Disrespect of Indigenous Peoples’ Land Rights in Boracay Violates their Right to Adequate Food

FIAN International recently received information about the killing of Dexter Condez, a 26 years old youth leader of the Ati tribe in Boracay and spokesperson of the Boracay Ati Tribal Organization (BATO). Condez was shot on 22 February 2013 on the way home from a meeting between tribal leaders and nuns of the Holy Rosary Parish Ati Mission (HRPAM). The victim was accompanied by two other members of his tribe, when he was shot by an unidentified man. Dexter Condez’ death – according to the Ati and their supporters – is said to be the tragic result of a decade-long dispute over a 2.1-hectares piece of land situated in Barangay Manoc-Manoc in the Municipality of Malay.

Condez’ death is not only a sad attestation of the security situation of human rights defenders in the Philippines. It is also a severe set-back to the Ati tribe and other indigenous peoples who are struggling for their rights, especially for their right to ancestral domains, since access to land is crucial for the realization of the indigenous peoples’ right to food.

Read the full letter to the President below.