Today, Joey works with the Nakamata coalition of Indigenous tribal groups in Central Mindanao. Nakamata has banded together to peacefully and legally regain possession of their ancestral domain under a new national law, the Indigenous Peoples' Rights Act.

Under the Marcos dictatorship in the 60's and 70's, Indigenous tribes all across the Philippines were forcibly driven off their own land to make way for cattle ranches and sugar plantations. Today, after numerous failed national land reforms, plantation owners, most of them Marcos' cronies, still grow sugar cane for export on the tribes' ancestral domains.

The Nakamata Coalition was formed by Datu Makapukaw in 1999 in response to increasing marginalization of tribe members in Bukidnon as sugar plantations expanded. The coalition exists to educate its members about their rights under the new law, and to work together to reclaim at least a part of their ancestral domain in order to have somewhere to live and grow their food on. As they become more organized and more vocal in their campaign, they are subject to more threats, harassment and violence.

Recently, Joey filmed a dangerous Nakamata mission. He shows us his unedited footage of the Quemtras group's attempt to reoccupy their own land.

It's only this group that has filed the ancestral domain claim. It's been awarded to them, but the company prevents them from occupying the land that has been awarded to them. They won't let them occupy it. They tried to block us, but we went through, Joey explains. The company hires masked goons to block the tribe. With all their belongings piled on buses, the tribe members move in. Joey's convinced the presence of his camera prevented violence on that day. A few days later, the tribe moved again, but Joey wasn't there.

Joey describes the tragedy that unfolded: They were so impatient. And on that day I told them to wait. They moved on, and as soon as they went past the fence they were shot by guards, point blank, one was shot point blank. Two members of the tribe were killed that day.

Joey still finds it hard to talk about what happened that day. The incident was a defining moment in his relationship with Nakamata, and it strengthened his commitment to helping the coalition with their land claims campaign.

Joey also takes us to the Nagtimmma village and describes the living conditions of the group's members: Almost all members of the Nakamata coalition look like this but this one had the most casualties already. Imagine, more than 20 since 1984. That was the time harassment began, when Cojuangco took over this land, when Cojuangco used lots of company guards to drive people out. The tribe has built makeshift houses using materials from the coconut trees that surround them. They occupy approximately one hectare of land, with no electricity.

Villagers live in constant fear. We're afraid of another attack. That's why we're on guard, day and night. We don't go to the fields to work anymore, because we're afraid of what will happen to our families back in the village, says Artemio Duquit, Chairman of Nagtimma.

Nakamata is a new partner of Witness, the New York-based human rights group. Joey delivers the Witness camera to members of Nakamata and trains them on how to use it. The leaders accept the digital camera in a traditional tribal ritual. Everybody looks so excited holding a camera. Now knowing the power of the video camera to deter all of these abuses, knowing the power of camera to advance their aspirations, I think that helps a lot in keeping their interest, says Joey.

Nakamata uses the camera for the first time to film a visit to the local office of the National Commission for Indigenous Peoples. The tribe is frustrated by the lack of local government action on their land claims, which they attribute to widespread corruption. Plantation owners, local authorities and police are often related by blood, and they work in collusion to protect each other's interests. The tribes are hoping that the national government will take more notice, now that cameras are present to record their grievances.