In light of the International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples, the clamor for indigenous rights to land and self-determination persists amid continued imperialist militarization.

Katribu Kalipunan ng Katutubong Mamamayan ng Pilipinas (KATRIBU) and BAI Indigenous Women’s Network – Philippines member Kim Falyao called for the resumption of peace talks between the Philippine government and the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP).

“We join our fellow countrymen in calling for the resumption of peace talks between the government of the Republic of the Philippines and the National Democratic Front of the Philippines and rightfully address the root of armed conflict, which are the loss of land, national oppression, severe poverty, and state terrorism.” 

Falyao asserted that indigenous armed conflict is “an act of survival,” a “response to systemic injustice.”

“Peace comes from addressing the causes of conflict, respecting the rights of people, especially indigenous peoples, and creating political space for just and lasting solutions.” 

She associated this demand with the Philippines’ current military posture and counterinsurgency programs, which have come at the expense of indigenous peoples’ rights and ancestral lands.

“The state’s excuse for its attacks against indigenous peoples is to target the revolutionary groups. This is their poor way of addressing the armed conflict and their systemic strategy to repress and oppress indigenous peoples in their legitimate struggle for land, life, and self-determination.”

KATRIBU has recorded 13 bombings on indigenous territories since President Ferdinand Bongbong Marcos Jr. assumed the presidency: one in 2022, six in 2023, five in 2024, and one in the first quarter of 2025. 

Contrary to Marcos Jr.’s claim during his fourth State of the Nation Address (SONA) that there are no longer active guerrilla fronts in the country, Falyao emphasized that indigenous communities report continuing military operations, bombings, surveillance, and unjust detainment of activists and advocates.

“During the fourth State of the Nation Address of Marcos Jr., he stated that there are no longer bases of the revolutionary armed troop or the New People’s Army. However, militarization and bombings on our communities in the name of clearing operations still continue,” she said.

International Indigenous Peoples Movement for Self Determination and Liberation (IPMSDL) Moderator Kreng Leano pointed to the bilateral military agreements with the United States, such as the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) and the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA), as drivers of militarization.

“When the US bases like the EDCA sites are built in or near communities, they turn civilian areas into military targets, putting indigenous peoples and residents at risk,” she stressed. 

Meanwhile, similar struggles are also seen in indigenous communities in other countries like India and Papua New Guinea.

Greater Kaziranga Land and Human Rights Protection Committee member Pranab Doley highlighted how biodiversity conservation is used to justify the displacement and violence against indigenous communities in protected areas of India.

“The laws are being diluted to support rare earth elements or multiple sources of mining to be done with [a] lot of force, where thousands and hundreds of people are displaced.”

Human rights defender Esther Haluk also drew attention to the enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings of indigenous communities, all brought about by militarization driven by capitalistic motives in West Papua.

“The militarization of indigenous territories [comes] in [the] form of deployment of military and paramilitary forces to enforce state control over the lands. And the next result is to protect corporate interests and suppress dissent into large-scale extraction. This is done and backed by military personnels,” Haluk stated.

Organized by the IPMSDL, the webinar titled “LOUDER THAN BOMBS: Indigenous Peoples Speak Out Against Imperialist Wars of Aggression & Militarism!” was convened via Zoom last August 22.