PRESS RELEASE
August 19, 2009
PASAKA denounces AFP's classic scheme of pitting lumad vs lumad, reiterates call to stop militarization in lumad areas and stop assaulting progressive lumad organization
PASAKA Confederation of Lumad Organizations in Southern Mindanao denounces the recent attempt of the military under the 10th Infantry Division of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) to cover up and deny the recent atrocities they have been enforcing in peasant and lumad communities by employing their old tactics of pitting the lumads versus lumads.
“It has been the AFP's classic scheme to use lumads not only during their counter-insurgency operations but also in their witch-hunting campaigns against progressive legal organizations who have been exposing the barbaric acts and massive human rights violations that the military have relentlessly inflict against the hapless lumad civilians in the countrysides,” PASAKA Secretary Kerlan Fanagel said.
“It is not surprising at all that Joel Unad of the Mindanao Indigenous Peoples Conference for Peace and Development (MIPCPD) defended the AFP instead of supporting the calls of the lumads to stop the militarization and human rights abuses in lumad areas since MIPCPD in the first place is an infamous military-backed organization that has been recruiting lumads into paramilitary and vigilante groups,” Fanagel added.
PASAKA recalled that the MIPCPD has a standing Memorandum of Understanding with the Eastern Mindanao Command of the AFP executed last November 28, 2007 which is a defilement of the lumad culture and warned the military that not all lumads are party to the agreements or negotiations entered into by the MIPCPD.
“It is just unfortunate that there are lumads who pretend to be tribal leaders but in fact they are tribal dealers who have given their loyalty and bias to the military, the number one aggressor of the lumads' rights, instead of directing their efforts in serving the interest of the lumads and to find ways into alleviating the dire situation that the hapless lumads have long been suffering,” Fanagel lamented.
Fanagel said, “10th ID Chief Maj. General Reynaldo Mapagu who have recently dared PASAKA to file charges in the proper courts should check the long list of cases and better read the hundreds of affidavits filed against his abusive troops in the Commission of Human Rights (CHR) office and we challenge him to readily face and be accountable for the gross violations perpetrated by his men if he is sincere in his words about wanting fairness, impartiality and justice to reign.”
“We are reverberating our call to immediately pull out military troops who have been terrorizing the lumad communities and to stop targeting the civilians, we are alarmed with the recent reports that military under 60th Infantry Battalion is again terrorizing the Ata Manobo lumads in Talaingod by staying in their houses and in the schools in Sitio Dulyan and Sitio Nasilaban, Brgy. Palma Gil in Talaingod town which started five days ago and until now the said soldiers hamletted their community,” Fanagel said.
PASAKA is also alarmed with the recent report from one of it's local organization that 400 farmers and lumads coming from 7 barangays (Sto. Niño, Tumanding, Mari Caridad, Kinawayan, Kabantian, Duruluman, and Malibatuan) in Arakan Valley North Cotabato left their homes and are now staying in Arakan gym as fears continue to escalate after military soldiers under 57th IB occupied the public halls in Brgy. Sto. Niño and Brgy. Tomanding. The victims are now lobbying to the Sanguniang Bayan to pull out the military troops under 57th IB from their communities.
PASAKA also decries continuing assault on progressive peoples' organizations as lumad members and staff staying in PASAKA office have experienced being tailed and harassed by some armed burly men for 2 consecutive days this week.
“We also noticed surveillance being conducted by suspicious persons and noticed that our office is constantly being monitored. If anything untoward incident happens to any of our members and staff, there is no one to blame but the the military who have labeled our organization as one of the “enemies of the state,” it only proves that the government's offensives against people’s organizations are in accordance with the objectives of Oplan Bantay Laya 2 (OBL), which apparently remains operational,” Fanagel said.#
For reference:
Kerlan Fanagel
Secretary General- PASAKA
Regional Coordinator – KATRIBU Partylist
Contact Number: 09192714767
August 19, 2009
PASAKA denounces AFP's classic scheme of pitting lumad vs lumad, reiterates call to stop militarization in lumad areas and stop assaulting progressive lumad organization
PASAKA Confederation of Lumad Organizations in Southern Mindanao denounces the recent attempt of the military under the 10th Infantry Division of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) to cover up and deny the recent atrocities they have been enforcing in peasant and lumad communities by employing their old tactics of pitting the lumads versus lumads.
“It has been the AFP's classic scheme to use lumads not only during their counter-insurgency operations but also in their witch-hunting campaigns against progressive legal organizations who have been exposing the barbaric acts and massive human rights violations that the military have relentlessly inflict against the hapless lumad civilians in the countrysides,” PASAKA Secretary Kerlan Fanagel said.
“It is not surprising at all that Joel Unad of the Mindanao Indigenous Peoples Conference for Peace and Development (MIPCPD) defended the AFP instead of supporting the calls of the lumads to stop the militarization and human rights abuses in lumad areas since MIPCPD in the first place is an infamous military-backed organization that has been recruiting lumads into paramilitary and vigilante groups,” Fanagel added.
PASAKA recalled that the MIPCPD has a standing Memorandum of Understanding with the Eastern Mindanao Command of the AFP executed last November 28, 2007 which is a defilement of the lumad culture and warned the military that not all lumads are party to the agreements or negotiations entered into by the MIPCPD.
“It is just unfortunate that there are lumads who pretend to be tribal leaders but in fact they are tribal dealers who have given their loyalty and bias to the military, the number one aggressor of the lumads' rights, instead of directing their efforts in serving the interest of the lumads and to find ways into alleviating the dire situation that the hapless lumads have long been suffering,” Fanagel lamented.
Fanagel said, “10th ID Chief Maj. General Reynaldo Mapagu who have recently dared PASAKA to file charges in the proper courts should check the long list of cases and better read the hundreds of affidavits filed against his abusive troops in the Commission of Human Rights (CHR) office and we challenge him to readily face and be accountable for the gross violations perpetrated by his men if he is sincere in his words about wanting fairness, impartiality and justice to reign.”
“We are reverberating our call to immediately pull out military troops who have been terrorizing the lumad communities and to stop targeting the civilians, we are alarmed with the recent reports that military under 60th Infantry Battalion is again terrorizing the Ata Manobo lumads in Talaingod by staying in their houses and in the schools in Sitio Dulyan and Sitio Nasilaban, Brgy. Palma Gil in Talaingod town which started five days ago and until now the said soldiers hamletted their community,” Fanagel said.
PASAKA is also alarmed with the recent report from one of it's local organization that 400 farmers and lumads coming from 7 barangays (Sto. Niño, Tumanding, Mari Caridad, Kinawayan, Kabantian, Duruluman, and Malibatuan) in Arakan Valley North Cotabato left their homes and are now staying in Arakan gym as fears continue to escalate after military soldiers under 57th IB occupied the public halls in Brgy. Sto. Niño and Brgy. Tomanding. The victims are now lobbying to the Sanguniang Bayan to pull out the military troops under 57th IB from their communities.
PASAKA also decries continuing assault on progressive peoples' organizations as lumad members and staff staying in PASAKA office have experienced being tailed and harassed by some armed burly men for 2 consecutive days this week.
“We also noticed surveillance being conducted by suspicious persons and noticed that our office is constantly being monitored. If anything untoward incident happens to any of our members and staff, there is no one to blame but the the military who have labeled our organization as one of the “enemies of the state,” it only proves that the government's offensives against people’s organizations are in accordance with the objectives of Oplan Bantay Laya 2 (OBL), which apparently remains operational,” Fanagel said.#
For reference:
Kerlan Fanagel
Secretary General- PASAKA
Regional Coordinator – KATRIBU Partylist
Contact Number: 09192714767
Labels: 10th ID, asian, Ata- Manobo, Denial, Indigenous People, IP, kadayawan, Kerlan, Lumad, Militarization, PASAKA
posted by Solidarity Action Group for Indigenous Peoples at 6:58 PM
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