Gov’t asked to respect IP rights

CLARK FREEPORT — The National Federation of Peasant Women or Amihan has asked the government to respect the rights of indigenous people (IP) in the country.

The group has joined the IPs in remembering the National Indigenous People’s Day today.

The Amihan also support the call for the government to uphold the IP’s rights on ancestral domains and to self-determination.

“The indigenous peoples have protected the country’s rich natural resources for generations and yet they have consistently been victims of plunder by foreign corporate interests, large-mining operations, energy projects, agricultural plantations expansi o n and the government’s infrastructure projects which lead to the IP’s loss of their livelihood, their culture and worse, their lives,” Amihan chairperson Zen Soriano said.

The Cordillera People’s Alliance (CPA) disclosed that there are 420 dam projects and expansion of energy projects covering 874, 251 hectares of ancestral lands, including 315 MW hydropower project awarded Sta. Clara Corporation, Pan Pacific, Strategic Power (a subsidiary of San Miguel Corporation), Hedcore, and SN Aboitiz covering hundreds of hectares of ancestral lands.

It also includes the construction of the 52 MW Karayan dams along the Chico River being pushed by San Lorenzo Ruiz Builders and the local government of Kalinga which will result to the displacement of communities, submerge the indigenous burial site and threaten the province’s rice granary.

The New Clark City project entices private businesses and investors through the construction of five

areas for government, central business, academic, agri-forestry research and development, and wellness and eco-tourism covering 9,450 hectares at the expense of 20,000 Aeta and farmer families.

“The government’s observance of the National Indigenous People’s Day is a tokenistic gesture reflected on the rising human rights abuses against IP communities,” Soriano added.

The Save our Schools Network (SOS) stated that there were 18 incidents of forced evacuation affecting 4,068 individuals, 1,338 students, and 76 teachers and 17 forcible closure of schools for this year alone.

“Farming families and entire communities are subjected to different forms of human rights abuses resulting to trauma and other psychosocial problems. Militarization of peasant and IP communities also worsens poverty and hunger of the already impoverished life of families as they could no longer go to their farms due to fear,” Soriano said.