Indigenous Peoples denounce NCIP’s complicity in land grabbing and corporate plunder! Abolish NCIP!
QUEZON CITY, Philippines — Indigenous Peoples from across Luzon, together with rights advocates, trooped to the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP) Central Office to hold the agency accountable for its complicity in corruption, the plunder of ancestral lands, and violations of Indigenous Peoples’ rights, including their right to Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC).
The protest was led by KATRIBU, with Ayta from Central Luzon, and Mangyan and Molbog from Southern Tagalog. The groups condemned the NCIP for facilitating the entry of extractive, energy, and infrastructure projects into ancestral lands while failing to protect Indigenous communities from displacement, loss of livelihood, environmental destruction, and state violence.
Ahead of the Senate’s deliberations on the proposed 2027 national budget, the groups called for the rejection of the NCIP’s proposed ₱1.831-billion budget and demanded a thorough investigation into the agency’s expenditures, programs, policies, and officials. “We reject the allocation of billions in public funds to an institution that has failed to stop the plunder of ancestral lands, uphold genuine FPIC, and protect Indigenous communities from displacement and human rights violations,” said Funa-ay Claver, Secretary-General of KATRIBU.
As the 29th anniversary of IPRA approaches on October 29, Indigenous Peoples renewed their call to scrap the law and abolish the NCIP. “Nearly three decades after the Indigenous Peoples’ Rights Act’s (IPRA) passage, the worsening conditions that Indigenous Peoples face demonstrate the failure of the law and the institution established under it to deliver genuine protection,” said Claver.
During the protest, Indigenous Peoples staged a symbolic action, tearing down the NCIP’s official logo to reveal an alternative: “National Commission on Imperialist Plunder.”
NCIP FACILITATES LAND GRABBING AND VIOLATIONS OF FPIC
Indigenous communities condemned the NCIP’s role in advancing corporate and government projects in ancestral territories through flawed and questionable FPIC processes. The agency has repeatedly enabled projects that undermine their self-determination.
This year, the NCIP fast-tracked the revision of its FPIC guidelines and approved the revised guidelines without adequate consultations with affected Indigenous communities. KATRIBU warned that these changes further weaken Indigenous Peoples’ control over decisions affecting their ancestral lands and prioritize corporate interests over their rights.
Sonny Sinigmayon of the Mangyan Iraya organization Repungpungan sa Malatabako spoke about their struggle against the encroachment of Pieceland Corporation and the demolition of their community. Rica Torres of Mansaway also raised the intensifying entry of mining and renewable energy projects on Ayta communities. Apo Nelson of TARLAK (Tanggol Ayta at Residente para sa Lupa at Kabuhayan) discussed the impacts of the Pax Silica initiative on Ayta communities in Tarlac.
They condemned the NCIP’s silence and failure to protect their ancestral lands as they face the threat of massive displacement.
NCIP’S ROLE IN MILITARIZATION AND STATE VIOLENCE
Indigenous Peoples condemned the NCIP’s involvement and leadership in the NTF-ELCAC and other counterinsurgency structures. Groups said that the NCIP failed to protect communities and organizations facing red-tagging, harassment, and other human rights violations, because the agency itself benefits from it.
Chuwaley Capuyan of TAKDER also raised the continuous terrorist-tagging and weaponization of law–particularly the Anti-Terror Law and Terrorism Financing Prevention and Suppression Act–against Indigenous leaders in the Cordillera. Eman San Esteban, a Molbog from Palawan, discussed the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) and the experience of militarization and rights violations because of it. They hold the NCIP accountable for failing to decisively uphold Indigenous rights in the face of these threats, even violations to basic human rights and the International Humanitarian Law.
Araw Longid of the Siklab Philippine Indigenous Youth Network called on young people to stand with Indigenous Peoples and farmers in defending their lands, livelihoods, and right to self-determination. She called for the genuine recognition of Indigenous Peoples’ rights, to abolish the NCIP, and to scrap the IPRA of 1997.
Reference:Funa-ay Claver
Secretary-General, KATRIBU
Comments