Mangyan Community in Abra de Ilog Rejects CPP-NPA-NDF Presence, Calls for Peace

ABRA DE ILOG, OCCIDENTAL MINDORO — Indigenous Mangyan residents of Sitio GCFI in Barangay Balao, Abra de Ilog, Occidental Mindoro, gathered on September 22 to express their opposition to the presence and activities of the CPP-NPA-NDF in their community.

The activity brought together members of the Mangyan community in a public expression of their desire to live in peace and away from the armed conflict that has affected communities in the municipality for years.

According to Buklod Kapayapaan, the national federation of former rebels, the activity was conducted through coordination with various government agencies working with the community. It concluded with the symbolic burning of a CPP-NPA-NDF flag, which the organizers described as an expression of the participants' rejection of armed-group presence and their desire for a peaceful community.

The community's position comes amid renewed attention to the security situation in Abra de Ilog following the series of armed encounters between government forces and NPA members across the province since January this year.

A community affected by armed conflict

The encounters became the subject of competing narratives about the circumstances of the fighting and its impact on civilians.

The encounters resulted in the displacement of affected families, according to a Department of Social Welfare and Development report documenting the incident.

Human-rights organizations subsequently raised allegations concerning civilian casualties. Karapatan, in its first-quarter 2026 report, alleged that three Mangyan-Iraya children were killed during the January operation.

These allegations were rejected by local officials and indigenous representatives. Reports published in January quoted local leaders and Mangyan youth representatives disputing claims that Mangyan children had been killed during the encounter.

Fact-finding mission challenges claims of civilian deaths

In particular, the January 1 encounter in Abra de Ilog prompted a fact-finding and solidarity mission involving Buklod Kapayapaan and the Hands Off Our Children Movement in late January.

The Philippine Information Agency reported on February 9 that the mission interviewed residents, health workers and local leaders. According to the mission's findings, barangay health workers reported that children in the community were accounted for and unharmed. The mission also reported that the site of the January encounter was located hundreds of meters away from residential houses.

At the same time, the mission documented continuing security concerns among residents because of armed groups operating in surrounding areas.

These developments provide important context for Tuesday's gathering at Sitio GCFI in Barangay Balao.

For communities that have experienced armed encounters, displacement and competing claims about what happens on the ground, the question of security is not an abstract political issue. It directly affects education, livelihood, mobility and the ability of families to live and work without fear.

Mangyan voices against armed-group presence

Tuesday’s event also follows earlier public statements from Mangyan representatives opposing armed-group activity in their communities.

In January, the Balanan Mangyan Youth Organization reportedly expressed opposition to the presence and activities of the CPP-NPA-NDF. The group said armed conflict had brought fear and disruption to education and livelihood and argued that ancestral lands should not be used for armed struggle.

This demonstrates opposition to armed-group activity that has been earlier publicly expressed by indigenous representatives.

Balao's history with armed-group activity

The setting of Tuesday's event is also significant.

Provincial social-welfare records identify Balao among communities in Abra de Ilog affected by communist armed conflict and subsequently covered by government assistance and development initiatives.

The barangay has also appeared in previous reports concerning alleged NPA activity. In 2010, Philstar reported that suspected NPA members burned construction equipment in Balao after an alleged demand for revolutionary taxes was not met.

History illustrates that the concerns expressed by residents today did not emerge overnight. Communities in Abra de Ilog have lived with the consequences of armed-group activity for years.

A call for peace from the community

The September 22 gathering therefore carries significance beyond the symbolic burning of a flag.

It reflects an expression of opposition to armed-group presence coming from members of an indigenous community that has lived amid the consequences of armed conflict.

For Buklod Kapayapaan, the activity represents a call to support the Mangyan community's desire for peace and protection.

The Mangyan residents' rejection of CPP-NPA-NDF adds another community voice to that conversation. “Let us stand against deception and uphold the truth,” the federation said.