Panaghiusa condemns unjust conviction of Talaingod 13; urges gov't to uphold IP's rights to ancestral lands, self-determination, education

[TAGALOG] Panaghiusa kinokondena ang di-makatarungang hatol sa Talaingod 13; nananawagan na itaguyod ang karapatan sa lupang ninuno, sariling pagpapasya, edukasyon

One year after the unjust conviction of the Talaingod 13, Panaghiusa Philippine Network to Uphold Indigenous Peoples’ Rights condemns the continuing miscarriage of justice. We urgently demand an end to the criminalization of those who defend the rights of Indigenous Peoples.

Ka Satur Ocampo (second from left), one of the Talaingod 13, with fellow activists during the protest in front of the Commission on Human Rights, a year after the unjust conviction of the Talaingod 13, July 15, 2025.

The Talaingod 13, a group of teachers, humanitarians, and lawmakers, acted in defense of the most basic human rights: the right to life, the right to education, and the right to safety. These rights are already being deprived of many Indigenous Peoples, including the Lumad in Mindanao.

This inadequacy and negligence of the government became the very reason the Lumads established their education system. Aside from limited access to basic social services, their quality of life is further worsened by the military presence in their community.

The Talaingod 13 were rescuing the Lumad children from the harassment and violent displacement of state-backed paramilitary groups in 2018. Yet, they were unjustly convicted of "child endangerment," and the narrative was twisted to criminalize their advocacy. The laws are twisted into weapons to silence those who expose human rights violations, oppose militarization, and support Indigenous Peoples’ rights.

Under international human rights law, the state is obligated to protect, not persecute, human rights defenders. The UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) likewise affirms the rights of Indigenous communities to establish and control their educational systems, practice and transmit their cultural traditions, and live free from fear and violence.

However, instead of fulfilling its duty, the government bombed Lumad schools, labelled teachers and community leaders as terrorists, and weaponized laws to punish solidarity.

Thus, Panaghiusa calls on the Marcos Jr. administration to respect the rights of Indigenous Peoples to ancestral lands, self-determination, and education. We demand the immediate reversal of the unjust conviction of the Talaingod 13. We also support the reopening of Lumad schools as an expression of the Indigenous Peoples’ right to culturally-relevant education.

We assert: It is just to end state-sanctioned vilification, criminalization of solidarity, and militarization of Indigenous communities. #