MAGKAISA, MANINDIGAN, AT PANAGUTIN:
Katutubong Kababaihan Laban sa Korapsyon
National Indigenous Women’s Gathering 2026
July 26-28, 2026
Sta. Rafaela House of Spirituality
We, Indigenous women and young women, gathered for the annual National Indigenous Women’s Gathering in Quezon City, Philippines, from July 26-28, 2026. We came from eighteen (18) Indigenous communities: Aeta Abelen, Pelawan, Dumagat Remontado, Hanunuo Mangyan, Ati of Boracay, Iraynon Bukidnon, Ituman Magahat Bukidnon, Mamanwa, Subanen, Higaonon, Kirëntëkën Pulangiyën Ilantungan Talaandig, Erumanen ne Menuvu, Taboli, Mënubú Dulangan/Dulangan Mënubú, Teduray, Lambangian, and Manobo.
We came together with one shared position: to unite in defending our rights and holding the government accountable for the widespread corruption, abuse, and injustice that continue to make our lives difficult. We are joining forces to advance a future of peace, development, and dignity as indigenous women who are farmers, workers in the informal sector, indigenous women with disabilities, migrants, traditional healers, youth, senior citizens, and defenders of indigenous women’s rights.
We are deeply disappointed with the fifth State of the Nation Address (SONA) of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. After four years in government, the administration has still failed to recognize the realities and conditions faced by indigenous women and our families amid the worsening climate crisis, deepening poverty, and other problems that continue to burden our communities. One of these is widespread corruption within the Marcos-Duterte administration. With every public fund stolen by corrupt officials and every policy that prioritizes the interests of wealthy families, basic services and genuine development are further denied to our communities.
The continued failure to recognize our experiences is rooted in a development model in which indigenous peoples, especially indigenous women and youth, are viewed merely as “beneficiaries” rather than partners in advancing sustainable development. On many occasions, we are instead viewed as obstacles and enemies. Thus, we, as defenders of indigenous women’s rights, continue to experience harassment, intimidation, red-tagging, and, in some cases, are even killed.
Our rights also continue to be sidelined through violations of the true spirit of Free, Prior, and Informed Consent (FPIC) and the entry of destructive projects into our ancestral lands. This is especially concerning now that the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP) is pushing for the Revised 2026 FPIC Guidelines, which further weaken our voices and strengthen corporations.
Development cannot be measured by the number of roads, bridges, airports, mines, plantations, and other large-scale projects if these come at the cost of destroying our lives, communities, cultures, and livelihoods.
Various government aid programs are not a complete solution, even if they reach some of us, if our ancestral lands—the source of our food, medicine, and livelihoods—continue to be taken away. The real solution is the recognition and protection of our rights to our lands and natural resources.
Until now, many of us are still waiting for the issuance of our Certificate of Ancestral Domain Title (CADT) by the NCIP. Mining permits for our ancestral lands and other destructive projects of large corporations are issued much faster. As a result, our food security remains uncertain. There are also threats from armed groups of landlords, large corporations from the mining, tourism, and plantation industries. Because of this, our lives remain at risk.
The President mentioned the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) parliamentary elections that will take place in September this year. He emphasized that these are historical elections and that peace and order will be ensured. Yet what is truly historical is the level of violence in BARMM. Since July of this year, one to five people have been killed every day in the region. This is separate from the killings of Teduray and Lambangian Non-Moro Indigenous Peoples, which have reached 107 since 2014 to the present.
The entry of mining, logging, plantations, and tourism into our ancestral lands does not only destroy our environment and livelihoods; it also creates serious risks for indigenous women. These projects are accompanied by the entry of armed state forces, corporations, and landlords, resulting in various forms of gender-based violence that further undermine the safety of women and youth in our communities.
As indigenous women from different parts of the country, we collectively assert the following demands:
- Ensure the full recognition and protection of our ancestral lands by expediting the awarding of CADTs.
- Reject the Revised 2026 FPIC Guidelines! Respect our indigenous systems of governance and land ownership, and uphold genuine Free, Prior, and Informed Consent.
- Stop destructive projects within ancestral lands! Value and support our livelihoods, food, water, and environment.
- Ensure sufficient, quality, and accessible social services for indigenous communities, including education and health services, especially in remote and impoverished areas.
- Provide sufficient livelihood and food security support by strengthening local economies, ensuring fair prices for agricultural products, constructing Farm-to-Market Roads that prioritize indigenous communities, and implementing other programs that respond to the needs of indigenous communities.
- Recognize and support indigenous knowledge, culture, and environmental stewardship as important contributions to addressing the climate crisis and advancing sustainable development.
- Ensure transparency, accountability, and meaningful participation of indigenous women in the development, implementation, and monitoring of programs and policies that affect our communities.
- Stop the intimidation and red-tagging of indigenous leaders and indigenous Women Human Rights Defenders. Abolish the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC).
- Recognize and support indigenous women as partners in shaping policies and programs, rather than merely as beneficiaries of these. Our experiences, knowledge, and leadership are essential in developing solutions that are just, inclusive, and responsive to the actual conditions of our communities.
Recognizing our rights alone is not enough. These rights must be lived out, implemented, and defended. Because any development that is implemented without the participation of indigenous women is not genuine and complete development.
HOLD ALL CORRUPT OFFICIALS ACCOUNTABLE!
REJECT CORRUPTION, UPHOLD RIGHTS, DEVELOPMENT, AND JUSTICE!
On this day, we collectively affirm and uphold this statement, and we will carry it with us into different spaces and arenas to advance our demands, dreams, and rights.
July 28, 2026
Quezon City
