The country’s largest association of Catholic schools has called on authorities to uphold due process following the arrest of several residents facing eviction over a commercial tourism project in Palawan.
In a statement, the Catholic Educational Association of the Philippines (CEAP) denounced the May 15 arrest of 10 residents of Sitio Marihangin on Bugsuk Island, who are asserting ancestral land claims.
The residents were charged with grave coercion, despite reports indicating they were peacefully defending their ancestral domain. They were released on temporary bail on May 17.
CEAP said it remains “alarmed by the nature of the charges filed against them and the continued threats to their safety and dignity” and called for “a just and compassionate” resolution to the case.
“We appeal to concerned authorities to uphold due process, respect indigenous rights, and ensure the safety and dignity of the Molbog people,” the statement read.
According to CEAP, the residents of Marihangin are “ordinary fisherfolk courageously resisting eviction and dispossession from their ancestral lands and waters” due to an ecotourism project backed by San Miguel Corp. and Bricktree Properties.
CEAP urged government agencies and local authorities to recognize indigenous land rights and protect the Molbog people, who have long inhabited the area.
Earlier, Bishop Socrates Mesiona of the Apostolic Vicariate of Puerto Princesa (AVPP) also condemned the arrests and called on the government to uphold the rights of Indigenous peoples.
“These are ordinary people who simply seek to protect their right to live and remain on their land,” Mesiona said. “We express our condemnation of the treatment of these residents of Marihangin.”
“We stand in solidarity with the indigenous people… in the defense of their right to live peacefully on the lands inherited from their ancestors,” he added.
The AVPP also reported that tensions flared again on May 18 after 41 armed guards entered the disputed area.
On May 19, Marihangin community leader Oscar Pelayo was sentenced to prison in connection with an “illegal fishing” case dating back to 2006. According to the vicariate, Pelayo had led efforts to defend ancestral land and waters since the 2000s.
