Senate asked to probe killings of non-Moro folk in BARMM
Sen. Loren Legarda
MANILA, Philippines — A resolution calling for an inquiry into the situation and security of non-Moro indigenous peoples (NMIPs) in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao has been filed in the Senate following reports of killings and acts of violence against these communities.
Sen. Loren Legarda on Monday filed proposed Senate Resolution No. 1329 in the wake of the brutal killing of Teduray-Lambangian tribal chieftain Fernando Promboy, whose beheaded body was found on his farm in his hometown of Datu Hoffer Ampatuan, Maguindanao del Sur, on Feb. 20.
Promboy was a respected community leader known for his firm stance against armed encroachments on ancestral lands.
READ: 10 non-Moro tribe leaders asks BARMM chief for protection from violence
In December last year, Promboy and his family evacuated to Barangay Limpongo village, also in Datu Hoffer Ampatuan, to fend off threats to his life due to a dispute over ownership of a 5-hectare land he was tilling.
He would usually go back to his farm during the day. But he went missing on Feb. 17, and his beheaded body was found on Feb. 19 near the water reservoir of his farm.
The killing of Promboy proved that the attacks against NMIPs continued unabated, according to Timuay Letecio Datuwata, the supreme chieftain of Timuay Justice and Governance (TJG), the indigenous political structure of the Teduray-Lambangian tribe.
As many as 3,000 Teduray folks have also temporarily left their communities for fear of being killed, Datuwata told a congressional hearing early in February.
Challenges
Legarda’s resolution directed the Senate to assess the full range of challenges faced by NMIPs in BARMM, including barriers to accessing justice and the adequacy of existing protection programs.
The proposed measure also cited the urgent need for strengthened legal and policy interventions that ensure the full inclusion of NMIPs in the peace and development agenda of both the Bangsamoro region and the broader national framework.
Apart from Promboy’s death, Legarda also noted that the TJG and Climate Conflict Action have documented at least 84 NMIP killings from 2014 to 2024, including 12 leaders, seven youth, and eight women.
The Police Regional Office in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region recorded 36 NMIP killings during the same period, she added.
Discrepancies
Another data from the Commission on Human Rights through its 2024 Situation Report showed that there were 65 males, seven females and seven youth victims between 2018, the year Congress enacted the Bangsamoro Organic Law that led to the creation of BARMM, and 2024.
“These significant discrepancies among the records highlight the urgent need for independent validation, comprehensive investigation, and reinforced protection measures to hold perpetrators accountable while safeguarding NMIPs from further risks, threats, endangerment, and violence,” Legarda said in a statement.
“Beyond ensuring accountability for specific incidents of violence, there is a pressing need to reinforce the rule of law and establish clear, enforceable mechanisms that safeguard the rights and security of NMIPs without exacerbating tensions or exposing communities to further vulnerabilities,” she added.
The NMIPs and support groups welcomed a Senate inquiry into the situation and security of non-Moro peoples in the region, but Dutawata appealed for urgent actions from authorities as the series of hearings initiated by Congress on the killings exposed more of their tribal leaders to threats.
He said they received information from their leaders that armed groups harassing the communities blamed IP leaders in the area for reporting what’s going on in their localities to Congress.
