KATRIBU to Catamco's New NTF-ELCAC Leadership: "Taksil Ka sa mga Katutubo!"

June 17, 2026 – KATRIBU Kalipunan ng Katutubong Mamamayan ng Pilipinas condemned the designation of National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP) Chairperson Nancy Alaan Catamco as co-chair of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC)'s Sectoral Unification, Capacity Building, Empowerment, and Mobilization (SUCBEM) Cluster.

"Sa pagtanggap ni Catamco sa posisyong ito, muli niyang pinatunayan na siya’y taksil sa mga Katutubo. Sa halip na ipagtanggol ang aming mga karapatan at lupang ninuno, pinili niyang ihanay ang NCIP sa isang makinaryang kilala sa panggigipit at panunupil sa mga komunidad ng Katutubo," said Beverly Longid, National Convener of KATRIBU.

For KATRIBU, Catamco's appointment further exposes the NCIP's abandonment of its mandate to protect Indigenous Peoples' rights and its full transformation into a tool of state repression and corporate plunder.

"By accepting this designation, Catamco is effectively bringing the perpetrators of these violations into the very communities she claims to protect and serve," Longid said.

Longid rejected the government's portrayal of the SUCBEM Cluster as a mechanism for grassroots development and empowerment.

"The NTF-ELCAC uses words like 'grassroots,' 'participation,' and 'empowerment' to conceal the true nature of the program. But Indigenous communities know from experience what NTF-ELCAC brings: red-tagging and vilification, intimidation, surveillance, harassment, intensified military operations, fabricated charges, forced displacement, and even killings carried out in the name of counterinsurgency; the suppression of legitimate dissent; and the clearing of the way for destructive mining, dam, plantation, and other projects that threaten Indigenous lands, territories, and livelihoods," she said.

KATRIBU further warned that Catamco's appointment comes at a critical time when the Marcos Jr. administration is aggressively promoting large-scale renewable energy projects and the Pax Silica initiative that expands critical mineral extraction in the country, increasing pressure on Indigenous territories rich in mineral resources. Catamco's appointment signals a more active NCIP role in facilitating extractive projects and neutralizing community resistance to destructive ventures that threaten ancestral lands, livelihoods, and self-determination.

"We urge Indigenous Peoples and the public to look beyond the flowery language of 'empowerment' and 'development.' Catamco's appointment to the NTF-ELCAC is not a victory for Indigenous Peoples. It is a disaster that will bring greater hardship to our communities already burdened by militarization, displacement, and the continuing violation of their collective rights. The time has come to abolish the NCIP in its current form and establish genuinely independent institutions that truly uphold Indigenous Peoples' rights," Longid concluded.

Reference:

Beverly Longid

National Convener

Katribu Kalipunan ng Katutubong Mamamayan ng Pilipinas