Indigenous Peoples’ rights advocates marked the fifth anniversary of the Tumandok Massacre with renewed calls for justice and accountability.

In a solidarity message, Bishop Gerardo Alminaza of San Carlos, convenor of Manindigan, said the Dec. 30, 2020, killings continue to expose what he described as state terror carried out through counterinsurgency programs.

Five years after the massacre, Alminaza said the deaths, arrests, and trauma “radiate a light of truth,” affirming that “The Tumandok people are sacred — created in the image of God, and gifted with dignity and a unique and beautiful culture,” and that “The ancestral lands of the Tumandok People are also sacred.”

He named the nine Tumandok leaders killed during the police and military operations as “valiant leaders and martyrs of the Tumandok people,” while describing the 16 arrested as “witnesses to resilience and determination.”

Calling for continued solidarity, the bishop urged communities to stand with the Tumandok by “choosing truth over fear, solidarity over silence, and courage over complacency,” and to “push back against red-tagging, harassment, and militarism.”

The anniversary was marked by a candlelight protest in Quezon City, organized by Katribu Kalipunan ng Katutubong Mamamayan ng Pilipinas and allied groups to honor the victims and press demands for justice.

On Dec. 30, 2020, joint police and military operations in Capiz and Iloilo on Panay Island killed nine Tumandok leaders and led to the arrest of 16 others under the Synchronized Enhanced Management of Police Operations. 

The operation was led by then police regional director Debold Sinas and approved under former Philippine National Police chief Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa.

Dumagat woman leader Kakay Tolentino of the Bai Indigenous Women’s Network said the massacre revealed the role of state forces in Indigenous communities. 

“The Philippine National Police and the Armed Forces of the Philippines do not serve and protect Indigenous Peoples. They harass, criminalize, and kill the rights defenders while protecting violators. That is impunity,” Tolentino said.

The groups said the killings were enabled by red-tagging and vilification by the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples and the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict, which were both headed at the time by retired military general Allen Capuyan.

They reiterated calls to hold dela Rosa accountable, stressing that no political position should shield him from responsibility for crimes committed under his leadership.

Balangao youth leader Ephin Falyao of Siklab – Philippine Indigenous Youth Network said the continued killings show policy continuity across administrations. 

“Walang pinag-iba ang rehimen ni Marcos Jr. at ni Duterte. Iisa ang linya at patakaran: militarisasyon at pagsupil sa karapatan ng mamamayang lumalaban,” Falyao said.

Katribu national convener Beverly Longid said the commemoration reclaimed December 30 as Tumandok Day. “Ang Tumandok Day ay kolektibong pahayag na ang mamamayan ay hindi mapapatahimik at mapapaalis sa kanilang lupang ninuno,” Longid said. 

“Sa harap ng panunupil, patuloy ang pakikibaka ng mga Tumandok at buong Katutubong mamamayan sa bansa para sa lupa, buhay, at sariling pagpapasya,” she added.