MEMBERS of the Sandag clan of the B’laan tribe were caught off guard yesterday, April 23, when a sheriff, accompanied by police and alleged military personnel, arrived in their community in Sitio Tampuan, Barangay Kamanga, to enforce a demolition order on their homes.
According to clan leaders, the sheriff presented only a Notice to Vacate dated 2024, but failed to show a court-issued demolition order.
Despite residents’ protests, several homes and the tribal hall were torn down, sparking confusion and outrage.
The demolition began around 8 am.
“Naa may demolition order gipagawas sa korte niaging tuig (2024), pero nag file man mi og injunction ato pinaagi sa among abogado,” said Pastor Allan Kimnon, tribal head of the Sandag clan.
He added that they have a hearing scheduled this coming May with regard to the injunction.
“Ngano nag una-una naman ni sila pang guba,” Kimnon rhetorically asked.
Kimnon said authorities on site ignored repeated requests to present proper documentation authorizing the demolition.
Personnel from the Philippine National Police (PNP) Regional Office XII, the Sarangani provincial and Maasim municipal police units, and several civilians — some of whom clan members believe to be from the Philippine Army — were seen during the operation.
The Sandag clan asserts the land in question forms part of their ancestral domain and that a claim for a Certificate of Ancestral Domain Title is pending before the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP) Region XII.
“Kini nga yuta sa amo pa ning ka nunu-an, ug dinhi na mi na tawo ug nag puyo hangtud karon. Among gi ka subo nga ilogon ra kani sa amoa maski naa na mi gi file mga claim ani sa NCIP,” Kimnon said.
The NCIP has yet to issue a public statement regarding the demolition and the status of the Sandag clan’s ancestral domain claim.
