We reaffirm our unwavering call for the Indigenous Peoples, small-scale organic farmers, and rural women of Mindanao and the country. Their fundamental rights—to life, dignity, land, culture, and a healthy environment—must be upheld all the time, everywhere.
For generations, these communities have been the stewards of ancestral territories and farms, maintaining them through sustainable, agro-ecological practices rooted in reciprocity with the earth.
Yet, in recent decades, this foundational relationship has been shattered. Systematic corruption and exploitation by large-scale mining corporations, predatory agribusinesses, and unregulated imports has devastated lands, polluted waterways, deepened poverty, intensified repression, and amplified injustice.
Adding to the wounds is the State complicity and corruption that have enabled violent land-grabbing, repression, and the impunity of perpetrators. Documented atrocities—including reported murders, arbitrary arrests, and detentions—reflect a grave failure to protect these communities. Ancestral Domain claims of Indigenous Peoples inside and outside the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao are in limbo. Agrarian reform beneficiaries in Zamboanga del Sur and Lanao del Norte continue to face unacceptable delays, harassment, and obstruction in their land installations.
Beyond legal challenges, these groups endure constant threats, intimidation, harassment.
Women bear a disproportionate burden, navigating both productive and reproductive responsibilities amid these hardships. Their voices and rights must be central to any solution.
The persistence of the indigenous peoples and advocates meanwhile resulted to recent positive developments that signal movement toward justice for Indigenous Peoples and non-Moro Indigenous People communities which are also essential steps toward secure land tenure and self-determined development:
1.The Ancestral Domain Claim of the Teduray and Lambangian tribes was discussed, resulting in agreed timelines and concrete actions by the Ministry for Indigenous Peoples Affairs (MIPA-BARMM) with its new leadership and the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP); and,
2.The Erumanen Ne Menuvu’s Ancestral Domain Sustainable Development and Protection Plan (ADSDPP) has been recognized and adopted by the Barangay Local Government Unit of Barangay Aroman, Carmen, North Cotabato.
However, we particularly demand immediate implementation of the Certificate of Ancestral Domain Title (CADT No. R10-QUE-0113-00261), issued by the NCIP on January 13, 2023, and the safe and prompt installation of the Manobo-Pulangiyon community within their ancestral domain in Kiantig, Quezon, Bukidnon.
Autonomous sustainable community and environmental governance must be supported
We also call that all stakeholders, particularly government agencies, provide unconditional and substantial support for the sustainable farming practices of Indigenous Peoples. We specifically highlight: the Sulagad system (Teduray and Lambangian) and the Suragad program (Erumanen Ne Menuvu).
Furthermore, the tribes' Indigenous Political Structures (IPS) require independent, untainted support—free from political or corporate control—and sufficient resource allocation to function autonomously. This autonomy is crucial for them to effectively protect their Ancestral Domains, safeguard the environment, and benefit society.
This support aligns with the national imperative to provide strong, substantive backing for the expansion of organic and natural agriculture, primarily spearheaded by small-scale farmers.
Atrocities must end; human rights, dignity and social justice must prevail
We urge the Philippine government, civil society, and the international community to take decisive action to immediately stop the atrocities against the environmental defenders, Indigenous Peoples, rural development and agrarian reform advocates and the rural women and small-scale food producers.
During this Organic Agriculture Month (November 2025), let us reaffirm our stand in defending the rights of Indigenous Peoples, women, farmers, and the planet. Amid the intertwined climate and governance crises confronting the Philippines, we must learn from the collective, pluralistic leadership of Indigenous communities and their nature-based economies.
Together, let us affirm that justice, sustainability, and self-determination are inseparable. The future of Mindanao, the Philippines, and the planet depends on our collective resolve.
Alyansa ng mga Mamamayan para sa Karapatang Pantao (AMKP)
#DefendEHRD #DefendHRD #CADT #NCIP #DAR #NOAB #Philippines #BARMM #MIPA
Alyansa ng mga Mamamayan para sa Karapatang Pantao (AMKP): Defend the Defenders
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