The Indigenous Teduray-Lambangian community in Maguindanao del Sur is in mourning following the brutal beheading of another tribal leader around 6 p.m. on Tuesday in Limpongo village, Datu Hoffer Ampatuan in the same province.
Timuay Leticio Datuwata, head of the Timuay Justice and Governance, the indigenous political structure of the Teduray-Lambangian tribe, identified the victim as Nel Lupos, 60, a former village councilor of Barangay Mantao and currently a resident of Limpongo village.
‘He was alone inside his nipa hut in his farmland when several armed men forcibly entered and brutally killed him by beheading,’ said Datuwata.
According to him, Lupos had previously evacuated from Mantao village following the murder of another tribal leader, Baywan Angan, also a village councilor, who was gunned down in Sitio Kukor on December 7, 2024.
Datuwata attributed the killing to land conflict, which continues to plague indigenous peoples’ communities in the province.
‘This unending violence targets tribesmen who refuse to give up their ancestral lands. When you resist, they kill you,’ he said, pointing to what he believed was the same group of gunmen responsible for previous attacks.
Despite the recurring violence, Datuwata said he is no longer issuing formal condemnations.
‘The more I speak out, the worse the killings become,’ he explained. ‘We’re tired of this cycle of violence against us, but still, there’s no direct action from government.’/coa