KATRIBU Kalipunan ng Katutubong Mamamayan ng Pilipinas joins the call for justice for slain Mangyan-Hanunuo youth Jay-el Maligday. Jay-el, only 21 years old, was killed by elements of the 4th Infantry Battalion of the Philippine Army on April 7, 2024, in Sitio Suryawon, Barangay Nasukob, Bulalacao, Oriental Mindoro.
KATRIBU condemns this blatant violation of human rights and the International Humanitarian Law, committed by the mercenary Armed Forces of the Philippines. “Ang pagpaslang kay Jay-el Maligday, isang Mangyan-Hanunuo at college student, ay isang nakakagalit na realidad na sumasalamin sa nagpapatuloy na karahasan, paniniil, at diskriminasyon na dinaranas ng mga katutubo sa ating bansa,” said Funa-ay Claver, spokesperson of KATRIBU.
Indigenous youth are not spared from the government’s counter-insurgency operations. In June 2024, 16-year-old Lumad Kuni Cuba was shot by the 7th Infantry Battalion in Sultan Kudarat, accused of being a member of the New People's Army. Similarly, 12-year-old Lumad Angel Rivas was massacred in June 2021 alongside Lenie Rivas and Willy Rodriguez, when the 3rd Special Forces Battalion fired upon them while farming abaca in Lianga, Surigao del Sur.
“Ang mga militar ay kasabwat ng gobyerno at mga korporasyon sa pang-aagaw ng lupa ng mga katutubo upang bigyang-daan ang mga mapaminsalang proyekto tulad ng mga minahan at dam. Para sa estado, collateral damage lang kaming mga katutubo para sa kanilang layuning pang-ganansya!” Claver added.
Several mining and energy projects, involving companies such as David M. Consunji Inc. (DMCI), Pitkin Petroleum Limited, CleanTech Global Renewables, and The Blue Circle, encroach upon the Mangyan ancestral lands in Bulalacao, Mindoro. These projects result in the displacement of the Mangyan people and intensified human rights violations.
“Magpapatuloy kaming mga katutubo na protektahan ang ating kalikasan, na ipagtanggol ang ating mga karapatan sa lupa at sa sariling pagpapasya. Patuloy tayong maniningil ng hustisya, hindi lang para kay Jay-el Maligday, ngunit para sa lahat ng biktima ng pamamaslang ng estado. Ang hustisya para kay Jay-el Maligday ay hustisya para sa lahat ng katutubong pinaslang ng berdugong militar,” Claver concluded. #
Reference:
Funa-ay Claver
KATRIBU Spokesperson
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