On the 20th of November, 2018, Esteban Empong Sr., aged 49 years, was shot and killed while asleep at a relative’s house. Empong Sr. was a member of Tinananon Kulamanon Lumadong Panaghiusa (TIKULPA) a local organization standing against agribusiness plantations and other corporate business interests in the area.

While the two perpetrators of the killing are not known, it is reported that Empong Sr. was allegedly previously harassed by the 18^th Infantry Battalion of the Philippines.

Empong Sr. was also an active member of the Philippines indigenous Lumad School’s parent-teacher Community.