11/12/2025
๐จ"INTERNATIONAL LAND COALITION (ILC) SOLIDARITY STATEMENT ON THE EVICTION THREATS FACING INDIGENOUS MOLBOG RESIDENTS OF MARIHANGIN ISLAND
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December 11, 2025
๐ฎ๐น ROME, ITALY
The International Land Coalition (ILC), a global alliance of over 330 civil society and intergovernmental organizations dedicated to advancing secure and equitable access to land and natural resources for all, stands in unwavering solidarity with the 282 indigenous Molbog residents of Sitio Marihangin (Bowen Island), Barangay Bugsuk, Balabac, Palawan, Philippines.
๐We express profound concern and outrage over the most recent act of legal intimidation: the wholesale service of eviction summons by court sheriffs on December 9, 2025, targeting almost every single resident of this ancestral community. This draconian measure, part of Civil Case No. BPT-0081, demands the immediate vacating of their homes and fishing groundsโlands they have stewarded for generationsโin favor of nine absentee landowners widely believed to be proxies for San Miguel Corporation's (SMC) tourism expansion interests. The emotional toll was heartbreakingly evident when a mother collapsed upon learning her deceased son with a disability was included in the list, a stark reminder of the human cost of such corporate-driven displacement.
โ ๏ธThis incident is not isolated but emblematic of a deepening crisis in the Philippines, where indigenous peoples and small-scale fishers face systemic land and water grabbing. The Molbog's long-pending application for a Certificate of Ancestral Domain Title (CADT) covering 56,900 hectaresโfiled with the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP) as early as 2005โremains unresolved, leaving them vulnerable to exploitation. Meanwhile, the Department of Agrarian Reform's (DAR) recent lifting of coverage over 10,821 hectares in Southern Palawan has handed vast tracts to corporate giants like SMC, in direct contravention of the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Extension with Reforms (CARPER) and the Indigenous Peoples' Rights Act (IPRA).
โ๏ธGlobally, such grabs displace millions: since 2010, over 26.7 million hectares have been seized, affecting 12 million people, with indigenous communities bearing the brunt (Oakland Institute, 2023). In the Philippines, mining and agribusiness encroachments have already claimed 223,000 hectares of ancestral domains in the past year alone, evicting thousands and eroding cultural survival (Amnesty International, 2023). Marihangin is a frontline in this battleโa sacred island of reefs and mangroves now under siege by tourism blueprints that prioritize profit over people.
๐ซThe ILC condemns this harassment as a violation of international human rights standards, including the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) and the Voluntary Guidelines on the Responsible Governance of Tenure (VGGT).
๐ต๐ญ We call on President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to โ๏ธ Immediately halt all eviction proceedings, reverse the DAR's decision on the 10,821 hectares, and order the NCIP to process and approve the Molbog CADT without further delay. Protect communities from armed intrusions and legal terror.
โก๏ธPhilippine Congress and Senate: Swiftly enact the Anti-Political Dynasty Bill and enforce CARPER, IPRA, and the amended Fisheries Code (RA 10654) to safeguard ancestral domains and municipal waters.
San Miguel Corporation and Enablers: Cease all operations that infringe on indigenous rights; engage in genuine Free, Prior, and Informed Consent (FPIC).
๐International Community: Urge the UN Special Rapporteur on Indigenous Peoples and the ILO to monitor this case and support affected communities through advocacy and reparations.
๐๐ฅThe Molbogs of Mariahngin are not "informal settlers"โthey are the rightful guardians of their ancestral land and waters. Their resilience echoes the global fight for land justice, from the Amazon to Africa. The ILC pledges our full support: technical assistance, global advocacy, and amplification of your voices until equity prevails.
๐ซ๐ญ๐ฌ No one left behind. Land for those who live on it. โ๐ฝโ๐ฝโ๐ฝ
Picture courtesy: Philippine Revolution
