Katribu Kalipunan ng Katutubong Mamamayan ng Pilipinas (KATRIBU) condemns the disinformation by Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr., his camp, and family through blatant historical distortion and invalidation of Indigenous Peoples’ struggles. KATRIBU reiterates its call to oppose the possible return of a Marcos in the top post in the Philippine Government.
Apart from the 70,000 cases of imprisonment, 34,000 torture incidents, and 3,240 killings, plunder of Indigenous Peoples’ ancestral domain, violence, and human rights violations against the sector proliferate under Marcos Sr.’s regime.
Indigenous Peoples will #NeverForget how Marcos Sr. attempted to destroy indigenous communities in the Cordillera through the World Bank-funded Chico Dam Project and Cellophil Resources Corporation’s plunder and destruction of Indigenous Peoples’ ancestral domain.
The Cordillera people continue to celebrate the legacy of Macliing Dulag, an indigenous leader assassinated under Marcos Sr.’s regime for his strong resistance against the said destructive dam project. Cordillera communities commemorate Dulag’s heroism, alongside other indigenous heroes’ contribution to the Indigenous Peoples’ struggle every 24th day of April—the Peoples’ Cordillera Day.
In Mindanao, members of Lumad communities were illegally arrested, tortured, and killed. These human rights violations prompted them to evacuate forcibly. Marcos Sr. created the Presidential Assistant in National Minorities in 1968, which functioned to aggressively recruit and train Indigenous Peoples as members of paramilitary groups. These groups aimed to divide and harass members of indigenous communities who resisted to protect their rights to self-determination and ancestral lands.
From 1972 to 1986, Marcos Sr. displaced 300,000 Moro through a combination of “hamleting” and community takeovers. The dictator effectively pioneered and refined extrajudicial killings against Indigenous Peoples to help foreign mining corporations secure a foothold in indigenous lands.
Suppose Marcos Jr.’s presidential bid prevails and gains greater political power. In that case, he will undoubtedly capitalize on the opportunity to absolve further his father and his family of their crimes and human rights violations against Filipinos—a disrespect to all victims and survivors of Marcos Sr.’s bloody dictatorship.
Meanwhile, Marcos Jr. cannot simply wash the stains on his hands. He was his father's willing and conscious accomplice in those dark times. Marcos Jr. benefits from all the wealth the Marcoses looted from Filipinos.
Indigenous Peoples’ fight for self-determination, ancestral lands, democracy, and justice will not go in vain. KATRIBU urges the public to uphold and continue the legacy of all martyred Indigenous Peoples and other Filipinos during the darkest era of Philippine history.
KATRIBU emphasizes Marcos Jr’s bid for the presidency is an insult to Indigenous Peoples’ decades-long struggles to protect their collective rights. We will not allow another Marcos to serve in Malacañang. Marcos Jr., his allies, and electoral candidates who are Marcoses’ enablers and apologists deserve zero votes from Indigenous Peoples and rights advocates.
The Marcoses and their cohorts work hard to disinform the public. Still, genuine Indigenous Peoples’ resistance and Filipinos’ struggles remain justifications of truth, justice, and democracy. #
Rei Paulin
National Coordinator
Katribu Kalipunan ng Katutubong Mamamayan ng Pilipinas (KATRIBU)
0917 816 9258
katribu.campaigns@gmail.com