KORONADAL CITY -- Hundreds of militant activists gathered in this city for a series of protest actions against the alleged harassment activities and attacks by government forces on lumad or indigenous peoples communities in the province and the neighboring areas.
Around 200 members of various “cause-oriented” groups initially pitched camp late Sunday infront of the South Cotabato provincial capitol compound here as part of a planned three-day mobilization.
Organizers said the protesters are composed of lumads, farmers, teachers, students and other concerned residents.
Timothy Romero, spokesperson for the Center for Lumad Advocacy, Networking and Services Inc. (Clans)-Socksargen, said Monday the protests are mainly aimed at bringing the plight of the lumads to the attention of local government leaders and concerned agencies.
He said lumad communities, including schools, in the area are currently under attack from government troops after repeatedly being “falsely accused” as fronts for the New People’s Army (NPA).
The latest case, he noted, was the alleged massacre last Dec. 3 of eight members of the T’boli tribe in Sitio Datal Bonglangon, Barangay Ned in Lake Sebu, South Cotabato.
Among those killed was local tribal leader Datu Victor Danyan, two of his sons and a son-in-law.
The Army’s 27th and 33rd Infantry Battalions said the incident was a legitimate encounter and that the slain lumads were members of the NPA’s Daguma Front 73.
Romero urged South Cotabato Gov. Daisy Avance-Fuentes to seek an impartial investigation of the Dec. 3 incident.
“We’re also calling on the governor to look into the attacks by government troops targeting legitimate lumad schools,” he said.
He appealed to the governor to face them for a dialogue regarding these issues as well as some pressing concerns affecting the lumads in the area.
Romero specifically cited the planned coal mining project in Barangay Ned, Lake Sebu and the large-scale copper-gold mining venture in Tampakan town.
Aside from the provincial capitol, he said they will stage mobilizations in the next two days at the offices of the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP), Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) and the Department of Education (DepEd) in Region 12.
He noted that they want the NCIP to “wake up” as it reportedly remained silent about the Dec. 3 incident in Lake Sebu.
On the other hand, Romero said the DENR has kept approving mining permits in the area and these supposedly triggered the militarization of lumad communities.
Teachers and students of lumad schools will seek a meeting with DepEd Region 12 director Arturo Bayocot to address issues affecting them, he said.
Romero said they will reiterate the results of an earlier dialogue with DepEd officials that assured them of protection from attacks by government forces.
Gov. Daisy Fuentes told reporters that she is ready to face the leaders of the protesters and discuss their concerns.
She said the local government respects the rights of the protesters to air their grievances in a peaceful manner.
“It’s their right to launch protest actions. We will not oppose that as long as they will not resort to violence and obstruct the services at the provincial capitol and our roads,” she said. (PNA)
