Free the People of Bugsuk! Stop the Attacks!

Katribu Kalipunan ng Katutubong Mamamayan ng Pilipinas strongly condemns the arrest of 10 residents, including Molbog people, of Sitio Mariahangin, Barangay Bugsuk in Balabac, Palawan on Thursday, May 15, 2025. The arrest is an attack to the people of Bugsuk who are vocal in opposing San Miguel Corporation's (SMC) plans of transforming their land for eco-tourism purposes. Among them is Molbog leader Eusebio Pelayo, who had already been targeted with the same false charges in December 2024.

Photo from Palawan News

Photo from Palawan News

We denounce the grave coercion charge filed against them by former National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP) Officer-in-Charge Executive Director Atty. Caesar Ortega. Katribu demands their immediate release and safe return to their community.

The charges stem from a June 27, 2024 visit by Ortega to the community, during which residents assert that Ortega attempted to coerce them into surrendering their ancestral land in exchange for cash ranging from P75,000 to P100,000. It is clear that it should be Ortega who should instead be accused of grave coercion.

On the same day, a Department of Agrarian Reform official announced to residents that their homes were to be demolished to pave way to SMC’s 5,500-hectare “Bugsuk Island Resort.” Two days later, private goons from JMV Services arrived at Brgy. Bugsuk to intimidate and harass the residents.

It is also important to note that one of the four additional Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) sites is located on Balabac Island, Palawan. The increased presence of U.S. troops on the island, under the guise of national security, exacerbates the violence and displacement experienced by the people of Palawan, especially of Indigenous Peoples. It not only heightens the risk of human rights violations but also deters rightful land reclamation and self-determination efforts. Indigenous lands should not be treated as military zones.

Katribu urges the NCIP to uphold its mandate to protect Indigenous Peoples, not facilitate their displacement in collusion with state forces and corporate interests. We also challenge newly elected officials of the 2025 Midterm Elections to stand in defense of Indigenous Peoples and the environment against such blatant acts of intimidation and injustice. The people of Bugsuk are not criminals—they are only asserting their rights to land and self-determination.