Alleged land grabbing probe sought

A CONGRESSMAN on Sunday is calling for a congressional investigation over allegations of land grabbing by a mining company on the ancestral lands of the indigenous peoples (IP) in Agusan del Sur, Mindanao, located southeast of the Philippine capital.

Party-list Rep. Erwin T. Tulfo said he will file a House of Representatives resolution for the inquiry on Monday, which could help bolster mining and IP laws amid the need to protect “underprivileged” minority groups.

He said he received a complaint from members of the Rodrigo clan, natives of the Manobo Tribe residing in Bunawan municipality in Agusan del Sur province.

“Their complaint is that the said mining company has taken their land, and they haven’t received any compensation for their community,” Mr. Tulfo said in a statement.

The complaint alleged that a mining firm denied the tribe their “rights” over their lands and royalty shares from the company’s profits over the land, the draft resolution stated.

The mining firm did not immediately reply to an e-mail and Facebook message seeking comment. — Kenneth Christiane L. Basilio