Rappler Talk: Can minorities protect their rights under Duterte?

MANILA, Philippines – On Saturday, October 29, the Philippines will mark the 19th anniversary of the historic enactment of the Indigenous Peoples Rights Act. October is officially declared Indigenous Peoples’ Month.

The month-long observance was, however, tainted by violence after protesters and police clashed in front of the US embassy in Manila on October 19 as cops tried to disperse a rally of indigenous and Moro activists.

At least 3,000 Moro and indigenous peoples from all over the country gathered in Manila from October 13 to October 28 for a caravan dubbed “Lakbayan ng Pambansang Minorya para sa Sariling Pagpapasya at Makatarungang Kapayapaan” (Journey of the National Minorities for Self-Determination and Just Peace).

The members of the national minority have long asserted their right to freely pursue their political, economic, social, and cultural development.

At 11 am on Friday, October 28, MovePH editor Voltaire Tupaz talks to Kalipunan ng Katutubong Mamamayan secretary general Piya Macliing Malayao to tackle the prospects for self-determination of minorities under the Duterte government. She was one of the protesters seriously injured after cops rammed a police vehicle through the crowd. – Rappler.com