The Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan)-Panay condemned the Iloilo City local government following reports that it was driving away Ati indigenous vendors from the Jaro Plaza in the city. The Ati themselves exposed the eviction last week of January in an interview on local radio.

According to DYRP Life Radio Iloilo, the Ati from Antique complained that they and their goods were ordered removed from the plaza. Michell said In the radio interview that the Iloilo City Hall had repeatedly promised to grant them a permit to sell, but none was granted. They are relentlessly driven out and prohibited from selling their wares in the area.

She said they are striving to sell native products instead of begging to sustain their daily needs. They called on Iloilo City Mayor Raisa Treñas to address their situation and grant them a permit and space to sell. She added their vending would last only until the end of the Nuestra Señora de la Candelaria festivities in Jaro District on February 2.

Bayan-Panay said the incident exposed the hypocrisy of the Iloilo City local government, which had just finished celebrating the Dinagyang Festival from January 23 to 25. The Dinagyang is a festival supposedly honoring and recognizing the culture of the Ati people.

“This action stands in stark contrast to the city’s celebration of Ati culture, exposing the gap between symbolic recognition and the real treatment of Ati communities,” Bayan-Panay said.

The group said the Ati are deprived of dignity, space, and justice in their daily lives.

An Ilonggo and former Kabataan Party-list representative in the 19th Congress, Raoul Manuel also expressed dismay over the incident. He said such events are why, even if he wants to take joy in the Dinagyang Festival, he cannot get rid of the thought of how society treats the Ati community.