ASIA/PHILIPPINES - Protection of indigenous peoples: the work of the Catholic Church in the face of exploitation and expropriation

Manila (Agenzia Fides) - In October, the month dedicated to the protection of indigenous peoples in the Philippines, the Catholic Church organized various events, meetings and local celebrations aimed at calling institutions to address the problems faced by these peoples in continuing their lives on their ancestral lands, a life threatened above all by mining exploitation.

The Philippines has emerged on the international scene as a major supplier of raw materials for the global energy transition, with reserves of minerals such as nickel, a key material for electric car batteries. However, this boom and the mining concessions granted by the government in Manila to multinational companies are leading to displacement and habitat destruction among indigenous peoples, who are being deprived of their ancestral lands and their livelihoods. According to the 2023 State of Indigenous Peoples Address report published by the Legal Rights and Natural Resources Centre (LRC), land and environmental conflicts have increased by 6% in one year, with more than 70,000 additional hectares of land affected. Resource conflicts, especially those related to mining, "have a direct impact on the lives of indigenous peoples themselves. Their lives are truly at stake," the LRC notes, explaining that between 2022 and 2023, over 45,000 indigenous people were victims of land theft in areas such as the islands of Palawan or Mindoro. Another example concerns the mountainous Cordillera region (north of Luzon island), where the Philippine government has approved 99 hydroelectric projects that are part of a broader plan to develop renewable energy sources. The projects have divided rural communities into those who believe that the dams will bring jobs and money and those who fear damage to water sources and cultural sites.

The Philippines is estimated to be home to between 14 and 17 million indigenous people belonging to 110 ethnic-linguistic groups. In the various regions where they are located - such as the Cordillera (in Luzon, in the North), the Visayas (in the center of the archipelago), the Bagsamoro region (in Mindanao, in the South) - these peoples are subject to social discrimination, economic marginalization and political deprivation, phenomena that are exacerbated by mining, which deprives them of their land rights. Over the last hundred years, the Philippine government has increasingly taken away land from indigenous peoples precisely because it is rich in natural resources. The country has begun to promote the dignity and rights of these peoples, thanks in part to the educational work carried out by the Catholic Church and missionaries. Under the Indigenous Peoples' Rights Act (IPRA), passed in 1997, indigenous peoples have ownership rights to their ancestral lands if they receive a Certificate of Ancestral Domain Title. The holder of this certificate has the power to approve or reject projects that affect the land, such as in the mining sector. However, obtaining the certificate involves a lengthy bureaucratic process that requires legal representation, and is a process that many indigenous groups have not even begun. In 2003, the government declared October as "Indigenous Peoples' Month," establishing a Day of Recognition for Indigenous Peoples, set for October 29, to renew the commitment to ensure fair treatment of these peoples. The Catholic Church in the Philippines, through the Episcopal Commission for Indigenous Peoples, Diocesan Groups and Religious Institutes, has undertaken to "listen to our indigenous brothers and sisters who are members of the family of God, to respond to their aspirations as members of our society" and to protect their lives. An example of this commitment is the award of the National Prize named after Saint Theresa of Calcutta to Sister Minerva Caampued for her work in favor of the indigenous peoples in the province of Cagayan, after thirty years of tireless work for the indigenous Agta community in the areas of environmental protection, health care, nutrition and educational programs. (PA) (Agenzia Fides, 30/10/2024)

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local churches

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indigenous

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exploitation

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ecology

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environment

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economy

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