THE Climate Conflict Action has condemned the brutal killing of a Teduray leader in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (Barmm), calling it the 102nd death of a non-Moro Indigenous person (NMIP) in the region and a sign of systemic violence and government failure.
In an emailed statement titled “Without Justice, There Is No Protection,” the group said Teduray leader Ramon Lupos was “brutally beheaded” on the eve of Indigenous Peoples Month.
“Each killing is a reminder that promises of protection remain empty, and justice remains out of reach,” the statement reads in part.
Despite commitments from the Philippine National Police, Armed Forces of the Philippines, and the Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation and Unity to safeguard NMIP communities, the killings persist, the group said.
“The Indigenous Peoples Code has failed to protect those it claims to defend,” the statement reads.
It adds: “Neither has the entire security infrastructure of the Philippine Government nor the leaders and custodians of the Barmm Government.”
The group echoed the sentiments of non-Moro Indigenous youth, saying, “This violence is not random — it is systemic.” They called the attacks “a diabolical act designed to sow fear, drive the Teduray away from their ancestral lands, erase their identity, and elicit another round of revenge killings.”
According to the group, the killing reflects “a clear sign of the inability of the State to protect the Teduray from ethnic cleansing.”
“We need results beyond mere statements. We need accountability,” the group said. “The government must deliver justice for NMIPs. They need concrete actions and policies that will make them feel more secure in their everyday life — to be able to farm their lands, to go to school without fear, and work towards a bright future for their families and generations to come.”
"The blood from this act of violence, the group condemned, is on the hands not only of the perpetrators, but all those who allowed this to happen. This violence must stop. We stand with non-Moro indigenous peoples.”
