MANILA – Ten indigenous and non-indigenous community leaders and residents were arrested in Sitio Mariahangin, Bugsuk, Palawan over charges of “grave coercion” filed by Caesar M. Ortega, former officer-in-charge of the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP).

Currently, advocacy groups Sambilog – Balik Bugsuk Movement and Ateneo Para sa Bugsuk are raising a total of P360,000 for the bail of ten individuals. They are being brought to Brooke’s Point by members of the police.

Ateneo Para sa Bugsuk also strongly condemned the recent arrest, declaring it is “unjust use of legal tactics, which weaponizes the law against the very people it is meant to protect.”

The case stemmed from an incident in June 2024, when Ortega tried to enter their community to conduct a “dialogue” in the community. Residents did not allow Ortega’s group to enter because they were asking people to forfeit their lands in exchange for P75,000 to P100,000.

Most of the arrested residents are known leaders who are actively speaking and campaigning against the entry of a private corporation in their island. The arrested residents also implicated San Miguel Corporation (SMC) to be behind the cases against them and the ongoing land dispute.

Read: Molbog leader charged with grave coercion for asserting right to ancestral land

Ortega was also behind the deployment of 80 private armed guards in their island in April 4, under the Alpha Law Partners.

Since then, the community of Sitio Mariahangin has been experiencing heightened tension and they were forced to take turns in guiding their island against forced entry.

Read: Indigenous peoples, residents alarmed over presence of 80 private guards in their island

“Confronting corporate interests has made the movement a target of disinformation campaigns and escalating harassment by armed personnel,” said Ateneo Para sa Bugsuk.

San Miguel Corporation previously denied “legal ownership” of Sitio Mariahangin, but the residents exposed the resettlement package offered by Ramon Ang, chairman and CEO of SMC.

The Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) has been urged to give the land back to the Molbog indigenous peoples. DAR Secretary Conrado Estrella III revoked the Notice of Coverage (NOC) of the 10,821 hectares of land of the indigenous peoples in Bugsuk, Palawan which was initially issued in 2014 under the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program Extension with Reforms (CARPER).

Read: DAR urged to give land coverage back to the Molbog people

Meanwhile, the application for Certificate of Ancestral Domain Title (CADT) in the ancestral lands of Mariahangin, Palawan, has been put to halt nearly 20 years since it was filed.

Read: Ancestral land title application in Palawan marred with delays

Ateneo para sa Bugsuk urged DAR, NCIP, and other government agencies to uphold the rights and welfare of the residents of Sitio Mariahangin.

“We call for continued vigilance and solidarity with the people of Sitio Mariahangin as they strive for peace and justice on their land. We demand accountability from those who perpetuate development aggression against the residents of Bugsuk, Palawan,” the organization added. (RTS, RVO)