Amnesty International Philippines today called on the government to guarantee the safe and permanent return of the Manobo-Pulangiyon Kiantig (MPK) Indigenous Cultural Community (ICC) of Quezon, Bukidnon to their ancestral land. This closes the National Indigenous Peoples Month which the MPK is marking with a ritual of solidarity for all indigenous peoples groups whose ancestral lands have been seized from then by corporations with the acquiescence of the government.
“The Manobo-Pulangiyon Kiantig was granted the Certificate of Ancestral Domain (CADT) No. 261 in January 2023, officially recognizing our ownership of more than 1,100 hectares of ancestral land. Nearly four years later, we have yet to take effective possession of a land that’s already ours to begin with,” said Bae Luisa Oreño, leader of MPK, during Amnesty International Philippines press conference in Manila on 30 October 2026.
The recognition of ownership through the issuance of CADT remains only ink on paper until the MPK ICC are allowed back, able to actually step into and settle on their land, Amnesty International Philippines stressed. The call for a safe and permanent return for the MPK defines this call.
“Amnesty International Philippines calls on safe and permanent return means freedom from harassment and threats of arrest, an end to duress by way of aid blockades exacerbating their already precarious situation, red tape, and bureaucracy. An end to decades-long displacement means returning to their ancestral domain with real security of re-possession without any risk of being pushed out again. Safe and permanent means a return that no one can reverse,” explained Ritz Lee Santos, III, Section Director of Amnesty International Philippines.
On 22 October 2026, the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP) endorsed approximately 600 hectares to the Land Registration Authority (LRA) for the Certificate of Non-Overlap (CNO). MPK welcomes this step but it also partial and it comes three years after the title was issued.
“After our CADT was granted, it had been found to overlap with other claims and contained inconsistencies in its technical description. We have met every requirement asked from us by the NCIP and have followed up repeatedly with them and the LRA. But our situation never changes, our displacement continues. The NCIP did not issue an order enabling for our community’s return citing disputes over boundaries. Our community leaders have done everything, ever travelling to Manila to follow up every office, each time a new requirement, and we remain living and waiting by the side of the road upon returning home,” lamented Bae Cheryl Caro, leader of MPK.
Community members report ongoing harassment, intimidation, and threats against their leaders, reportedly from private guards of the Kiantig Development Corporation (KDC) occupying the area. Along the Pulangi river, families lived in shanties along the highway, they wanted to remain close to their ancestral land. More than a hundred people remain there, while many others were forced to scatter across different provinces to earn a living.
“The land we were displaced to is not suitable for farming, and we have inconsistent access to food and clean water, which has made community members, especially children, sick. The NCIP said they will talk to adjacent ancestral domain about the temporary settlement within the area, while our case against KDC continues because of the petition for certiorari. We accepted the offer because we are left with no choice, but our conditions were clear – that this arrangement is temporary and the move is approved by the community and only voluntary. We demand a clear timeline which points to preserving our right to return to our ancestral domain.
Bae Cheryl Caro, MPK Leader
“The land we were displaced to is not suitable for farming, and we have inconsistent access to food and clean water, which has made community members, especially children, sick. The NCIP said they will talk to adjacent ancestral domain about the temporary settlement within the area, while our case against KDC continues because of the petition for certiorari. We accepted the offer because we are left with no choice, but our conditions were clear – that this arrangement is temporary and the move is approved by the community and only voluntary. We demand a clear timeline which points to preserving our right to return to our ancestral domain,” Bae Cheryl reiterated.
The Indigenous Peoples Rights Act (IPRA) prevents relocation without Free, Prior, and Informed Consent (FPIC) of the community concerned. The UN Declaration of the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) provides for the same with the option of return where possible. For the MPK, land is not only property, it is tied to their identity and way of life. Their ancestors lived in that very same land, their very survival depends on it.
Being kept away from our home also separates us from our sacred sites, our ancestors’ resting places, our food and medicines. The falls and the forest where we gather our food and medicines are not just places to us, they are who we are, all our attempts to return to our ancestral land were met with closed gates and guns.
Bae Luisa Oreño, MPK Leader
“Being kept away from our home also separates us from our sacred sites, our ancestors’ resting places, our food and medicines. The falls and the forest where we gather our food and medicines are not just places to us, they are who we are, all our attempts to return to our ancestral land were met with closed gates and guns,” Bae Luisa shared.
The IPRA recognizes native titles, provides for CADTs, requires FPIC, and protects the IP rights to stay within their territories, ad where displacement had occurred, the right to return. It provides that the continuity of indigenous possession is not broken when a community is displaced by force, deceit, stealth, or government deals. It directs that any doubt in applying the law be resolved in favor of indigenous peoples.
“IPRA already informs what should happen to MPK’s case, what’s lacking is the proper implementation of the law. The slow and tedious process that MPK endured from government agencies is a form of human rights violation. IPs continue to pay for the inaction of the Philippine government. Amnesty has written to the respective committee chairs in both houses for cultural communities and indigenous peoples, we only received an acknowledgement receipt, nothing substantive yet. IPRA also provides for legislative oversight to ensure that ancestral domain processes are timely, transparent, and effective for all indigenous communities. Amnesty is open to working with legislators, we are highly urging them to act now and not let MPK be kept out of their ancestral domain,” added Santos.
Amnesty has written to the respective committee chairs in both houses for cultural communities and indigenous peoples, we only received an acknowledgement receipt, nothing substantive yet. IPRA provides for legislative oversight to ensure that ancestral domain processes are timely, transparent, and effective for all indigenous communities. Amnesty is open to working with legislators, we are highly urging them to act now and not let MPK be kept out of their ancestral domain.
Ritz Lee Santos, III, Section Director
Amnesty International Philippines’ “Payapa at Pirming Pagbabalik” campaign for MPK is also urging President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. to order the NCIP to identify the remaining administrative and technical requirements preventing the MPK from taking possession of their ancestral domain, assign responsible offices and set clear timelines. And for DENR and LRA to implement CADT NO. 261, support the community’s approved return and resettlement plan with adequate resources and protection against retaliation.
“We are also calling for NCIP and LRA to first and foremost complete the amended map and CNO without further delay. The MPK ICC has waited long enough! Wakasan ang pangamba! Safe and permanent return now!” Santos concluded.