10/08/2026
📢🌏On the 𝐈𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐃𝐚𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝’𝐬 𝐈𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐨𝐮𝐬 𝐏𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐬, PSLINK – PUBLIK stands in firm solidarity with Indigenous communities in the Philippines and across the world in their struggle for self-determination, life, land, and dignity. ✊💜
Indigenous Peoples are at the frontlines of defending our environment, protecting ancestral domains, and sustaining knowledge systems essential for our collective future. Yet in the Philippines, they continue to face displacement, militarization, discrimination, and the systematic denial of their rights—conditions intensified by red-tagging, privatization, extractive industries, and profit-driven “development” projects imposed without genuine consent.
As a public sector labor confederation, PSLINK – PUBLIK affirms that the fight for Indigenous Peoples’ rights is inseparable from the struggle for decent work, quality public services, gender justice, and climate justice. Indigenous communities are not only defenders of land and life—they are key actors in advancing a just transition. Their knowledge and stewardship offer critical pathways toward climate solutions that are people-centered, sustainable, and rooted in justice—not corporate profit.
We underscore the urgent need to recognize, protect, and support Indigenous systems of care—especially Indigenous midwifery. Indigenous midwives and community health workers, provide essential, culturally grounded care and carry generations of knowledge. Yet their labor remains largely invisible, undervalued, and undermined by underfunded and increasingly privatized health systems. This reflects the broader devaluation of care work and women’s labor.
Public institutions must uphold—not violate—Indigenous Peoples’ rights by ensuring access to culturally appropriate health, education, and social protection services, while respecting Indigenous governance systems, ancestral lands, and traditional health practices.
We call on the government to:
✊ Uphold and fully enforce Indigenous Peoples’ rights, including the genuine recognition, protection, and defense of ancestral domains
✊ Ensure free, prior, and informed consent (FPIC) in all projects affecting Indigenous communities
✊ Stop attacks, red-tagging, harassment, and criminalization of Indigenous leaders and defenders
✊ Recognize, protect, and support Indigenous midwives and community health workers as essential workers with rights, protection, and adequate compensation
✊ Advance a just transition that centers Indigenous Peoples’ rights, protects livelihoods, and rejects false solutions that displace communities
✊ Invest in inclusive, accessible, and culturally grounded public services for Indigenous communities
We call on public sector workers and unions to stand united with Indigenous Peoples—building alliances that defend public services, uphold social justice, and advance a just transition that puts people and planet before profit.
