PRESS RELEASE
August 1, 2023
Environmental defender groups urge probe into military abuses in Mindoro
The Environmental Defenders Congress (ENVIDEFCON) has urged government authorities to investigate reported human rights abuses against the indigenous Mangyan farmers in Mindoro Oriental and Mindoro Occidental. ENVIDEFCON, representing dozens of environmental defense groups across the Philippines, demanded that the Philippine military “respect the Mangyans as traditional guardians of the environment of Mindoro island” and urged the government to make their safety and rights a top priority.“Through their decades-long struggle to claim their ancestral domains and embrace sustainable livelihoods, Mindoro Mangyans are inherently environmental defenders. They are indispensable guardians of Mindoro Biodiversity Corridor,” said ENVIDEFCON spokesperson Dr. Jean Lindo.“They have preserved and continue to preserve the resources of this unique center of biological diversity in Mindoro island, which is home to many endangered species like the iconic Philippine tamaraw and Mindoro bleeding heart pigeon.”The call came after reports of three disturbing incidents of human rights violations perpetrated by Philippine Army units against Mangyan farmers.In Oriental Mindoro, a Hanunuo-Mangyan farmer named Pedro Ambad was illegally detained and beaten by soldiers on July 13, 2023. In Occidental Mindoro, the 68th Infantry Battalion set up an illegal checkpoint on May 23, 2023, arresting and torturing four Mangyan farmers. On July 16, 2023, the military attempted to abduct an indigenous Mangyan named “Admiraw,” leading his family and four other Mangyan families to flee their homes in fear for their lives.“The heavy militarization of Mindoro for the past seven years is deeply entwined with mining operations, resulting in a distressing occurrence of violence against indigenous communities and environmental activists,” Dr. Lindo said. “Mindoro province’s rich mineral resources have attracted international mining companies, who have employed unethical tactics to gain approval for their projects.”For years, various groups, including smallholder Mangyan farmers, religious groups, and environmentalists, have opposed mining projects in Mindoro. They successfully halted a PHP30 billion-nickel mining project by a Canadian company, Crew Development Corporation, in 2002.“Beyond basic respect for their rights, the Mangyans and smallholder farmers warrant support for their pursuit of sustainable livelihoods. They deserve to be thanked for being frontliners in the fight against climate change,” Lindo said.Together with Bigkis at Lakas ng mga Katutubo sa Timog Katagalugan, ENVIDEFCON called on the Commission on Human Rights in Region 4B, Oriental Mindoro Gov. Humerlito Dolor, Occidental Mindoro Gov. Eduardo Gadiano, House Speaker Martin Romualdez and Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri, to investigate immediately these gross violations of human rights violations by the Philippine Army in Mindoro. ###