Special Assistant to the President (SAP) Anton Lagdameo joined officials of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) in condemning the brutal killing of Teduray Indigenous Peoples leader Ramon Lupos and called for swift justice.

Lagdameo and BARMM Interim Chief Minister Abdulraof Macacua issued strong statements following the discovery of Lupos' body.

The 60-year-old was found beheaded in his hut in Barangay Limpogo, Datu Hoffer, Maguindanao del Sur, on Sept. 30. He was one of the last non-Moro Indigenous Peoples leaders remaining in the area.

Lagdameo said the administration of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. is committed to peace and the protection of vulnerable communities in the Bangsamoro region.

"Our President envisions a society that prioritizes not only peace but also the human rights of every Filipino," Lagdameo said in an earlier statement, underscoring the government’s support for normalization and justice in BARMM.

Macacua denounced the killing as an "affront to peace, justice and human dignity," acknowledging that injustices against non-Moro Indigenous Peoples remain pervasive. He vowed accountability and ordered law enforcement agencies to conduct an immediate and full investigation.

"We reaffirm our solemn commitment that justice will be relentlessly pursued, not only for him and his family, but for all Indigenous Peoples who long for peace, dignity and protection in our homeland," Macacua said.

The killing has drawn attention to ongoing violence against non-Moro Indigenous Peoples in the region. Climate Conflict Action (CCA), an independent conflict monitoring group formerly known as International Alert Philippines, reported that Lupos is the 102nd non-Moro Indigenous Peoples member killed since BARMM's establishment in 2019.

Bangsamoro Transition Authority (BTA) Member of Parliament Froilyn Mendoza added that Lupos was the 20th non-Moro Indigenous Peoples member killed in Datu Hoffer alone since 2000.

The CCA warned that the killings are "not random but systemic," describing them as a "diabolical act designed to sow fear, drive the Teduray away from their ancestral lands, erase their identity and elicit another round of revenge killings.”

No suspects have been publicly identified, and the investigation into the crime is ongoing.