An international organization monitoring the situation of non-Moro indigenous peoples (NMIPs) in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), has condemned the recent attack against a Teduray elder in Maguindanao del Sur and called for greater protection for the minority tribe.
The Climate Conflict Action (CCA) said in a statement on Friday that since 2019, Rommel Lupos was the 102nd non-Moro indigenous person killed in BARMM.
Lupos was beheaded by still unidentified men on Sept. 30, the eve of observance of Indigenous Peoples Month this October. According to the Timuay Justice and Governance, the indigenous political structure of the tribe, the suspects in the brutality are likely those who had warned Lupos to vacate from his farm as they wanted to occupy the land.
‘Each killing is a reminder that promises of protection remain empty, and justice remains out of reach,’ the CCA said.
It asserted that ‘without justice, there is no protection.’
CCA said the BARMM Indigenous Peoples Code has failed to protect those it claims to defend, and neither has the entire security infrastructure of the government nor the leaders and custodians of the BARMM government.
The group re-echoed the sentiments of the non-Moro indigenous youth who said: ‘This violence is not random-it is systemic.’
The CCA said the killings were designed to sow fear, drive the Teduray away from their ancestral lands, erase their identity, and elicit another round of revenge killings.
‘We need results beyond mere statements. We need accountability. The government must deliver justice for NMIPs. They need concrete actions and policies that will make them feel more secure in their everyday life – to be able to farm their lands, to go to school without fear, and work towards a bright future for their families and generations to come,’ the CCA pointed out.