STATEMENT
October 15, 2025
The Council for People’s Development and Governance (CPDG) and the Defend NGOs Alliance condemn the attacks and acts of intimidation against delegates and participants of the ongoing International Learning and Solidarity Mission (ISM).
The ISM, composed of different organizations under the Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (BAYAN) and international support groups, is conducting its third high profile mission to document and learn from the current struggles and conditions of farming and indigenous communities affected by land-grabbing, environmental destruction, and militarization.
The ISM teams in Southern Tagalog (Rizal and Mindoro Occidental), Negros Occidental and Eastern Visayas all experienced surveillance, harassment and intimidation as soon as they arrived. These worsened on the second day — particularly in Abra De Ilog, Mindoro where the 76th IBPA is deployed, and in Tanay, Rizal where the 80th IBPA is based. ISM teams report that the number of military personnel deployed in Mindoro and Rizal continues to increase in the areas being visited.
In Negros and Eastern Visayas, intelligence officers have been infiltrating the communities, taking photos and videos, flying surveillance drones, and conducting checkpoints. The military makes their presence visibly felt, demands the names of participants, and harasses organizers.
We condemn the harassment and intimidation of locals and their supporters who are just pushing back against destructive projects, displacement and militarization. We further condemn the hamletting, food blockades, killings, forced disappearances, and other human rights violations against marginalized farming communities.
ISM’s documentation of the harms and ills caused by destructive projects against communities is not a crime. It is an eye-opener to the current conditions of farmers and their communities, whose livelihoods are slowly being destroyed and who are ultimately displaced through militarization and intimidation.
We condemn the harassment and surveillance of ISM participants which violates their rights to assemble and to privacy when conducting their activities. Their work will be valuable in raising awareness of the impacts of militarization and its effects on farmers and indigenous peoples. These findings will be presented during the Asia Pacific People’s Conference Against Climate Imperialism and Militarism on October 16-17, 2025.
We urge civil society organizations and networks to stand in solidarity against these acts of harassment. The government is using the military to constrict civic spaces and stifle communities striving for social justice and control over their lives.
Hands Off Our Farmers! Hands Off Our Delegates!