The Philippine Misereor Partnership Incorporated (PMPI) expresses its deep concern regarding human rights violations arising from a land-grabbing case faced by the Indigenous Molbog and Palaw’an communities in Bugsuk, Palawan.
On 9-10 September 2024, seven representatives of the Molbog and Palaw’an, accompanied by the National Federation of Peasant Organizations (PAKISAMA), presented their testimonies to the Commission on Human Rights (CHR). These testimonies reveal a pattern of violence and intimidation orchestrated allegedly by armed forces associated with San Miguel Corporation (SMC). Since 29 June 2024, community members have reported alarming incidents, including threats at gunpoint to force them out of their ancestral lands and intrusive surveillance and intimidation that profoundly disrupt their daily lives and livelihoods.
Despite their urgent calls for the removal of security forces from their area, the lack of action of the local government and the local police has only intensified their sense of insecurity.
PMPI stands in solidarity with the Molbog and Palaw’an communities and calls for immediate action to address these violations of human rights. We strongly support their petition to reinstate the 10,821 hectares of land in Barangay Bugsuk and Pandanan, which has been unjustly removed from the agrarian reform program by the Department of Agrarian Reform.
We urge all stakeholders, civil society, and human rights advocates to lend their voices to this urgent matter and to stand firmly against the violence and intimidation faced by the Molbog community. The right to land, safety and a dignified life is fundamental, and we must ensure that these rights are upheld for all.
