Today in Our Struggle | State forces killed 9 Tumandok, illegally arrested 16 indivs

[TAGALOG] Ngayon sa Ating Pakikibaka | Pinaslang ng mga pwersa ng estado ang 9 na Tumandok, ilegal na inaresto ang 16 na indibidwal

Panaghiusa Philippine Network to Uphold Indigenous Peoples’ Rights stands in solidarity with the Tumandok in their continuing call for accountability and justice. The network stands with them in opposing the destructive Jalaur Mega Dam that threatens their ancestral lands, displaces their communities, and violates their right to Free, Prior, and Informed Consent (FPIC).

Burial of three of nine victims of the Tumandok Massacre, January 17, 2021. Photos from Sandugo Movement of Moro and Indigenous Peoples for Self-determination.

In the early hours of December 30, 2020, combined forces of the 12th Infantry Battalion of the Philippine Army and Police Regional Office 6 conducted Synchronized Enhanced Management of Police Operations (SEMPO) in Tapaz, Capiz and Calinog, Iloilo. Homes were forcibly entered, nine Tumandok leaders and community members were killed, and 16 individuals were illegally arrested. Among the 16 were prominent Tumandok women leaders Aileen Catamin and Marivec Aguirre, members of Katribu Kalipunan ng Katutubong Mamamayan ng Pilipinas and Bai Indigenous Women’s Network councils.

State forces justified the killings by claiming the victims “fought back,” using search warrants as cover for what was clearly a coordinated and targeted attack. The victims, Roy Giganto, Mario Aguirre, Eliseo Gayas Jr., Reynaldo Katipunan, Garson Catamin, Maurito Diaz, Jomer Vidal, Rolando Diaz Sr., and Artilito Katipunan, were known Tumandok leaders and advocates who had long defended their ancestral lands and asserted their right to self-determination.

Panaghiusa asserts that the Tumandok Massacre is part of the development aggression and state violence against the Indigenous Peoples. Tumandok communities have been at the forefront of resistance against the Jalaur River Multi-Purpose Project Stage II, also known as the Jalaur Mega Dam. This multi-billion-peso infrastructure project threatens to encroach ancestral lands, displace thousands of residents across at least 18 barangays in Panay, and cause irreversible environmental and cultural damage to Tumandok and Panay-Bukidnon communities.

For years, the Indigenous Peoples have raised serious concerns over the lack and violation of FPIC, the destruction of sacred lands and livelihoods, and the exclusion of affected communities from meaningful decision-making. Instead of addressing these concerns, the state intensified militarization and red-tagging. Tumandok leaders and organizations were repeatedly vilified and red-tagged, creating the conditions that led to the killing of nine. 

Five years later, no one has been held accountable. Justice continues to be denied. The families of the victims continue to mourn, while the threats to ancestral lands persist. The continuation of large-scale destructive projects without FPIC, coupled with ongoing militarization, shows that the same conditions that led to the massacre remain in place.

Thus, Panaghiusa reiterates:

• Deliver justice and accountability for the victims of the Tumandok Massacre;

• End the militarization of ancestral lands;

• Stop red-tagging Indigenous Peoples and their organizations;

• Halt large-scale destructive projects in ancestral lands and uphold genuine FPIC.

As the year ends, we persist in asserting that development must never come at the cost of Indigenous Peoples’ lives and communities. We remain resolute in our call to end state violence, uphold Indigenous Peoples’ rights to ancestral lands and self-determination, and hold all perpetrators of the Tumandok Massacre accountable. #

Reference:

Rikki Mae Gono

National Coordinator

Panaghiusa Philippine Network to Uphold Indigenous Peoples’ Rights