The family of Mangyan-Hanunuo Jay-el Maligday filed a case before the Ombudsman on November 28 against the Philippine Army’s 4th IB, 203rd IBde, and 2nd ID in connection with the killing of Maligday on April 7 in Bulalacao, Oriental Mindoro. The family disputed the military claim that Maligday was a Red fighter killed in an encounter.

According to the Justice for Jay-El Maligday Network, the case was filed at the Ombudsman as the soldiers violated the international humanitarian law (IHL) when they killed the civilian Maligday. Jay-el was a 21-year-old student pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Education at Grace Mission College, an active student leader, and a church member from the town of Bulalacao.

“We will never forget how the military stormed our home and forcibly ordered us to leave. Moments later, we heard gunshots even though our brother was still inside the house,” said Louiejie Maligday, the victim’s sibling.

The network states that Jay-el’s case is just one among the numerous human rights violations in their area due to the intense militarization of the island of Mindoro and the intimidation of Mangyan communities. The most serious crimes committed by the AFP on the island include killings, aerial bombings, arrests, and abductions, which brought extreme fear and trauma to the communities.

The network protested in front of the Ombudsman’s office as they filed their complaint. The Katribu Kalipunan ng Katutubong Mamamayan ng Pilipinas also joined the protest.

The group spokesperson Funa-ay Claver said that the military is “complicit with the government and corporations in the landgrabbing of indigenous lands to make way for profit-driven projects such as mines and dams. For the state, we indigenous people are merely collateral damage in their pursuit of profit!”

In the town of Bulalacao alone, numerous mining operations and energy projects are encroaching on the ancestral lands of the Mangyans. These are being pursued by companies such as David M. Consunji Inc. (DMCI), Pitkin Petroleum Limited, CleanTech Global Renewables, and The Blue Circle. The group asserts that these companies are accountable for the ongoing crimes and human rights violations by state forces against the communities in Mindoro.

“We, the indigenous people, will continue to protect our environment, defend our rights to land and self-determination. We will persist in seeking justice, not only for Jay-el Maligday but for all victims of state killings. Justice for Jay-el Maligday is justice for all indigenous people killed by the ruthless military,” Claver said.