Katribu slams NTF-ELCAC’s malicious and dangerous narrative; calls to defend Talaingod 13!

July 22, 2025

Katribu Kalipunan ng Katutubong Mamamayan ng Pilipinas strongly condemns the July 21, 2025 statement of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC), which falsely claimed that the 2018 rescue of Lumad children by advocates and teachers was a “reckless, ideologically driven operation” that endangered minors and disrespected Indigenous leadership.

What the NTF-ELCAC vilifies as a crime was, in truth, a necessary and urgent response to imminent danger. At the time, Lumad students and teachers faced threats from state-backed paramilitary forces. The rescue by the Talaingod 13 was not only justified, it was necessary and life-saving. Yet, the NTF-ELCAC, like the Anti-Terrorism Council under the Anti-Terrorism Act of 2020, institutionalizes the criminalization of dissent, solidarity and humanitarian actions.

These malicious and dangerous claims further endanger Lumad communities. NTF-ELCAC’s invocation of the Ata-Manobo Tribal Council’s July 15 statement manipulates and exploits Indigenous governance structures to justify the continued persecution of Lumad educators, advocates, and community-led schools. Katribu rejects this narrative in its entirety.

“Let us be clear: the Salugpongan school, like many other community-run Lumad schools, is not a ‘conduit of violence,’ but a beacon of hope,” said Beverly Longid, Katribu’s National Convener. “These schools were built by Indigenous communities, supported by education advocates and rights defenders, in response to the government’s failure to provide culturally-rooted, accessible education.”

Since its creation in 2018 under former president Rodrigo Duterte’s Executive Order 70, the NTF-ELCAC has relentlessly targeted Indigenous communities, especially the Lumad, through red-tagging, harassment, forced and fake surrenders, and militarization under the guise of counter-insurgency. State-sponsored killings have been used to silence Lumad resistance. The NTF-ELCAC must be held accountable for the 2021 Lianga and 2022 New Bataan 5 massacres, and the killings of young Lumads Kuni Cuba and Elioterio Ugking–atrocities it justified through red-tagging.

“What the NTF-ELCAC now seeks to persecute is not just activism and dissent, but also solidarity,” Longid continued. “The unjust conviction of Teacher France Castro, Ka Satur Ocampo, and other advocates is not justice—it criminalizes compassion.”

Longid also added that the task force’s reliance on coerced testimonies, ‘former rebels’, and selective international citations distorts the lived realities of Lumad communities. Branding these schools as “indoctrination centers” is propagation of fake news and only legitimizes militarization, harassment and intimidation, not protection.

“NTF-ELCAC’s selective reference to UN findings misrepresents the broader international concern. In both 2024 and 2025, UN Special Rapporteurs Irene Khan and Ian Fry issued clear calls to abolish NTF-ELCAC,” Longid said. Khan identified the task force as a source of red-tagging, repression, and disinformation, while Fry warned that its continued existence obstructs peacebuilding and violates the rights of Indigenous Peoples.

“As a fellow Indigenous person, I urge the Ata-Manobo Tribal Council: Let us not allow ourselves to be used as instruments of disinformation. We must ask: who benefits when our schools are shut down, our teachers silenced, and our youth displaced?” Longid pointed out.

Katribu firmly asserts that Indigenous education is not a threat, it is a lifeline. The NTF-ELCAC has no right to condemn Lumad schools, communities, or advocates when it has brought nothing but human rights violations and terror. “Where are the services? Where are our rights? We have seen no aid, no protection—only threats and the ruthless criminalization of our very existence. Abolish NTF-ELCAC!” Longid concluded. #

Reference:

Beverly Longid

National Convener

Katribu Kalipunan ng Katutubong Mamamayan ng Pilipinas