Nearly 20 years in the making, their application for CADT remains uncertain. Current Molbog indigenous leaders said that ten of their elders have already died waiting in vain.
Ancestral land title application in Palawan marred with delays
Category: Indigenous Peoples Rights
Security guards in Palawan ancestral island hired by SMC subsidiary, police probe shows
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.
Soldiers prevent father of slain Mangyan to claim daughter’s remains
“Although Tatay Pepe was able to identify that the remains in Dimatulac Funeral Homes were his daughter’s, both the Roxas police and 4th IBPA are making things hard on him for no discernible reason,” human rights watchdog Karapatan Southern Tagalog said in a statement. “They are miring Tatay Pepe through documents and bureaucracy, despite the law clearly stating what considerations and rights should be given to indigenous people.”
Ex-NCIP official files raps vs indigenous community leaders in Bugsuk, Palawan
In total, ten indigenous and non-indigenous residents of Sitio Mariahangin are currently facing a criminal complaint filed by Caesar M. Ortega, former NCIP director for the Ancestral Domain Office (ADO) and former officer-in-charge executive director, who identifies himself as the “authorized representative of the nine (9) land owners of the nine titled properties situated within Bowen Island (Sitio Mariahangin).”
Gov’t urged to take action as Marawi internal refugees face eviction
According to the IDP-led group Reclaiming Marawi Movement, approximately 5,000 displaced families are subject to eviction before the end of this year due to the expiring contract between the government and private landowners for the establishment of these shelters.
Molbog IPs stage 9-day hunger strike, DAR secretary no show
“[Secretary] Estrella, we are pleading to you. Please have mercy on us. The attacks against us have gone too far and our human rights are being violated. We can no longer go to school because of what San Miguel Corporation (SMC) is doing to us. Many young people among us still want to study, but I am one of those who had to stop because we can no longer live in peace there,” Rustene Pelayo Leoncio said in Filipino.
Residents expose resettlement program offered by SMC amid denial of involvement
Residents said that in 2023, SMC initially presented a “resettlement program” for Mariahangin families, offering money amounting to P75,000 with land or P100,000 if without land. Recently, the offer has increased to P400,000 per family to urge them to vacate their ancestral lands.
DAR urged to give land coverage back to the Molbog people
In 2023, DAR revoked the NOC of the 10,821 hectares of land of the indigenous peoples in Bugsuk, Palawan which was initially issued in 2014. Residents said that this decision by DAR Secretary Conrado Estrella III prompted escalated harassment and intimidation in their community in Sitio Mariahangin.
Groups urge gov’t to prioritize reopening of Lumad schools in Mindanao
The child-focused group noted there was an estimate of 10,000 IP students in Mindanao who were affected after the discontinuation of over 200 Lumad schools, which were built by non-government organizations, IP communities, and church workers.
Molbog leader charged with grave coercion for asserting right to ancestral land
Eusebio Pelayo, 69, a community leader and a Molbog resident in Mariahangin, Bugsuk, Palawan, is summoned to court on December 4 due to a criminal complaint filed by Caesar M. Ortega, described as the “Authorized Representative of Land owners situated within Bowen Island” in the document. Ortega is NCIP’s former OIC executive director of the NCIP and Ancestral Domain Office’s (ADO) former director.
IP community prevents PNP, alleged SMC elements from entering ancestral land
“We cannot sleep well these days because we fear that they will enter the community. Our husbands have skipped work and our livelihoods have been paralyzed just so we can defend our ancestral land from their attempts to seize it. Our children sometimes do not have anything to eat.”