THE International Indigenous Heroes Day is marked every Nov. 10.
The Siklab Philippine Indigenous Youth Network commemorates the lives and contributions of indigenous heroes who dedicated their efforts in service of their communities and the rights of Indigenous Peoples. Furthermore, Siklab is one in honoring the Ogoni activists in Nigeria who were killed by the Nigerian military on Nov. 10, 1995 as they protected their lands from the clutches of the oil company Shell.
History has shown the brutality of the state in responding to the needs of the Indigenous Peoples anywhere in the globe. In the Philippines, indigenous leaders and even the youthâs plight against oppression and exploitation showed no difference. Indigenous Peoples continue to face grave situations from greedy corporations collaborating with the state forces in pursuit of the resources found within the ancestral domains. The Marcos Jr. administration shows no interest in providing justice for the lives of those killed from the past administrations and has persisted in attacking more indigenous communities.
The struggle of our Indigenous heroes does not end in the absence of their breaths and the stopping of their heartbeats, because until now, we still experience the same oppression they have faced â plunder of our lands, bombings of our communities, such as the cases in Cagayan and Kalingan in the months of February and March respectively; and human rights violations, even among the Indigenous Peoples rights advocates, similar to the abduction of Dexter Capuyan and Gene Roz Jamil âBazooâ De Jesus.
With the intensification of marginalization and injustice against Indigenous Peoples, their resistance also strengthens.
We, Indigenous Youth, are here to continue the legacy of our indigenous heroes â we, as torchbearers, carrying the flame of our ancestors’ fight into the future. This serves as a pledge that we will ratify our unity to forge a free and just future, not just for ourselves, but also for the next generations to come.
Let this day mark not only a day of remembrance but a day of collective action. Stand with indigenous communities to protect and preserve their rich history and culture, actively listen and amplify the voices of Indigenous Peoples, and join the fight against land dispossession and environmental exploitation. â SIKLAB PHILIPPINE INDIGENOUS YOUTH NETWORK <siklab.ipyouth@gmail.com>
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Siklab Philippine Indigenous Youth Network is a network of Indigenous Youth organizations from different regions in the Philippines who are dedicated to the cause of asserting the rights of every Indigenous Youth to ancestral lands and self-determinationâparticularly education and sustainable future.
