INDIGENOUS youth delegates from Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao converged to collectively ask President Rodrigo Duterte to halt the imposition of the martial law.
Organized by Sinag ng Kabataang Laan para sa Bayan (Siklab), the delegates relayed their community stories and how the imposition of military rule affected their homes and way of life.
Siklab is an organization advocating for the participation of more youth in engaging on community issues. The participants were trained to speak on the situation of the indigenous youth and help them bring their stories across the mainstream along with the appeal to halt military rule.
Yhazu Ambangan, a delegate from Mindanao representing the Sarimanok organization, said the way of life of the youth and the community has been disrupted because of the imposition of martial law in their area.
Ambangan said farming, schooling and cultural practices have also been affected, adding children have opted to stop schooling in fear of the ongoing war between government forces and rebel groups.
Visayas delegate Perigreno Dote representing the Tumandor youth said the fear of an expanded martial law is one of the issues being discussed by the youth in his area.
“Hindi lang ito laban ng isang rehiyon, laban ito ng lahat,” he added.
Aside from asking for a halt in the martial law, the group also discussed on the issue of the continued displacement of indigenous peoples in their communities.
Dote said there is a need to discuss on the impacts of government projects that will affect the lives of the indigenes like dam construction which affects the environment and displace them.
Bryan Bimmactod, from the Green Youth Ifugao in the Cordilleras, echoed the calls to keep indigenous communities intact.
He added that high-impact projects which directly affect the communities' ecosystem should be presented to the community members firsthand. (Maria Elena Catajan)
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