Karapatan Rizal condemned the 80th IB for its relentless harassment and intimidation against the Dumagat indigenous people in Barangay Sta. Inez, Tanay, Rizal after the International Solidarity Mission was held in the area. The activity aimed to expose the situation of the indigenous people amid militarization and projects that threaten the Sierra Madre mountain range.
Residents reported that the military presence in the community increased and soldiers began summoning residents for interrogation after the ISM. The soldiers pressured the indigenous people to provide information about those who participated in the activity.
“The actions of the military clearly violate human rights and serve as new proof of the escalating militarization in indigenous communities in Rizal,” Karapatan Rizal coordinator Saara Rapisora explained.
The group called on the public to join the demand to stop the harassment against the Dumagat, respect their right to ancestral land, and expel the 80th IB from Tanay mountains.
