The gruesome murders in July 2012 of a Subanen tribal leader and his son on the Zamboanga Peninsula of the Philippines has alarmed Columban missionaries who know this area of Mindanao well. Timuay Barlie Balives and his son, Gerry were killed on 5 July at their home in Duilec, a remote rural area about a four-hour hike from the town of Midsalip in the Philippines. Both were horribly mutilated in what appears to be a ritualistic killing reminiscent of the 1980s when fanatical groups roamed and controlled areas of Mindanao and terrorized the local population.
"These killings have shocked local people and Columban priests and sisters who work with the Subanens. There is a slide towards the rule of law being abandoned in the countryside," says London-based Fr Frank Nally. "There is no security or rule of law now as their lives are ruined by outsiders after the minerals, iron-ore and gold on their land," he added.
The majority of the poor in Mindanao, and especially the Subanen indigenous people of Midsalip, live in constant fear of being brutally killed. Fanatics are trained to bring an atmosphere of fear into their lives and they are often faced with eviction or evacuation because of the violence that is fundamental to land grabbing for “development”, whether that is for large scale plantations of rubber trees, Jatropha plantations for bio-fuels or mining tenements. Nobody has been prosecuted or imprisoned for human rights crimes against the Subanen in recent years, even when the perpetrators have been identified.
Armed militia groups were a component of the Marcos government’s “total war” counterinsurgency campaign in the 1980s within the aegis of the “low intensity conflict” doctrine of the U.S. government. They and fanatical cults organized by the Philippine military have again sprouted across the country, particularly in remote areas rich in natural resources and minerals. The indigenous Subanen and other poor people who earn their living farming, being good citizens, paying taxes and voting, have no security or protection provided for them.
Timuay Barlie Balives was a Signatory to the Writ of Kalikasan that was issued by the Supreme Court of the Philippines in August 2011. The Writ promises to give protection to the environment for the whole of the Zamboanga Peninsula. It gives hope to the Subanen of Midsalip that their sacred places, their mountains and tropical forest and all that gives life with it will be at long last protected by the highest court in the land.
Fr Sean Martin, the Irish Columban parish priest in Midsalip says:
"I have come to know Timuay Barlie Balives in the last few years, especially since he was the one to have courageously signed the Writ of Kalikasan. Barlie would always attend the monthly meeting of the Timuays in Midsalip where the problems of the Subanen people were discussed in their own language and solutions arrived. As a Timuay, Barlie knew the customs of his people and was adept and very fair in mediating disputes. In the last 20 years, mining companies have come with a view to rob the mountains of their mineral wealth. Barlie has been steadfast along with other Timuays in protecting the land, because without the land the Subanen indigenous people will be wiped out. In July, 2011 he signed the petition for the Writ of Kalikasan which was granted by the Supreme Court of the Philippines. His judicial Affidavit outlines his beliefs and that of his people, the Subanens. He will be sorely missed by Sr Kathleen Melia and her companions at the Subanen Ministry in Midsalip."
The Columbans have condemned the Subanen murders and human rights violations in the Midsalip region. They have asked that the killers be brought to justice. As members of the Working Group on mining in the Philippines, the Columbans lament the negative impact that extractive industries have had on indigenous peoples’ lands and resources. It is clear that the escalation of violence by Government and private security forces, especially against indigenous leaders, is a consequence of extractive operations in indigenous territories.
Fr Frank Nally SSC was ordained a Columban Missionary in 1985 and worked in Mindanao, Philippines and is now based in London, Britain.
Support the Subanen Crafts Project
or
Read more articles from the current E-News