Security guards in Palawan ancestral island hired by SMC subsidiary, police probe shows

Photo by Anjelica Paller

By DOMINIC GUTOMAN
Bulatlat.com

MANILA – A police investigation revealed that the armed guards deployed in Mariahangin, Palawan, are allegedly linked to Bricktree Properties Inc., a subsidiary of the San Miguel Corporation (SMC).

Mariahangin residents had a dialogue with local government agencies namely the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG), Commission on Human Rights (CHR) Palawan, National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP), and the Palawan Philippine National Police (PNP) on January 7, to address the series of harassment and the land dispute in their island.

Palawan PNP claimed that their investigation pointed to the likelihood that the Bricktree hired JMV services, which allegedly is the security agency providing guards in Mariahangin. The information was retrieved from the transcript of a meeting of Mariahangin residents with government agencies and confirmed by residents present in the dialogue.

“The security guards are legitimate. The security agency legally requested their license. We cannot prohibit them unless they commit illegal acts,” Raul Regala of the Palawan PNP said in Filipino, in a transcript of the meeting provided to Bulatlat.

Indigenous resident Angelica Nasiron said in an interview with Bulatlat that they are trying to secure the documents from the police regarding their investigation. However, up until today, they still have not acquired any.

“We are still bracing ourselves. Armed blue guards continue to hound our community and tensions are still there,” said Nasiron in Filipino.

In previous Bulatlat stories, residents underscored their fear due to the harassment
they suffered last year.

Read: IP community prevents PNP, alleged SMC elements from entering ancestral land

Mariahangin resident Angelica Nasiron in the dialogue with government agencies | Photo by Sambilog – Balik Bugsuk Movement

On June 29, 2024, sixteen unidentified armed guards arrived in Mariahangin island early in the morning, in an attempt to enter the community. Residents sent a letter to Palawan governor Dennis Socraters to look into the matter.

Since then, the community has lived in constant fear. In November 2024, Mariahangin residents also prevented the PNP from entering their community due to lack of coordination.

By December 2024, at a time when some Mariahangin residents were conducting a hunger strike in front of the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR), some unidentified men also attempted to enter their island.

SMC already released a statement in December 2024, denying involvement in the Mariahangin dispute. The residents responded by exposing the resettlement program offered by Ramon Ang.

Read: Residents expose resettlement program offered by SMC amid denial of involvement

Bricktree representatives, during a technical conference with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) – MIMAROPA on January 9, also said that the scope of their work is only limited to Bugsuk island, the adjacent island of Mariahangin.

“As an environmental [impact statement] preparer, our task is limited to Bugsuk Island,” said Jay Siason, Bricktree’s EIS preparer. “If you go there, you’ll see the strategic locations within the island. If Marihangin were included, it would be on the other side of the sea.”

Sambilog – Balik Bugsuk Movement dialogue with Department of Environment and Natural Resources and Bricktree Properties | Photo by Sambilog – Balik Bugsuk Movement

Due to the denial of the SMC and its subsidiary Bricktree, residents remain confused. Nasiron confirmed that the presence of armed guards is still looming on the island.

“It is becoming hard to understand since they are denying it. But why are they still offering resettlement through money? Why is there continuous harassment of the residents?” Nasiron said. “During the technical conference with DENR, we challenged them: If they are not associated with the armed guards, then why can’t Bricktree Properties file charges against them for using their name?” (RVO)

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