Indigenous Peoples As“Non-Movers”: A Case of Pinatubo Aetas in the Philippines

This study describes the mechanism of immobility of “non-movers” through the case of Indigenous peoples in the Philippines. The number of international migrants and refugees has increased over the decades, bringing with it rising concerns in the era of mobility. But there are also many non-movers who cannot cross borders. This immobility of non-movers will be discussed in contrast to those who cross borders. As movers, migrants and refugees flow into the bottom of the host society. They are monitored by the host state with limited public protection. In the same way, non-movers are left at the bottom of their society without guarantee of their basic needs and rights. The Pinatubo Aetas are among the indigenous peoples of the Philippines who are under constant threat of losing their ancestral domain and their rights restricted. The US army, national authorities, and multinational land developers supported by the state have exploited their ancestral lands. With their ancestral domain targeted and their movements heavily monitored, some have been forced to stay or be imprisoned in their own land to protect their claim to their domain and preserve their way of life. Some are included in the local labor market as cheap labor, subordinately included in development projects, while others escape to the mountains to avoid conflicts. The study shows the various aspects of the Aetas’ immobility through its historical, economic, and political context. This will provide an important insight into our understanding of the selective process and factors that force marginalized people to either become migrants or non-movers.