Sen. Robinhood “Robin” C. Padilla condemned the continued spate of killing of members of the Teduray tribe in the Bangsamoro Region, following the fatal shooting of Teduray leader and village councilman Elvin Moires last September 17.
Padilla filed on Thursday Senate Resolution 1203, where he noted the number of killings in the Teduray tribe is “alarming,” with the latest count of fatalities having reached 75.
“The rising number of killings within the Teduray tribe is alarming, with the latest count of defenseless individuals killed reaching seventy-five… It must be emphasized that injustice and violence do not have a place in any civilized society and no just cause justifies brutalities against the lives of all persons,” he said.
Padilla, who chairs the Senate Committee on Cultural Communities and Muslim Affairs, noted Moires, who unidentified men shot dead while on his way home from a tribal wedding ceremony, earned a reputation as a vocal leader of the Lumads in South Upi who actively asserted the rights of indigenous people.
Since 2018, he said the Teduray and Teduray-Lambingan leaders have become victims of threats and intimidation – and worse, killings – “for strongly advocating against land encroachment, and displacement or dispossession of their ancestral lands.”
On Dec. 20, 2022, Jocelyn Palao, the progressive head of the ancestral domain division of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao Ministry of Indigenous Peoples Affairs, was killed by gunmen after leaving her office in Cotabato City.
Village councilman Juanito Promboy from Barangay Tuayan was ambushed by motorcycle-riding attackers while on his way to Barangay Limpongo last April.
Last Aug. 2, South Upi Vice Mayor Roldan Benito and his security aide were killed by armed men with assault rifles while on their way to Barangay Pandan in South Upi.
Padilla noted the Teduray tribe is one of the many recognized indigenous cultural communities in Maguindanao del Norte, Maguindanao del Sur, Sultan Kudarat and the Bangsamoro region.He added the killings occurred amid the Constitution’s provision that the State “recognizes and promotes the rights of indigenous cultural communities within the framework of national unity and development.”
