The Bangsamoro Transition Authority (BTA) recently passed Proposed Resolution No. 712, declaring Sitio Mekir in Barangay Lamud, South Upi, Maguindanao del Sur as a peace sanctuary and safe evacuation center for Non-Moro Indigenous Peoples (NMIPs) during armed hostilities. Authored by MP Froilyn T. Mendoza, herself a staunch advocate for the rights of Indigenous Peoples, this resolution marks an important step in addressing the vulnerability of NMIPs in conflict-ridden areas.
But let us be clear: while this resolution is commendable, it is far from enough.
The plight of NMIPs in the Bangsamoro is one of the least discussed yet most pressing human rights concerns in the region. For decades, Indigenous communities—Teduray, Lambangian, Dulangan Manobo, Erumanen ne Menuvu, and others—have lived in a constant state of fear. They are vulnerable, defenseless, and too often abandoned in the middle of wars they did not start. When armed groups encroach on their communities, they have no sanctuary, no institution to shield them from harassment, displacement, or worse, death. The grim statistics speak for themselves: at least 88 NMIPs have been killed in the region in recent years. Each death represents not only a life lost, but a community further marginalized and a heritage increasingly threatened.
The establishment of a peace sanctuary is a band-aid solution to a deeply rooted problem. Yes, it may provide temporary refuge during firefights, but what happens after the gunfire stops? NMIPs will return to their homes only to find their land contested, their ancestral domains unrecognized, and their very existence threatened anew.
True and lasting peace for NMIPs cannot be achieved without addressing the heart of the issue: recognition of their ancestral domain claims. Without this, violence will always be at their doorstep. As long as Indigenous territories remain unrecognized, armed groups will continue to occupy, exploit, and intimidate Indigenous communities with impunity.
This is where the BTA and the Bangsamoro government must show real courage. Declaring sanctuaries is the easy part; confronting the long-standing injustice of land dispossession is much harder. Yet it is precisely this challenge that must be taken on. Recognizing NMIP ancestral domains is not just about protecting land—it is about affirming dignity, identity, and the right to self-determination.
If the Bangsamoro government is serious about peace and inclusivity, it must move beyond symbolic gestures. The NMIPs need more than evacuation centers. They need a guarantee that their homes will not become battlefields again and again. They need a Bangsamoro where their culture and rights are respected, and where justice is not selective.
Resolution No. 712 is a start—but it cannot be the end. Until ancestral domain claims are acknowledged, every peace sanctuary will remain a temporary shelter, not a true refuge. For the NMIPs, security lies not in evacuation, but in recognition. And for Bangsamoro, peace will only be real when it is peace for all.