In Abra de Ilog, Occidental Mindoro, with delegates learning more about the local struggles of the indigenous Mangyan-Iraya community with regards to land grabbing in their ancestral domain. After an exercise routine, local community leaders led a discussion on the local situation.

“Kaming mga Mangyan-Iraya, mauubusan na kami ng pagmamay-ari dahil sa malalaking korporasyon. Pero anuman ang mangyari, hinding-hindi namin bibitawan ang Sitio Malatabako. Ito na lang ang natitirang espasyo na pwede naming paunlarin para sa aming tribo. Hindi lang Sitio Malatabako ang ipinaglalaban namin, kundi ang buong lupaing ninuno.” Arjel Constantino, Mangyan-Iraya. (We Mangyan-Iraya people, we will run out of property because of giant corporations. But whatever happens, we will never let go of Sitio Malatabako. This is the only remaining space that we can develop for our tribe. We do not fight only for Sitio Malatabako, but for our entire ancestral land.)

Since May 2024, the Mangyan-Iraya of Sitio Malatabako in Abra de Ilog, Occidental Mindoro have faced forced displacement and cases of human rights abuses perpetrated by Pieceland Corporation, a real estate developer known for recurring land-grabbing across Mindoro.

While in Rizal, the Dumagat‑Remontado warmly welcomed the delegates and shared their community’s history and challenges, sparking strong solidarity among locals and international allies. Yet six soldiers from the Philippine Army’s 80th Infantry Battalion lingered within 20 m of the delegation’s lodging in Sitio Nayon, Barangay Sta. Inez, Tanay. When they demanded everyone’s names and IDs, the team invoked the Data Privacy Act and, after negotiation, only the mission’s official representatives and a barangay official disclosed their identities.

The solidarity effort unfolds against the looming threat to the Sierra Madre, home to the Dumagat‑Remontado peoples. The Kaliwa Dam—pushed under Duterte’s “Build, Build, Build” agenda and financed by China Energy Engineering—proceeds without genuine Free, Prior, Informed Consent. Its reservoir will flood 113 ha of forest, displacing eight villages and 1,465 families by 2027, forcing evacuations, destroying livelihoods, and erasing vital cultural, traditional, and spiritual ties to the land.

“We are here because we really believe that there is an imminent need to globalize resistance. If they can globalize capitalism, they can globalize militarization, then we as people across different countries can globalize resistance.” Sharanya Nayak, a delegate from the Indigenous People’s Land Life and Knowledge Collective.

In Negros, participants from various sectors visited Candoni to engage with local communities documented human rights violations and hear firsthand the struggles of farmers affected by the palm oil plantation project.

The ₱2-billion palm oil project by Hacienda Asia Plantation Inc. (HAPI) in Candoni threatens to displace over 300 farming households, including the Ati Indigenous community, converting farmlands and forests into monoculture estates. Despite a cease and desist order, operations reportedly continue. For farmers and IPs, this is a fight to defend their land, livelihood, and dignity.

In Eastern Visayas, participants of the International Educational Tour visited a farming community in Marabut, Samar, on October 12, 2025. Welcomed by the local farmers’ association, Farmers shared their challenges in production, including scarce farming equipment, unpredictable weather, and soaring input costs. They also lamented the low selling prices of palay, copra, and other crops, which leave small-scale farmers in deep economic distress. These long-standing issues are worsened by the lack of government relief and compensation, especially in a region frequently hit by typhoons and floods.

The activities today led by Peoples Rising for Climate Justice highlighted the lived experiences of the indigenous people and peasants in their fight for climate justice, linked to their struggle to reclaim their lands, and the importance of international solidarity in invigorating local and national struggles against climate imperialism and militarism. ###