Group decries beheading of indigenous folk’s leader

The civic group Climate Change Action (CCA) has decried another act of violence after a Teduray indigenous leader was found beheaded in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), bringing the total number of non-Moro Indigenous Peoples (NMIPs) killed in the region to 102.

In its message to DAILY TRIBUNE on Saturday, the CCA said the killing was a stark reminder that government promises of protection remain unfulfilled and justice continues to be out of reach for non-Moro indigenous communities.

Ramon Lupos was a respected Teduray community leader. His brutal killing occurred just one day before the start of Indigenous Peoples (IP) Month in October, which is meant to honor and promote the rights and welfare of indigenous communities across the country.

The group condemned the killing as a “diabolical act” aimed at displacing indigenous communities and erasing their identity.

“We echo the sentiments of the non-Moro indigenous youth: ‘this violence is not random — it is systemic,’” the CCA said. “It is designed to sow fear, drive the Teduray from their ancestral lands, and provoke more violence.”

The group also criticized the Philippine National Police, Armed Forces of the Philippines, and the Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation and Unity for failing to deliver on their promises to protect non-Moro indigenous communities.

“The Indigenous Peoples Code has failed to protect those it claims to defend, and neither has the entire security infrastructure of the Philippine government or the leaders and custodians of the BARMM government,” it said.

Empty promises

Despite the implementation of the Indigenous Peoples Code and the establishment of peace and security frameworks in the BARMM, the CCA said that indigenous peoples remained vulnerable to violence, land-grabbing and political marginalization.

“The blood from this act of violence is on the hands not only of the perpetrators but all those who allowed this to happen,” it said. “Who will believe future promises made by government authorities about their protection?”

Lupos’s body was reportedly found in Sitio Kulab, Barangay Limpongo, Datu Hofer Ampatuan, Maguindanao del Sur at around 4:30 p.m. on 30 September.