Advocates (PAHRA)
Inged Fintailan
Non-Moro Indigenous Peoples Youth Network (NMIPYN)
Interfaith Movement for Peace (IMove Peace)
Alliance of Tri-People for the Advancement of Human Rights (ALTAHR)
Sectoral Transparency Alliance on Natural Resource Governance in Cebu, Inc. (STANCe)
Sumpay Mindanao
—-
https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=1236315601864155&set=a.214957680666624
https://www.researchgate.net/.../379639516_Human_Rights...
Timuay Ramon Lupos
https://www.bworldonline.com/.../teduray-tribe-leader.../
Nicasio Mindo
https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/.../teduray-leader-slain-in...
Timuay Leoncio Arig
https://europe-solidaire.org/spip.php?article33529
Fernando Promboy
https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/.../ip-elder-beheaded-in...
Vice Mayor Roldan Benito and aide Weng Marcos
https://www.rappler.com/.../south-upi-maguindanao-del.../
Baywan Angan
https://share.google/Ybf3Jl9cFHPdeVsHS
Cita Angan, Ricky Tapioc killed in Maguindanao del Sur https://share.google/zKY5sorGXOPUOuWDt
On displacements, dispossession and the struggle for recognition
https://www.lrcksk.org/evacuees-in-their-own-land
NMIP unified statement
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/17TZqkhL9v/
Peace Monitor records 102 deaths
https://mindanews.com/.../102-non-moro-ips-killed-in.../
A Just Bangsamoro for All
https://mindanawonline.blogspot.com/.../statement-just...
https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=1267494008756193&set=a.482440490594886
Comments
Post a Comment