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Economic factors are also included. The study found that high poverty levels create pressure that drives families to marry off children early as a means to lessen financial burdens.
“His death again highlights the systemic violence and land-grabbing that Indigenous Peoples continue to face in their ancestral lands.”
"The good thing is, we conduct these livelihood training, together with their capacitation on leadership and paralegal. This also helps the sustainability of the indigenous communities in the long term."
“The training teaches us how to fight for our rights. Some of us are no longer silent nor do we submit in fear."
"Just keep fighting because you are what we fought for, young people."
This climate of fear undermines not only the safety of indigenous peoples but also the democratic rights of all Filipinos
The forum, organized by the Indigenous advocates and church groups, highlighted what they called the continuing plunder of ancestral lands under the Marcos Jr. administration, a policy they said is masked by the rhetoric of progress and modernization.
APARSUK co-head Angel Sarmiento embraces Molbog resident Tarhata Pelayo after injunction hearing. Photo by Francessca Abalos/Bulatlat
Angelica Nasiron, the latest victim of the criminal charges filed against the indigenous residents of Sitio Marihangin, said that the cyberlibel cases are attempts to “intimidate and silence my fellow indigenous people still fighting for our place in Marihangin [sic].”
Some come to surf or recover, drawn to Siargao’s beauty and relative peace. But their presence, often marked by aggressive behavior, loud partying, and a disregard for local customs, has begun to unsettle the community.
“The court’s ruling disregarded compelling evidence of the Marihangin community’s ancestral claims, including photographs of sacred burial grounds and the testimonies of three Molbog residents."
“Our sacred land is not a resort. It is the heart of our people’s memory, dignity ang survival. We call on all Filipinos, government institutions, and civil society to reject impunity and corporate violence.”
These charges were filed against a certain "Mary Jane Velasco", of which Niezel has no connection to.
“The latest incarceration of Pelayo, a vocal advocate for ancestral land and water rights, is yet another example of legal tactics weaponized to suppress the community’s resistance."
Residents said that the private blue guards are deployed by the JMV Security Services again, the same agency that deployed 80 armed private blue guards in their community on April 4.
Most of the arrested residents are known leaders who are actively speaking and campaigning against the entry of a private corporation in their island.
What they stand to lose is far more than copper and gold. It is everything they call home.
A Mindanao anthropologist said that it is “ridiculous and preposterous” to say that Kamigin Indigenous People do not exist.
“Large-scale mining and energy projects are being rebranded as ‘green solutions.’ But the cost is high: massive excavation, deforestation, and the displacement of communities. These projects worsen landlessness and threaten food security."
At the 41st People’s Cordillera Day, the call to surface Dexter and Bazoo resounded through poetry, song, and collective memory—a call carried by loved ones and communities determined to bring them home.
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