katribu
Katribu on Duterte’s Fifth Year Rule of Terror and Killing Spree
30 June 2021
The five years of the rule of the Duterte regime was filled with violence, terror, deception, and
corruption. After spouting a few promises that may improve the people’s welfare, he unfolded fast,
and the true character of his rule became clear.
Katribu, the alliance of indigenous peoples’ organizations in the Philippines, has long called for
the end of this ruthless regime! After a brief conversation with some indigenous peoples’
representatives during his first State of the Nation Address, no significant change has happened in
the situation of indigenous peoples in the country. Peaceful protest actions were met with violence,
the killings of our leaders who stood for the defense of ancestral lands continued, and bombings
resumed in our communities, which included Lumad schools! There were many from our ranks
who were falsely charged and some of them have already been arrested and detained. Defending
the land and asserting our rights have become crimes in the eye of the state!
The violent deeds of uniformed and licensed murderers and terrorists were made legitimate by the
Duterte regime’s policies and programs. The National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed
Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) became an instrument of red-tagging and terrorist labelling against those
who oppose the regime’s projects, programs, and policies. The new Anti-terror Law was also
enacted even though it grossly simplified and made vague the meaning of terrorism, which may
target unarmed groups and individuals. We are enraged by the arrest of our 2 Ayta brothers from
San Marcelino, Zambales using this terror law! These show that the government does not only
consider dissent and assertion of rights as a crime but also as acts of terrorism!
The economic crisis and the continuing crisis of the Filipino people, including indigenous peoples,
worsened during Duterte’s rule! It took a turn for the worst in 2020 when the COVID 19 pandemic
struck the whole world, including the Philippines. Spaces and the mobility of the people became
congested affecting livelihoods and people’s actions to assert their rights! Duterte’s militaristic
response to the onslaught of the pandemic brought about record-breaking poverty, joblessness,
decline of peoples’ health and welfare and death to many Filipinos! His subservience to China
with regards national properties in the West Philippine Sea, loans and businesses is also a great
factor that caused suffering to the people!
Despite the mobility restrictions imposed due to the pandemic, fascist attacks and implementation
of destructive projects resumed in indigenous communities in 2020. Structures for the Kaliwa Dam
are being built and other activities for the same project were undertaken. Oceana Gold Philippines,
Inc., whose FTAA expired in June 2019 forced its way to the mine site despite the demands for
them to leave and the presence of a barricade of the indigenous peoples in Didipio, Kasibu, Nueva
Vizcaya!
These past six months alone, a series of massacres were committed in Luzon, Visayas and
Mindanao. On December 30, 2020, 9 Tumandok indigenous peoples were killed in Tapaz, Capiz,
Panay Island. The Tumandok are well-known for their staunch opposition against the Jalaur mega
dam project. In a set of brutal raids in Southern Tagalog dubbed as the Bloody Sunday incident on
March 7 this year, 2 Dumagat were killed in Tanay, Rizal! They are also opposed to the Kaliwa
dam and Laiban dam project. And on June 15, the second Lianga massacre in barangay Diatagon
took place killing 3 Manobo farmers, including a minor! The Andap valley in Surigao del Sur is
known to be rich with minerals. Several companies have applied there but are resisted continuously
by the Manobo. This is the reason there are continuous attacks against them!
With these, Katribu is fighting and shouting to put an end to this tyrannic rule of the Duterte regime
in the Philippines including our ancestral lands! Make the Duterte regime and its minions pay for
the lives they took and endangered through countless human rights violations! Support the Office
of the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court in pushing to investigate and prosecute the
Duterte regime on its crimes against humanity! Strengthen our ranks and unite with the broadest
masses of the people to topple the US-China-Duterte regime! Never allow Duterte and his clique
to wield power in 2022 and beyond! ###
Stop the Killings of Indigenous Peoples!
Prosecute Duterte!
Duterte Wakasan!
Oust Duterte!
Reference: Rei Paulin, Katribu National Coordinator, 09178169258