National minorities are fighting for their right to ancestral land against land grabbing and the entry of dam, renewable energy, plantation, and real estate projects. They launched mobilizations in recent weeks to defend their rights.

In Quezon City, national minority groups and environmental defenders protested at the Department of Environment and Natural Resources Central Office to mark the International Day of Action for Rivers. They denounced the construction of large dams and renewable energy projects that destroy the environment and expel farmers and indigenous peoples from their lands.

In Aklan, led by the Boracay Ati Tribal Organization, the Ati people took to the streets of Kalibo on March 16 to condemn the seizure of their ancestral land on Boracay Island. They slammed the Department of Agrarian Reform Provincial Office and the Marcos regime for cancelling their Certificates of Land Ownership Award (CLOA) in 2024 at the request of a private developer. The Ati owned five lots in Boracay that were “awarded” by the government in 2018 through the CLOA.

In Occidental Mindoro, the Mangyan-Iraya and their organization Mangyan Iraya Repumpungan sa Malatabako condemned a court’s eviction order on March 15 against their community in Sitio Malatabako, Barangay San Vicente, Abra de Ilog. The court upheld the real estate company Pieceland Corporation’s motion for execution to hasten the eviction of residents. The company colluded with the military and the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples.

In Negros Occidental, peasants and indigenous people from Candoni protested on March 10–11 outside the Barangay West gymnasium during the assembly for Free, Prior and Informed Consent. They were rightful participants in the assembly but were blocked by guards of Hacienda Asia Plantations Inc. and 15th IB soldiers. The permit covers the operation of a 6,652.32-hectare oil palm plantation in the barangays of Gatuslao, Payawan, and Agboy in Candoni.