The Indigenous Peoples Rights International (IPRI) has denounced what it called as “unabated criminalization, killings, and attacks” against the indigenous peoples in the Philippines.
IPRI, a global group that initiates protection of indigenous peoples, cited the case of the 19 Lumad children who were taken by members of the Philippine National Police (PNP) from the Talamban Campus of the University of San Carlos in Cebu City on allegations that they were engaged in “warfare training.”
It said the Lumad children are now under the custody of the PNP, while seven others are detained and charged with kidnapping and serious illegal detention offenses.
It lamented that Lumad schools have long been attacked and threatened based on the government's "baseless reports" linking them to terrorist groups.
It pointed out that the “the injustice faced by the Lumad children” is sadly preceded by other attacks, such as the killing of nine indigenous Tumandok on Dec. 30, 2020 after the PNP and the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) conducted a joint operation in Iloilo.
It said that among those killed and arrested were leaders and members of the Tumandok organization, which has been opposing militarization and human rights violations in their communities.
It also said the members of the organization have been actively fighting land grabbing and the construction of the Jalaur Mega Dam in Calinog, Iloilo.
At the same time, IPRI cited the case of indigenous leaders Beatrice "Betty" Belen and Windel Bolinget and members of their organization, the Cordillera Peoples Alliance (CPA), who were arrested by the PNP and the AFP on Oct. 25, 2020.
"We denounce the apparent ceaseless attacks against the indigenous peoples, especially at a difficult time when the Filipino people, especially those in the marginalized sectors like the indigenous peoples, are grappling with the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and are caught in the world’s longest lockdown," IPRI said.
"These attacks are obviously contrived and organized as part of the anti-insurgency program of the government. Unfortunately, indigenous peoples are among the most affected by state attacks," it stressed.
It urged the Philippine government to respect the rights of indigenous people and stay true to its commitment to implement the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP).
It also said: "We urge them to immediately drop the trumped-up charges against arrested indigenous peoples. An independent investigation must immediately be launched to determine accountability and culpability. These attacks must stop, now."
Early this week, the Child Rights Network (CRN) has asked the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) to help secure the Lumad children.
CRN, an alliance of organizations and agencies pushing for children’s rights, pleaded the DSWD to hold the children in the agency’s facility instead of being kept at an undisclosed “safe house.”
It also called on the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) to help and secure these children.