Philippines: Women's Human Rights Defenders Lead The Struggle For Indigenous Peoples’ Right To Land, Livelihood, And Environment In Mindanao.

 

Since June 2010,...

thirty-two environment defenders– including 24 indigenous leaders were killed, and out of the 114 victims of extrajudicial killings (July 2010 to September 30, 2012 data), 15 are women and girl-children. To date, no perpetrator has been prosecuted and arrested for these violations.

Asia Pacific Forum on Women, Law and Development (APWLD), in solidarity with its sisters and network in the Philippines, condemns the large-scale mining related human rights violations in Mindanao and calls on the government of the Philippines to stop the killings, threats and to ensure justice and protection for the indigenous people of Mindanao.

Since June 2010, thirty-two environment defenders– including 24 indigenous leaders were killed, and out of the 114 victims of extrajudicial killings (July 2010 to September 30, 2012 data), 15 are women and girl-children. To date, no perpetrator has been prosecuted and arrested for these violations.

Furthermore, thousands of families in Mindanao are internally displaced, especially in the urban areas; families and communities are being uprooted from their ancestral lands and their children are also uprooted from their schools and separated from their friends. And, people-initiated schools are still under attack, harassment, and intimidation. Militarization has affected over 5,700 people in Mindanao.

The recent typhoon has also heavily affected the island. As of this time, some 500 were reported dead as evacuation centers were also destroyed by the typhoon. Most areas affected are those militarized areas where large-scale logging and mining activities are being conducted. Regardless of the damages caused by the disaster, families are primarily not driven away due to typhoons or natural calamities but mostly due to intensified military operations, environmental plunder and constant violations of their human rights. [Source- KARAPATAN http://karapatan.org/Karapatan-Monitor-Q3-2012]

 “Defending their right to land, their right to life: Stories of Women from the frontline”

Bae Women Leaders

Nayhugpungan (Adelfa Belayong), Bebeth Enriquez, and Bai Emil Digkalay-oban (Virgenia Tugay) come from different tribes of Lumads in Mindanao, and are all leaders of their respective indigenous peoples organizations. They have been active on addressing problems in their communities like forced evacuation due to intensified military operations in the area, and foreign large-scale mining. Because of their active involvement, they are constantly threatened by authorities and military personnel.

In March 2011, Bebeth Enriquez survived an ambush of soldiers on their way to the fields to harvest food. She bears the scars of bullet wounds. Her family was eating lunch at their farm when the first volley of bullets hit her in the chest and arm. Bleeding and fighting for her life, she was brought by the military to their camp and forced her to sign a paper admitting that she is an New People's Army rebel.

When she declined, she was denied proper medical care. She was detained for one month without charges and was finally released with the help of her father’s relentless appeal through a local radio station. Their ancestral land in Agusan is rich in copper, nickel, and gold and is being explored by numerous foreign mining companies.

Bae Nayhugpungan (Adelfa Belayong), meanwhile, lost her husband Datu Mampaagi Belayong to the extrajudicial killing in 2009 for their staunch opposition against mining and large-scale logging. She was the chairperson of Linundigan, a Lumad Organization in Esperanza. Due to threats to her life, she is unable to go back to her ancestral land and perform her duties as a leader. Bae Nayhugpungan is now based in Butuan City as she works with KASALO (Kahugpungan sa Lumadnong Organisasyon).

Bai Emil Digkalay-oban (Virgenia Tugay) likewise has become a target of harassment by soldiers, and lost her 23-year old cousin, an anti-mining advocate to another extrajudicial killing in October 2012.

These strong women HRDs are a living testament to the continuing impunity in Mindanao, Philippines, and to the continuing people’s struggle for human rights and human dignity. As one indigenous woman said, “we are not interested with the entry of large businesses, of mining companies or of all the money that the latter has to offer. What we need is to return to our homeland. What we want is for the military acting as private armies to large corporations to pull out from our communities.”

 

http://www.awid.org/eng/Library/Philippines-WHRDs-Lead-the-Struggle-for-Indigenous-Peoples-Right-to-Land-Livelihood-and-Environment-in-Mindanao