BARMM Interim Chief Minister Abdulraof Macacua 鈥擯hoto from his Facebook page
DAVAO CITY, Philippines 鈥� Ten leaders of non-Moro indigenous peoples in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region (BARMM) in Muslim Mindanao are asking new Interim Chief Minister Abdulraof Macacua for protection amidst the continued killings and displacement of the IP tribes in the region.
Following are four of the leaders who made the appeal in a statement issued last Tuesday:
- Timuay Labi Leticio Datuwata, supreme chief of the indigenous peoples structure of the Teduray-Lambangian tribe
- Datu Mario Kadilingan, chief of the Menubu Dulangan tribe
- Timuey Ronald Ambangan, general secretary of the Erumanen ne Menuvu IP structure
- Jennievie Cornelio, head of the women鈥檚 sector of the Timuay Justice and Governance of the Teduray-Lambangian tribe
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Lumad killings
Along with six others, they called on Macacua to take action on the killings of the Lumad.
Among the appeals they made in the statement are the following:
鈥淔irst and foremost, (we) recognize and look forward to working with the newly appointed Interim Chief Minister Abdulraof Macacua. We are hopeful that your leadership will foster peace and security in the region.鈥�
鈥淪econdly, we would like to appeal to the Interim Chief Minister to take immediate action in response to violence and killings affecting non-Moro IPs in the region. Just last February 17, another NMIP leader was brutally killed and beheaded in Datu Hoffer Ampatuan. He was the 85th NMIP killed since 2014 鈥� the year when the Comprehensive Agreement on Bangsamoro (CAB) was signed.鈥�
Immediate actions
Among the four immediate actions that they called on the Macacua to take is the establishment of permanent military detachments, in coordination with the Philippine National Police (PNP) and the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), in areas of non-Moro IPs experiencing increasing violence.
These include the towns of Datu Odin Sinsuat in Maguindanao del Norte and South Upi and atu Hoffer Ampatuan in Maguindanao del Sur.
鈥淭hese detachments should collaborate with local mediation bodies to prevent violent transformation of conflicts,鈥� the statement said.
The non-Moro IP leaders also sought assistance for the displaced evacuees in line with Section 9g of the Bangsamoro Indigenous Peoples Act of 2024 on their rights in case of displacement and Section 8 of the Bangsamoro IDP Act of 2024 on the immediate assistance to IDPs.
According to the last count of the Teduray-Lambangian tribe, at least 3,000 non-Moro IP families displaced by continued harassment by armed groups have not yet returned to their homes.
They asked Macacua to enjoin the Ministry of Social Services and Development and other relevant regional and national government agencies to facilitate their return to their home communities.
Address impunity
The statement also asked the chief minister to help address impunity and lack of justice for the victims of killings by coordinating with the Department of Justice (DOJ) for the designation of a DOJ special prosecutor to respond to non-Moro IP killings.
They also asked for the mobilization of relevant ministries 鈥� such as the Ministry of Indigenous Peoples鈥� Affairs (MIPA) of the BARMM and the Bangsamoro Human Rights Commission (BHRC) 鈥� to provide legal and paralegal support to families of victims, witnesses, and other non-Moro IPs at risk of being killed.
According to the statement, 15 non-Moro IPs were killed in the year 2024 alone, and so far, no perpetrator has yet been brought to justice up to this day.
鈥淲hile families of victims, especially witnesses to the crime, face continuing threats to their lives, the killers still roam around scot free,鈥� the IP leaders said in the statement.
鈥淎s head of the BARMM government, the Interim Chief Minister is in a position to create strong and reliable protection and justice mechanisms for NMIP communities in the region guided by the safeguards and guarantees enshrined in the Philippine Constitution, Bangsamoro Organic Law, the Bangsamoro Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) Act of 2024 and the Bangsamoro Indigenous Peoples Act of 2024,鈥� leaders went on.
鈥淲e appeal to the new Interim Chief Minister to act on our calls to help restore hope and alleviate the fear in our communities. We need bold, decisive measures that guarantee our protection and deliver long-overdue justice. Let this be the turning point that ends our suffering and secures a future where our rights are respected and our voices are heard,鈥� they added.