MANILA – The arrest of Oscar “Ondo” Pelayo, a 64-year old community leader in Sitio Marihangin, Bugsuk, Palawan, is an “attempt to silence the Molbog, Palaw’an, and Cagayanen indigenous peoples, alongside non-indigenous farmers and fisherfolks who have resisted corporate land and sea-grabbing in their ancestral domain,” said a farmers’ group.

On May 17, Pelayo was arrested due to an “illegal fishing” charge in 2006. Pelayo’s son is the community leader recently charged with “grave coercion” by former National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP) executive Caesar Ortega.

“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,” said Pambansang Kilusan ng mga Samahang Magsasaka (Pakisama) in a statement.

Pelayo’s arrest also follows the unjust detention of 10 indigenous and non-indigenous residents of Marihangin. They were arrested on May 15 and released on bail two days later. The first hearing for the grave coercion case against Pelayo’s son is scheduled on May 26.

It also follows the deployment of more than 40 armed private guards in the wee hours of May 18. Residents said that the private blue guards were deployed by JMV Security Services again, the same agency that deployed 80 armed private blue guards in their community on April 4. In both incidents, the guards arrived on the island at around 3 a.m.

Read: Deployment of 40 private guards increases tension in Palawan’s indigenous town

Pakisama and Sambilog-Balik Bugsuk Movement said that the 2006 charge was allegedly orchestrated by the Balabac police and security personnel of Jewelmer Corporation. Pelayo is a member of Sambilog, an advocacy organization at the forefront of defending Marihangin’s 38-hectare island and its ancestral waters against encroachments of big corporate companies. Among these companies, according to Sambilog, are Jewelmer Corporation and San Miguel Corporation (SMC).

“Jewelmer, established in 1979 by Manuel Cojuangco and Jacques Branellec, has restricted access to traditional fishing grounds, turning the Molbog, Palaw’an, Cagayanen, and other fisherfolk into trespassers into their own waters,” said Sambilog and Pakisama in a collective statement.

They added that SMC’s subsidiary, Bricktree Properties, is pushing for the 5,568 hectare eco-luxury tourism project that threatens to displace the 94 remaining households in Marihangin, despite SMC’s public denial of legal ownership over the island.

The Environmental Impact Summary (EIS) uploaded by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) in 2024 revealed that the proposed project is scheduled to finish in 2038. In the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) form submitted by SMC, they identified the eco-tourism project in Bugsuk as part of their principal properties in 2023.

The same government report stated that the Municipality of Balabac’s Office of Sangguniang Bayan endorsed a resolution in support of the eco-tourism project, recommending the issuance of a Strategic Environment Plan (SEP) Clearance and an Environmental Compliance Certificate (ECC) by the DENR.

“This island-grabbing forcibly evicting indigenous fishers and farmers should stop,” said Pakisama chairperson Roberto Ballon. 

He commended the solidarity from the Catholic Educational Association of the Philippines (CEAP), representing 1,500 Catholic schools nationwide, condemning the displacement and harassment of Marihangin residents.

“CEAP calls for a just and compassionate resolution to this case. We appeal to concerned authorities to uphold due process, respect indigenous rights, and ensure the safety and dignity of the Molbog people,” said CEAP in a statement.

Many organizations from diverse backgrounds also expressed solidarity with the ongoing fight of the Marihangin residents for their ancestral lands. Among them were the Ateneo para sa Bugsuk, Kalipunan ng Katutubong Mamamayan ng Pilipinas (Katribu), Philippines ICCA Consortium, Apostolic Vicariate of Puerto Princesa, Youth Advocates for Climate Action of the Philippines (YACAP), and Coalition of Municipal Fisherfolks Association.

Pakisama and Sambilog demanded the immediate release of Pelayo and the dismissal of the 2006 illegal fishing charges, the reinstatement of the 2014 Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Policy (CARP) Notice of Coverage (NOC) for the 10,821 hectares of land, expedite the processing of the Certificate of Ancestral Domain Title (CADT), and “end the harassment by Jewelmer and SMC, withdrawal of armed guards from Marihangin, and accountability for local authorities and corporate entities perpetuating violence and intimidation.”

Agrarian Reform 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). In December last year, the Marihangin residents went to Manila to conduct a hunger strike to protest Estrella’s decision. 

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 Marihangin, Palawan, has been put to halt nearly 20 years since it was filed. 

Read: Ancestral land title application in Palawan marred with delays

As of this writing, Pelayo is detailed at the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) Brooke’s Point District Jail. “This is a fight for justice, not just for Marihangin, but for all indigenous and marginalized communities facing corporate greed and historic wrongs,” said Randy Cirio, president of Pakisama.

Bulatlat wrote to Palawan Philippine National Police (PNP) about the legality of deployment of private guards in Bugsuk. There was also an inquiry with the Security Exchange Commission (SEC) about the validity of the business permit of the JMV Security Services. There has been no response to these requests as of this writing. (RTS, DAA)

Author’s note: This is a developing story.