Exhibit paying tribute to Lumad leader opens
“Through art, the legacy of Bai Bibyaon is remembered, and the struggle for ancestral lands and self-determination is continued,” said Lala Empong, chairperson of Sabokahan, an organization of Lumad women.
A guiding light
“When I leave here, I will become a guiding light for you all. Don’t give up, but continue the struggle,” were reportedly among Bai Bibyaon Ligkayan Bigkay’s last words to her loved ones before she died last November 20. The first and only woman warrior chieftain of the Lumad led her people in resisting the […]
National minority groups hold national assembly
National minority groups from all over the country gathered at the University of the Philippines in Diliman Quezon City last October 26 for the Second National Political Assembly of Sandugo (Movement of Moro and Indigenous People for Self-Determination). They held a mass action in Mendiola in Manila in the afternoon. Sandugo called for the ouster […]
Congress mangled BBL, critics say
Critics have slammed the Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) measures passed by both Houses of Congress, saying these fail to recognize the Bangsamoro’s right to self-determination. In separate statements, Suara Bangsamoro and Bayan Muna have dismissed the approved versions of the bills at the House of Representatives and the Senate as a betrayal of the Bangsamoro […]
Caring and dying for their land
(Datu Jimboy singing) This was not a party, more so a karaoke party that Filipinos are known for. The song was not about love or any other ordinary ditty. The venue was not in a bar nor a concert hall and the singer is not a pop star. The occassion was a solidarity event among […]
Death to imperialism, national minorities say
NATIONAL MINORITIES meted the “guilty” verdict and decreed the “death” penalty against United States imperialism for its crimes against the Philippines and its marginalized peoples at a Peoples’ Tribunal at the Bonifacio Shrine in Manila last October 27. In an open and public trial, indigenous people and Moros presented documented cases of injustices committed by […]
STREETWISE by Carol P Araullo: Pavlovian Reflex
It was shockingly painful to watch the video footage of a police van mowing down protesting indigenous and Moro people in front of the US embassy last Wednesday. The rabid zeal and brutally with which the police used their might to inflict injury on anyone they could lay their hands on and arrest as many […]
National minorities vow to continue fight for self determination
THE indigenous and Moro peoples will never be stopped in their struggle for self-determination, national minority groups said as they wind down their Pambansang Lakbayan ng mga Pambansang Minorya 2016 at a rally in Mendiola last October 21. Two days after the brutal police dispersal in front of the United States Embassy in Manila, thousands of […]
Pambansang Lakbayan ng mga Pambansang Minorya 2016 ends in defiance
The Lakbayan ng Pambansang Minorya 2016 closes at Mendiola in Manila after weeks of marches from as far as Northern Luzon and Southern Mindanao. Indigenous peoples and Moros asserted their right to self-determination, peace and the pull-out of military troops from their communities. Despite being teargassed, caned and ran over by the police at a […]
Police brutality victim explains why national minorities are marching in Manila
Piya Macliing Malayao, SANDUGO spokesperson ang Katribu secretary general, speaks in a press conference a day after the brutal police dispersal in front of the United States Embassy last October 19. Malayao, a third generation activist in her family who fights for national minorities’ self determination, was among at least 50 activists brutally dispersed by […]