Stop Criminalizing Solidarity with the Indigenous Peoples! Defend Talaingod 13!

[TAGALOG] Itigil ang Kriminalisasyon ng Pakikiisa sa mga Katutubo! Defend Talaingod 13!

The Panaghiusa Philippine Network to Uphold Indigenous Peoples’ Rights reiterates the National Solidarity Mission (NSM) in November 2018 was a legitimate and urgent response to the escalating militarization, bombings, and paramilitary attacks in Talaingod, Davao del Norte. The affirmation of the unjust decision against the Talaingod 13, including Ka Satur Ocampo of Bayan Muna, Teacher France Castro of ACT Teachers Party-List, Lumad teachers, and volunteers, is a glaring example of how the state weaponizes the law to criminalize solidarity with the Indigenous Peoples, twisting humanitarian missions into crimes while the true perpetrators of human rights violations remain free.

Photo from Altermidya.

During the Duterte regime, 216 Lumad schools were forcibly shut down, Indigenous Peoples’ communities bombed, and thousands displaced. Operating under the sanction of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, paramilitary groups, including Alamara, threatened and harassed teachers and children. In the face of food blockades, aerial bombings, and threats of arson, the NSM sought to rescue Lumad children and educators from imminent danger. Yet, instead of recognizing this act of protection, the state has criminalized it, branding defenders as “child abusers” while absolving the military and paramilitary forces of accountability.  

This unjust decision reflects a broader pattern of repression. The Save Our Schools Network documented widespread violations: forced evacuations affecting over 18,000 individuals, torture and assault against teachers and parents, and the killing of Lumad leaders and students. Under Marcos Jr., this legacy continued through intensified military operations, judicial harassment, and the expansion of mining and plantation projects into ancestral lands. The Pantaron Range, one of the country’s last ecological frontiers, has become a target for dispossession, with paramilitary groups deployed to terrorize communities and clear the way for corporate plunder.  

The criminalization of solidarity is a deliberate state tactic to delegitimize resistance and isolate Indigenous Peoples from their allies. By branding defenders as criminals, the government seeks to normalize violence, silence dissent, and dismantle collective action. But solidarity is not a crime. It is a moral obligation and a political necessity to stand with the Indigenous Peoples who face militarization, displacement, and dispossession. The Talaingod 13 are not criminals. They are defenders of rights, dignity, and justice. Their struggle is the struggle of the Lumad and the Filipino people.  

Panaghiusa joins the call of the Defend Talaingod 13 Network, the Indigenous Peoples, and advocates for accountability from the military, police, and paramilitary groups who continue to terrorize Indigenous Peoples' communities. We urge civil society, grassroots organizations, and international allies to resist the criminalization of solidarity, amplify the voices of the Indigenous Peoples, and hold the state accountable for its systematic violations of human rights.

We reiterate: Solidarity with the Indigenous Peoples is not a crime. Defending the Indigenous Peoples is not a crime. The true criminals are those who bomb schools, displace communities, and plunder ancestral lands. Panaghiusa will continue to stand firm with the Lumad and all the Indigenous Peoples until justice is achieved and their rights are fully upheld. #

Reference:

Rikki Mae Gono

National Coordinator

Panaghiusa Philippine Network to Uphold Indigenous Peoples' Rights