NEWS RELEASE

October 24, 2009

Talaingod deaths rising --- KATRIBU PARTYLIST


Talaingod, Davao Del Norte --- The Katribu Partylist raised alarm and called for immediate intervention over the rising number of deaths as a result of epidemic and hunger in the militarized hinterlands of this town.

The Katribu Partylist who went with peace advocates in an Interfaith Peace and Mercy Mission in Sitio Nasilaban from October 21 to 22 documented more than 43 deaths that have occurred from August to October this year in various villages in Talaingod. The Mercy Mission provided medical assistance to nearly 300 Ata-Manobo lumads.

KATRIBU partylist coordinator Russ Ybanez said an Ata-Manobo chieftain told them that 17 of his fellow villagers died due to hunger and illness when they were forced to evacuate for two consecutive times, on May and August this year. The Lumads fled from the wartorn areas where the 60th IB soldiers campaigned to have them become members of the Barangay Defense Force or Bagani forces.

“Sukwahi sa kultura sa lumad ang BDS. Makaapekto kana sa amoang pag-uma. Dili mi mosugot niana,” said Datu Ebong Gongotan, village datu in Sitio Bugni.

Acccording to Datu Gongotan, 47 families from Sitio Bugni evacuated on the last week of May this year after some unidentified military elements killed a certain Kopis, a 15 year old Ata-Manobo kid who was accused by the military of being an NPA.

They then sought refuge at Sitio Nasilaban, but the arrival of the 60th IB on August 15 forced the Lumads to go evacuate to the forest without any food supplies or certainty of a shelter just to evade the BDS recruitment.

“A clear act of desperation and cowardice, paramilitary recruitment directly uses civilians as frontliners and pawns in the military’s war,” Ybanez said.

Other areas where residents evacuated due to the September military operations are the villages of Sambulongan (60 families), Labuo ( 47 families), Laslasakan (36 families), Nalubas (37 families), Nabalabag( 12 families), and Sasu ( 20 families). Totaling to 232 families or 1392 individuals.

KATRIBU also said that the creation, maintenance of paramilitary forces or similar groups is categorically prohibited in international humanitarian laws and the Comprehensive Agreement on Human Rights and the International Humanitarian Laws (CARHRIHL) that uphold the protection of the civilian populace from hostilities.

KATRIBU, a lumad sectoral group aiming to represent the indigenous peoples’ concerns in Congress on 2010 called for the immediate intervention of the LGU in the area, particularly for a comprehensive medical assistance for the villagers of Talaingod.

It also urged for the immediate investigation of the military’s policy on paramilitary formation and seeks to dismantle the Barangay Defense System. ###

For Reference:


Russ Ybanez
Youth Coordinator
Katribu Partylist

PRESS RELEASE

October 23, 2009


KATRIBU hits 60th IB for forcibly recruiting lumads into BDS, Bagani in Talaingod


Talaingod, Davao del Norte—Katribu Partylist along with the other peace advocates strongly condemned the continued forcible recruitment of Ata-Manobos to become members of the Barangay Defense System (BDS) or Bagani Force by the 60th Infantry Battalion of the Philippine Army led by Lt. Col. Adriano Perez in various villages in Talaingod, Davao del Norte.


Cases of human rights abuses were documented by members of the Interfaith Peace and Mercy Mission (IPMM) which is being conducted simultaneously in areas gravely affected by militarization in Maragusan and Pantukan in Compostela Valley, Banganga and Lupon in Davao Oriental and Talaingod in Davao del Norte.


According to Datu Sumpo Taosan, Salugpongan leader and council member of Katribu Partylist (S)ince August 15 until the last week of September, military troops under the 60th encamped in the villages of Dulyan, Nasilaban, Sambolongan, Laslasakan, and Banwalay.


“Sa ilang pagkampo sa mga komunidad pugos silang ga-recruit kanamong mga Lumad nga moapil ug mamahimong mga myembro sa BDS o diba kaha sa Bagani, gani adunay upat ka higayon nga gipatawag kaming mga residente aron moapil sa dagkong pulong-pulong nga gipahigayon sa mga military ug hulgaon kami nga kung dili kami moapil sa BDS o Bagani buot pasabot mga supporter kami sa mga NPA,” Datu Taosan said.


Base on the testimonies of the victims, the Lumads were forced to go on duty from 9pm to 4am and to serve as BDS and Bagani. They were commanded by the military led by Lt. Col. Perez, who ordered them to campaign against the NPA in house to house sorties.


“Pugos na lang gyud nga mituman ang among mga sakop sa gisugo sa mga sundalo nga mag duty isip BDS o Bagani bisan walay tulog ug gutom. Wala man gani namo nasabtan ang tumong apan mi-duty na lang tungod kay mahadlok kami nga pasanginlan nga kami kuno mga tig suporta sa NPA. Nahadlok kami nga pamatyon kami sama sa gihimo nila kang Kapis Butod nga gipatay nila tungod lang sa pasangil nga supporter kini sa NPA bisan nga siya usa ka inosenteng sibilyan,” Datu Taosan added.


Presently, there are already 20 members of BDS in Nasilaban village and 11 members in Banwalay village. Both villages are situated in Brgy. Palma Gil, Talaingod.


According to Russ Ybanez, youth coordinator of Katribu Partylist and documentor of the IPMM team said “due to the forcible recruitment and continued military operations launched by the 60th IB, there were at least 248 families from villages of Laslasakan, Labuo, Sasu, Bugni, Sambolongan, Nalubas and Nabalabag in Brgy. Palma Gil, Talaingod who were forced to vacate from their communities and who went into hiding; consequently they suffered hunger in the process.


“After the Fact Finding Mission led by Katribu in September, military from 60th IB had temporarily pulled out from the affected villages but in October 17 a company of military troops led by Lt. Col. Perez came back to the villages and continued recruiting Lumads into the BDS or Bagani. They also plan to put up detachment in Tibukag village despite the residents’ opposition,” Ybanez said.


Katribu patylist reiterated its calls for the pull out of military troops in the Lumad communities, an end to all atrocities of the 60th IB and the 10th Infantry Division against the Ata Manobo and Lumad people., and justice be served to all victims of human rights violations.###



For reference:


Russ Ybanez
Youth Coordinator
Katribu Partylist


Datu Sumpo Taosan
Chieftain/ Leader
Salupongan ta Tanu Igkanugon

PRESS RELEASE


YOUTH GROUPS SUPPORT KATRIBU PARTYLIST


Davao City-- At least 50 youth leaders vowed to support the newly-launched KATRIBU, a partylist group for indigenous people saying that "it is high time for Congress to hear the voice from the Lumads and other tribes in the country."


Katribu Partylist aims to win three seats in Congress during the the 2010 election to represent and fight for the issues on the preservation and protection of ancestral doman and the environment.


Various youth groups led by Kadumahan Youth, a city-wide school based IP youth and advocates' organization, declared their support to KATRIBU Partylist as one of it's major resolutions in a Mindanao-wide consultation on Indigenous Youth held here today. The youth leaders representing indigenous peoples and advocates' organizations, student councils, and student publications gathered at the Salugpongan Hall of the United Church of Christ in the Philippines for a consultation on the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and Climate Change.


"We believe that the youth as the catalyst for change can voice out our common vision of protecting the Lumads and supporting their right to ancestral domain and the preservation of their culture," said Russ Angelo Ybanez, Kadumahan spokesperson and a delegate to the said consultation.


Ybanez added that "(T)he Katribu will complement in the struggle for justice for the indigenous people who have long been victimized by relentless militarization, evacuation, extra-judicial killing and landgrabbing as a result of development aggression."


Ybanez also said that "Arroyo government's plunder of natural resources poses alarming impact to climate change which will eventually result to more disasters just like what happened in Luzon".


The consultation was held coinciding with the celebration of the Tribal Filipino Week. Advocates and representatives from the different government agencies, peoples organizations, non-government organizations and various schools also participated in the first part of the said event. They expressed concern over the militarization and encroachment of multi-national corporations in lumad areas.


Leaders from PASAKA Confederation of Lumad Organizations in Southern Mindanao and KALUMARAN graced the event challenging the indigenous youth and advocates to be involved in solving the pressing issues of our times, stressing on how these problems link each and every sector of the society.


“It is inspiring to see young leaders having the time, commitment and passion to learn from the issues confronting the Lumads and to join in the struggle for the rights of Lumads," said Dulping Ogan, National Vice Chairperson of Katribu Partylist.


During the consultation's solidarity ritual, youth leaders gave soil, seedlings, musical instrument, ballpens and liyang (lumad basket) to the lumad leaders.##





For Reference:


Russ Angelo Ybanez

Spokesperson

Kadumahan Youth

September 26, 2009
PRESS RELEASE

IP partylist group slams Suerte for lying; reiterates call for troops pull-out in Talaingod

DAVAO CITY - Lying through his teeth is how Katribu Partylist describes Colonel Lysander Suerte of the 10th Infantry Division (10th ID) of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP). The group strongly believes that Suerte's response regarding the recent cases filed by Lumads before the Commission on Human Rights was merely an attempt to conceal the real score in Talaingod, Davao del Norte.

Last week, Ata-Manobo datus from Salugpungan ta tanu Igkanugon pointed to soldiers of the 60th Infantry Batallion stationed in Talaingod as perpetrators of the series of human rights violations.

“Eversince the creation of the 10th ID, military troops in Davao region have been on rampage and have continuously committed massive rights violations against the hapless Lumads and farmers. The mere existence of their troops within the civilian populace is already a violation as it poses danger to the community,” Katribu Party list Regional Coordinator Kerlan Fanagel said.

“Col. Suerte's declaration that more than half of the New People's Army rebels are Lumads only show his twisted perception and the state's discrimination against the indigenous people. The military troops attempt to rule Lumad communities in a climate of impunity,” Fanagel added.

Despite the demands made by the Salugpungan for the 60th IB to pull-out from the area, the soldiers continued to conduct counter-insurgency operations and disrupt the farming activities of the Lumads in such farflung hinterland villages,” Fanagel added. At least 28 lumads have died of sickness and hunger. Ata-Manobo residents could no longer harvest their crops since military troops prevent them from going to their farms.

“Daghan nang mga humay namo ang nangadaot ug di na gyud namo ma-ani tungod kay mahadlok man gyud mi sa mga bahad sa mga military. Usahay na lang gani mi makakaon og bugas ug karon nga ting ani, wa pa gyud mi naka sanggi, daghan kanamo ang nangagutom, daghan naman gani ang namatay sa sakit, sayang gyud ang among hago nga naadto lang sa wala, mao nang kusog ming nanawagan nga unta manghawa na sa among komunidad ang mga military.” (There were many rice crops which have gone to waste and we can no longer harvest out of frear from the military. We were not able to harvest, despite the fact that many of us are hungry. That's why we strongly call for their pull out), Datu Sumpo Taosan of Talaingod said.

For reference:


KERLAN FANAGEL
Regional Coordinator
KATRIBU Partylist

Mission Statement
Fact Finding Mission in Sitio Dulyan, Talaingod, Davao del Norte
September 15-16, 2009

We, Lumad and peace advocates, human rights advocates, students, and health professionals, church people, condemn the acts of harassment and intimidation we have been subject to by the military soldiers of the 60th Infantry Battalion led by Lt. Dennis Ayungo during the Fact Finding Mission held in Sitio Dulyan, Brgy. Palma Gil, Talaingod, Davao del Norte on September 15, 2008.

The said military elements interrupted and attempted to join the fact finding mission, and in the process, caused fear and intimidation from among the Lumad residents. The military willfully prevented civilian participants to the FFM from freely relaying the real conditions in the area, particularly as regards to the continued military encampment in their community.

Moreover, the military intentionally held and/or detained the mission team for three hours delaying the team’s departure from the area. Military soldiers accosted the drivers who were supposed to bring the mission team back to the town center on the pretext that the drivers did not have licenses.

The team was only allowed to leave after the soldiers found out that the incident was being aired at a local radio station and that several media people have already been alerted regarding the said incident.

This experience has only further encouraged the fact finding mission team to expose the atrocities committed by the 60th Infantry Battalion against the Ata-manobo communities in Talaingod which started since last July.

The mission team thus presents here the objectives and findings of the fact finding mission.

Objectives of the Fact Finding Mission

The fact-finding mission team consisting of lumad, peace and human rights advocates was formed in response to the recent reports reaching the PASAKA Confederation of Lumad Organizations and Solidarity Action Group for Indigenous Peoples office regarding the human rights violations being perpetrated by the military in various villages in Talaingod.

The invitation from Salupongan ta Tanu Igkanugon (local lumad organization) to attend the B’walawan Festival on September 15, 2009 was an opportune time to hold the fact-finding mission.


Findings of the Mission Team:

While the Mission Team was in Sitio Dulyan, in Brgy. Palma Gil, Talaingod, we have witnessed the ill effects of the counter-insurgency operations perpetrated by the 60th Infantry Battalion led by Lt. Dennis Ayungo under the 10th Infantry Division of the Armed Forces of the Philippines.

The gravity of the militarization in the impoverished communities of the Ata Manobo tribes have been documented. Testimonies from the residents of Sitio Dulyan and of the five tribal leaders from other communities also reveal the following:

1. Hamletting of civilian communities.
Around 22 elements of the 60th IB have been encamping right within the villages of
Sitio Dulyan, Brgy Sto.Nino.

Meanwhile military troops in a Re-engineered Special Operations team (RSOT) who now call themselves as Community Assistance Development (CAD) team under the 60th IB have also encamped within Sitios Banwalay, Bagang, Laboo, Laslasakan, Bugni, Sambolongan, and Nasilaban in Brgy. Palma Gil, Talaingod.

For over a month now, the Ata-Manobos have been suffering from destruction of properties, violation of domicile, illegal search, coercion, harassment, intimidation, threats and curtailment of fundamental civil and political rights to free movement, free association and free speech of civilians in the aforementioned affected areas.

2. Violation on the rights of children in the context of military encampment in schools:

The continued forcible dislocation and trauma wrought by the intermittent militarization of their communities caused the children emotional and psychological trauma.

Their schooling has stopped as the military insists on encamping right within their school grounds/premises and their parents witnessed how the military destroyed the crops and fences of their community farm.

The military soldiers led by Lt. Dennis Ayungo and Sgt. Christopher Oliveros have been going house to house in the community telling the the lumads not to send their children in Salupongan Ta Tanu Igkanugon Community Learning Center and the said military soldiers accused that the teachers as fakes and communists.

The military soldiers have also been intervening in the activities of the school and they launched their own activities and forced the people to join such as forcing the lumad residents to build the military's makeshift puroks and CR.

3. Harassment of community - based lumad teachers:

The teachers of Salupongan Ta Tanu Igkanugon Learning Center, the only functioning school in the area, also expressed their fears about the continued use of their school premises for military purposes since the military started the militarization of Talaingod on August 15, 2009.

The teachers were constantly being intimidated and harassed by the soldiers led by Sgt. Chirstopher Oliveros. They testified how they are constantly interrogated and their credibility is questioned.

4. Forced recruitment of villagers into paramilitary groups, CVO’s and CAFGU’s

The glaring impact of forced recruitment by the military of Talaingod residents into the Barangay Defense System (BDS), CVO or Bagani Force is the disruption of their economic livelihood. Hunger is stalking Lumad communities. On the whole, the military has taken over and transformed the lumad area as a military garrison undermining civilian supremacy in this 5th class municipality.

Conclusion:

Aggravating the ill-effects of the relentless militarization and the human rights violations is the fact that law enforcement, local government unit and prosecution institutions remain largely inutile and are a failure in the attainment of justice for the victims.

The harassment and the attempts to discredit the credibility of the Mission Team in the area last Tuesday September 15 was a glaring indication of how armed elements such as the 60th IB of the 10th ID try to rule remote civilian areas such as Talaingod under a climate of impunity, supplanting local civilian authorities.

Apparently, the latest RSOT or CAD operations of the 60th IB in Dulyan and the other communities in Talaingod is designed to dismantle the Salugpungan Ta Tanu Igkanugon which has over the last decade remained strong in its stand against the influx of aggressive capitalist incursions in their ancestral land.

The hardline positioning of Salugpungan against so-called development projects is being undermined through massive psychological warfare and intelligence building in the area.

Despite the LGU and the NCIP’s pronouncement that they oppose encroachment by big plantations in Talaingod, the presence of the military forces in the area is enough proof that the state is dead-set in pursuing the project in the area--in Salugpungan’s history, military operations preceded the IFMA project in Talaingod.

Recent reports have shown that an estimated 40,000 hectares of land in Talaingod, Davao del Norte has been proposed to be the site of the needed expansion of coffee plantations in the country. In fact, a Memorandum of Agreement between the government and the Nestle Philippines, Inc. in terms of coffee production had already been signed two months ago.

Moreover, the RSOT or CAD operations which fall within the framework of the “hamletting” program of the US-Southern Vietnam military strategy, intend to force and intimidate residents to participate in the military’s counter insurgency operations; restrict their economic and political mobility, entice lumad leaders who are facing false charges to surrender; and recruit paramilitary forces from among the residents.

The RSOT operations wreaked havoc on the lives of the civilians and has apparently turned communities as shields in the military’s proxy war.

Evidently, the military troops operating in Sitio Dulyan and in other villages in Brgy. Palma Gil, Talaingod violated the following provisions of the Geneva Conventions and other international humanitarian law:

- Protocol II, Part IV, Article 13 which provides that “The civilian population and individual civilians shall enjoy general protection against the dangers arising from military operations.”

- Part IV Article 12 of the Comprehensive Agreement on Respect for Human Rights and International Humanitarian Laws (CARHRIHL) which cites that “Civilian population shall have the right to be protected against the risks and dangers posed by the presence of military camps in urban centers and other populated areas.”

- The on-going hamletting of the 60th IB in Talaingod is a clear violation of the basic rights of the indigenous people especially their rights to self-determination and ancestral domain.

In the guise of counter-insurgency operations, the military attempts to weaken the unity of the Ata-Manobos. The military tries to reinvent itself by initiating the implementation of projects that are supposedly civilian in nature. Harassment, grave threats and coercion through the pulong-pulong (meetings) belie military’s claim that there were no human rights violations committed in the area.

We are deeply concerned that as the military elements under the 60th IB continue to stay right within the civilian populace in Talaingod in the course of their counter-insurgency operations, more Lumad civilians will be victimized and more cases of human rights abuses will continue.

In view of the foregoing, the team has come up with the following recommendations:

a. Immediate withdrawal of AFP troops specifically the 60th Infantry battalion led by Lt. Dennis Ayungo and Sgt. Oliveros in the affected villages of Talaingod Davao del Norte, most especially in civilian-populated areas, public places and other structures manned by civilian authorities.

b. Stop the encroachment of Nestle Philippines in the ancestral domain of the Ata-Manobos

c. Creation of credible investigative bodies to look into the human rights violation cases against the Ata-Manobo lumads, including the extra-judicial killings of Kapis Butod.

d. Stop the recruitment of the BDS, CVO and Bagani Forces and dismantle their structures.

e. Stop the vilification campaign against leaders and members of Salupongan Ta Tanu Igkanugon and other legal peoples' organizations.

f. Immediate implementation of the planned on-site investigation by the Municipal and Provincial Local Government Unit and Commission on Human Rights on the human rights violations committed against the Ata Manobo civilians in Talaingod.###

For Reference:

MEL ELIO
Chairperson- PASAKA Confederation of Lumad Organizations in Southern Mindanao

KERLAN FANAGEL
Regional Coordinator- KATRIBU Partylist

DULPING OGAN
Secretary General- Kusog sa Katawhang Lumad sa Mindanao (KALUMARAN)

DATU DOLOMAN DAWSAY
Spokesperson- Salupongan Ta Tanu Igkanugon
Sitio Dulyan Tribal Chieftain

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

PRESS RELEASE
August 17, 2009

LUMADS MARK WORLD'S IP MONTH WITH PROTEST ACTIONS AGAINST MILITARIZATION

In commemoration of the World's Indigenous Peoples' Month as declared by the United Nations, lumad leaders representing various tribes in Southern Mindanao came together in a 3-day PASAKA Council meeting and discuss the recent plight of the lumads in the region and reaffirm their vows to continue the lumad struggle for the rights to ancestral lands and to self-determination. “As part of our culmination activity in commemorating IP month, we are conducting protest actions in the form of picket rally to register our call to stop killing lumads and stop militarization in lumad areas,” PASAKA Secretary General Kerla Fanagel said.

On top of the demands and recommendations crafted by the PASAKA council is the immediate pull-out of the military troops holding massive military operations which resulted to massive human rights violations against the lumad civilians in Paquibato in Davao City, Talaingod in Davao del Norte, Laak and Monkayo in Compostela Valley and in the towns of Lupon, Baganga, Cateel, Boston in Davao Oriental and Lianga Surigao Del Sur.

“Lumad communities in Southern Mindanao and its neighboring regions is besieged with military offensives such that civilian communities continue to experience human rights abuses and falls prey to the military’s terrorist war under the counter-insurgency plan Oplan Bantay Laya II (OBL II) and specifically in the National Internal Security Plan on Indigenous Peoples (NISP-IP) being implemented by the AFP in the lumad communities,” Fanagel said.

According to Fanagel, “The long list of indigenous martyrs in Southern Mindanao like Datu Dominador Diarog of Davao City, Ludenio Monzon of Boston, Marcial Latiban of Cateel, Kapis Butod of Talaingod, Agustin Cumawas of Matalam and many others who were slain by the state’s bullets magnifies the fact that the Arroyo government has no respect for indigenous peoples’ rights. The killing of civilians and activists who are resistant to the encroachment of military might and pseudo-development projects in farmer and indigenous communities is also under the AFP's implementation of OBL II.”

PASAKA is alarmed with the recent reports of human rights violations. “We received area reports that several families from 13 barangays in Baganga, Davao Oriental have again experienced military hamletting and abuses. Some victims have already sought assistance in the province as fears continue to escalate in Davao Oriental after military abuses have been committed against the local residents,” Fanagel added.

Meanwhile troubles also hound Davao City’s suburbs as military operations continue unabated in Paquibato District. According to the reports of the local organization, last August 9 , the regular mass in a chapel in Fatima, Paquibato did not take place because the military spread threats that there were bombs around their areas, sowing fear among the people.

Also in time of the 3rd founding anniversary of the 10th ID of the AFP, PASAKA called on the military’s regional command to put the welfare of civilian communities before the military’s target quota of killing and to heed the call of the lumads to pull-out military troops from the peasant and lumad communities since these military soldiers have never protected the civilians and in fact have gone frenzy on abusing the hapless lumads and farmers.

PASAKA also called on the church leaders, local government units, and peace advocates to call for the immediate pull-out of military troops in civilian communities and stop targeting the civilian populace.

“Amidst the dire poverty and hunger aggravated by the grim economic crisis, the most impoverished sectors which are the peasant and lumads are subject to gross military abuses. What the people need is food, jobs and education, not unjust war being launched by the Arroyo government,” Fanagel said.#


For reference:


KERLAN FANAGEL
Secretary General
PASAKA

Contact: 09192714767

SOLIDARITY MESSAGE for the Asian Religious Youth Leaders Summit

By Kerlan "Lala" Fanagel

PASAKA Secretary General

In behalf of PASAKA, Confederation of Indigenous Peoples (Lumad) Organizations in Southern Mindanao, I wish to convey warmest greeting of solidarity to the Asian Conference on Religions for Peace (ACRP), to the youth leader delegates all over Asia and the world, secretariat and all the guests of the Asian Religious Youth Leaders Summit.

Indeed, with the society's unrest and the continuous war happening not only in our country today but also in other parts of the world, apparently this convergence of the youth is timely and very significant as history have proven that it is the youth that plays a major role in bringing about genuine peace that we have been longing for.

With the theme "Youth As Peacemakers: Gathering in Hope, Pledging Common Action," it is clear that expectations are high among the people that the youth will take its leading role in arousing, organizing, mobilizing and forging alliances in order to advance the peoples' struggle for freedom and democracy.

In the brink of leaving the stage of youth myself, I have seen and realize the importance of our role in building a just and peaceful society. Even as this youth summit is yet about to start, allow me to congratulate you in advance for this historical gathering of hope. Congratulations to the youth present here today! We salute you! Your presence alone already showed that you are ready to face the challenges of being a youth—not only as a peacemaker but also as a change-maker.

Let this youth summit be an occasion not only in forging unity for peace but also a right time for reflection and action to actively participate in our pursuit to achieve a just and peaceful Asian society.

As I stand proudly before you here today representing one of the most marginalized sector in the country, the Indigenous People, I am here not only to inspire you but I am here because I am inspired of you. This gathering of youth, also with our sector's representation, is an inspiration to me, to us lumads, to relentlessly carry on with our struggle for our rights to ancestral lands and right to self-determination.

As we, Indigenous Peoples, continue to defend our rights, I urge you, the youth of today, to strengthen your ranks as we intensify our common efforts to uphold, defend and advance our rights to democracy, social justice, self-reliant development, a healthy environment and the conservation of natural resources for future development independent of the colonizers and imperialists. These are things imperative of just and peaceful society.

With peace initiatives like this, we are one with you in your quest. As you embark with this activity to reflect and act, remember to join us also in our struggle against exploitation and oppression in the most comprehensive and profound way. Recently, we have been facing difficult times especially with the on-going mining plunder and state terrorism. Your support on acting against these evil works will be far reaching significance and consequence.

Even as we suffer, as we are told, let us overcome evil with good (Rom.12:21). Let also this gathering be a gathering for harmony among religious communities and let us work together to build trust and mutual respect among youth, among people.

The hope that you have shown to us is inspirational and tangibly relevant to the struggle of the entire Filipino people and the people of the world for national and social liberation. I am positive that you will actively participate this event in order to share your experiences and concerns and propose resolutions and definite courses of action for carrying forward your struggle in concert with the struggles of the people of the world to achieve justice and genuine peace.

I hope that this message can shed some light on what the youth can do to strike deep roots and strengthen itself in order to advance our rights and interests and to maximize the role of the youth in the people's quest for genuine peace and to carry forward the long-term struggle for freedom and democracy.

May the God of peace/ Magbabaya fill our hearts and minds with love so that we may all strive to establish the reign of peace, justice and life for all. Thank you very much and have a pleasant evening! ###

PASAKA

Confederation of Lumad Organizations in Southern Mindanao

PRESS RELEASE

October 5, 2008

Army hit for forcing and using civilians as military guide in Tugbok

The PASAKA Regional Lumad Confederation scored the military soldiers under Task Force Davao and 104th DRC for its abusive military operations and human rights violations such as using civilians as military guide in various villages in Tugbok District.

After the reported clashes between the Task Force Davao together with the Philippine National Police and the New Peoples’ Army last September 26, 2008, counter-insurgency operations of government troops have sown fear and terror among the civilian populace in Tamayong, Calinan District which resulted to hundreds of evacuees.

Nearby villages like Sitio Utan, Tamayong and Sitio Kahusayan, Manuel Guinga, Tugbok District is gravely affected by the counter-insurgency operation since military elements are encamping in the midst of the community and in the barrio centers. “It has only been barely five months since the brutal death of Datu Dominador Diarog and the forcible evacuation of the residents in Kahusayan and now another terror is happening and gravely affecting the lives of the Bagobo-C’lata lumads in the same place, they are not yet even fully rehabilitated from the trauma they had and now they are experiencing fear and terror again. Justice has really been elusive to the lumad victims.” Kerlan “Lala” Fanagel, PASAKA Secretary General said.

Using carrot and stick tactic, residents who refuse to attend the meetings organized by the soldiers were tagged as New People’s Army supporters or members. According to the reports reaching PASAKA office, soldiers coerced some residents in Kahusayan to serve as military guides during their relentless operations in the hinterlands and when they are in the village they would conduct psy-war operations against the civilians. According to the reports of the local lumad organization in the area, soldiers would knock at around 3 o’clock in the morning and force civilians to serve as their guides and the soldiers would even confiscate cell-phones from the residents.

The situation has become so unbearable that some residents have already (again) left their farms and homes and trooped to other Barangays.

Pasaka condemns the ongoing abusive military operations for this will eventually displace the lumads who are being land-grabbed in the area by intimidating them into submission. This is another attempt to quell the local opposition against those who wanted to grab what is left of their ancestral domain.

Pasaka, therefore, calls for an end of the atrocious military operations in the villages of Tamayong, Calinan District and in Tugbok District and an investigation in the human rights violations happening in the area. We also call on the people to support, once and again, the struggle of the Bagobo-C’lata to defend their ancestral domain, their people and their right to self-determination.*

For Reference:

Kerlan “Lala” Fanagel

Secretary General

PASAKA

Contact: 305-0824

Lumad group PASAKA decry harassment, repression!

PASAKA, Confederation of Lumad Organizations in Southern Mindanao files complaints against Lt. Col. Ferdinand Buding, commanding officer of the 28th Infantry Battalion, Philippine Army before the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) today for the malicious power point presentation entitled “The Army” which showed photo of Kerlan “Lala” Fanagel being accused as a rebel communist operating in Compostela Valley and for the wanted posters where photo of Mr. Fanagel appeared which are posted in populated areas such as the bus terminal and restaurants in Compostela, Compostela Valley.

PASAKA has been receiving reports from the local residents in Sitio Valma, Brgy. Ngan, Compostela that the 28th IB, PA who is continuously launching military operations through the Re-enginnered Special Operations Team (RSOT) had been instigating their “pulong-pulong” or meeting with the local officials and residents in Compostela since July this year. According to the reports, it has been a strict policy that nobody must take any minutes or photos from the said pulong-pulong, which is actually part of the counter-insurgency operations of the military.

Last July 27, 2008, the same pulong-pulong was launched by the 28th IB,PA at Brgy. Ngan, Compostela, Compostela Valley .

One of the residents recalled that the main part of the said “pulong-pulong” was the showing of the power-point presentation entitled “The Army.” “Natingala na lang man mi nga anaa man ang dagway ni Lala, ang nailhan namong lider sa organisasyon sa mga lumad sa rehiyon nga PASAKA sa power-point ug matud pa ni Lt. Col. Buding nga mao kuno to ang dagway sa usa ka wanted nga rebeldeng NPA nga ginganlag Nelson Villanueva alyas Kumander Lala nga naga-operate sa Compostela Valley ug si si bisan kinsa kuno nga makakita sa maong dagwaya isumbong dayon sa mga kasundalohan nga anaa sa lugar,” one of the residents recounted.

The military also claimed that the person who appeared in their power-point presentation known as Commander Lala is now seen in Davao City because according to their intelligence report that he is in sick-leave and that their intelligence team has been monitoring him in the city.

On August 11, 2008, Mr. Tony Salubre, spokesperson of Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP) who personally knows Kerlan “Lala” Fanagel went to Compostela, Compoetela Valley for a speaking engagement. Upon arriving at the Compostela terminal, he noticed several wanted posters posted in the vicinity of the terminal and what he saw was a wanted list with photos of accused leaders of Communist Rebels operating in the region. He was surprised to see that among the photos shown was the face of Kerlan “Lala” Fanagel but his name in the said poster was Minandro Villanueva @ Nelso/ Bos – NMRC Secretary, Davao del Norte, Davao Oriental, Compostela Valley , portion of Agusan del Sur, Davao del Sur and Cotabato.

The texts in the aforementioned wanted poster (where photo of Kerlan “Lala” Fanagel appeared) is in vernacular (Bisaya) when translated reads: “Wanted Rebel Communist, People who are in pretense but big impediment in the development of our economy, brains of poverty and chaos in our country. [Shown: 15 photos with names and areas where they operate]. These people are the brains in making the Filipino people fight. Lazy versus hardworking, poor versus rich, students versus the school owner, workers versus the company owner, but behind the flame they fanned to make the people fight, there is their extortion face against the hard-working people and businessmen, putting in fire the vehicles and the properties of the businessmen, and killing the people who won’t give money every month in the area where the NPA are operating. Whoever helps in arresting these people “DEAD or ALIVE,” will receive a reward-money from the Government. For more information, call or approach the officials of the Barangay, Municipality, Provincial or the Military Soldiers or cell NR: 0921.729.8341”

“It is clear that this is deliberately done and obviously a desperate attempt of the military specifically Lt. Col. Ferdinand Buding of the 28th IB,PA to discredit my credibility as a legal officer of PASAKA and worst tainting my personality by red-baiting thereby creating them a license to kill me anytime, anywhere. This is mind-conditioning the public that it would be fine if I get killed, now if something bad happens to me, you already know who’s to blame, PASAKA Secretary General Kerlan Fanagel said.

Fanagel also said “the military hopes that their dirty old tactic will work and this time against me, but just like what they did to other leaders of progressive groups, I will fail them again especially that their accusation is totally malicious, baseless and unfounded. I have already met with some of the 28th IB,PA elements face to face at the Compostela Gym before, that was during the evacuation of the lumads just this month of May where they took photographs and videos of me and I am willing to face them again to make them answer all these ill intentions and political harassment against me.”

“We are reporting this political repression deliberately done to harass, intimidate and scare us to silence to the office of the CHR as we adhere to the legal remedies and we hope CHR would act on this incident and ensure that our rights will be protected,” Fanagel urge.

Human rights groups and other progressive organizations also denounced this recent accusations against Fanagel as a form of harassment and political repression. “He is being persecuted for having firm commitment to defend the Indigenous peoples rights.” Said Prof. Myfel Paluga, chairperson of the Solidarity Action Group for Indigenous People (SAGIP).

This case is another reflection of the military’s strong effort to demonize progressive organizations. “This is another conscious effort by the elements of the State to demonize legitimate organizations that criticize and oppose the bankrupt policies of the Arroyo administration, particularly in the context of the worsening human rights situation of the country specifically in the province of Compostela Valley,” said Kelly Delgado, Secretary General of Karapatan-Southern Mindanao.###


For Reference:



Kerlan “Lala” Fanagel
Secretary General
PASAKA, Confederation of Lumad Organizations in Southern Mindanao



Media Desk: Ms. April Calam (0928.605.9209)

PASAKA denounces killing of tribal leader in Tugbok;

calls for immediate and in-depth investigation on the case

DAVAO CITY—PASAKA, Confederation of Lumad Organizations in Southern Mindanao condemns in the strongest possible term the recent atrocity that killed Lumad Datu Dominador Diarog; wounding Emily Diarog (wife),and her daughters Mimi (4 y.o) and Jenely (8 y.o.) in Sitio Kahusayan, Manuel Giangga, Tugbok, Davao City on Wednesday, April 30.

“This is an alarming incident that needs urgent and in-depth investigation especially that, “men in uniform with TF arm-band under 73^rd IB” are allegedly involved in the strafing attack that took away the life of Datu Doming who have been known to be fighting for ancestral land rights,” PASAKA Secretary General Kerlan Fanagel said.

According to local residents, military soldiers of Task Force Davao under 73^rd Infantry Battalion are seen operating in the area and it has been widely known that they have close links with Quiboloy’s private army. According to the reports reaching PASAKA office, Military soldiers from 73^rd IB are not only silent spectators but they are direct backers and protectors of the congregation of Pastor Apollo Quiboloy.

“We challenge Col. Alexander Ambal that instead of pointing fingers and diverting the pressing issue at hand, he must check on his men and their involvement in this case and he must ready himself to face command responsibility on this matter,” Fanagel added.

Davao City police suspect a land dispute was the motive behind the predawn killings. Probers said the armed men with TF arm-band encircled and strafed the house of the Diarog family in Manuel Guianga village in Tugbok district. The police also cited information that Diarog was involved in a bitter land dispute with an “influential” group who wanted to buy the lot. The Diarog farm is found in-between the Prayer Mountain and a forested area bought by Quiboloy.

According to Fanagel, “National Commission on Indigenous Peoples/ NCIP’s power in protecting the lumad rights to ancestral lands and self-determination amidst this hideous incident is found no where. With these recent human rights violations, land-grabbing and dastardly attack against lumads who stood up for their ancestral rights only proves that IPRA Law has shown no teeth and claws to genuinely defend the lumads which then must be immediately scrapped. ”

PASAKA extends deepest condolences to the bereaved family, friends and colleagues of Datu Dominador Diarog, who is set to be buried today. Together with the Diarog family, PASAKA also calls for the immediate action on the part of Davao City Local Government Unit headed by Mayor Rodrigo Duterte in this case and to help bring justice to Diarog family.*

For Reference:

KERLAN FANAGEL

PASAKA, Secretary General

LUMADS: The fight against HEDCOR’s hydro-powerplant is never over

Tagabawa Lumads under the Sinūb-badan ka mga Lumad Bagobo Mekatanod (SILUBAME) are not giving up the fight against the Tudaya Hydro-Powerplant, a multi-million project of the Hydroelectric Power Plant (HEDCOR) in Sitio Tudaya, Brgy. Sibulan, Sta. Cruz Davao del Sur.

“We have brought our opposition against HEDCOR’s hydro-power plant before the local government of Davao del Sur. We hope that they would heed our just demands. All we want is for our inherent rights over our ancestral lands to be respected,” said Roger Limokon, SILUBAME Chairperson.

On February 2, 2008, the Peoples’ Consultation, a dialogue with the provincial board of Davao Del Sur was initiated by SILUBAME. Provincial Board Members Molina and Bello of the province’s Committee on Environmental Concerns and Committee on Tribal Affairs attended the consultation. Strangely, the military soldiers also showed interest in joining the event, in fact together with more than a hundred military soldiers, a certain Lt. Renin of the 39^th Infantry Battalion actively participated in the consultation.

In the said consultation Hon. Bello promised that committee hearings will be aptly conducted based on SILUBAME’s complaint that HEDCOR violated genuine consultation processes when it did not disclose to the whole community the adverse impacts of the project. The local officials also said they will review the memorandum of agreement between the community and HEDCOR.

The board members were toured around the almost 10- hectare head-pond being constructed above the Tudaya Elementary School . They cited the experience of Ormoc, Marinduque among others as tragedies wrought by private companies’ interest for profit.

According to the PASAKA Confederation of Lumad Organizations in Southern Mindanao , the construction of a hydro-power plant, within Tudaya falls, a sacred ground for the Bagobo -Tagabawa lumads violates their cultural and ancestral land rights. The project also violates environmental preservation since it is located in Mt. Apo , a declared protected area.

Mel Elio, PASAKA Chairperson said that according to the Technical Working Group which initiated the feasibility study of the project, water shortage after 20 years may arise. Other environmental impacts include the possibility of flash floods, endangering the school children and the communities below. The hydro-power plant will also affect land and water biodiversity and resources, contributed by the wastes from the plant.

During the consultation, more than 100 military elements from the 39^th and 72^nd Infantry Battalion have assembled in Sitio Tudaya. Lt. Renin of the 39^th IB said a detachment of the 72^nd IB will be built a kilometer away from the Tudaya Falls . According to local residents, additional elements of military soldiers were deployed and arrive in their area the day before the scheduled consultation. SILUBAME strongly believe the soldiers’ presence in the area was deliberately done to intimidate the people.

“The militarization of Tudaya at the height of the Tagabawa lumads’ assertion of their ancestral land rights over capitalist interests shows clearly which master the military serves. Instead of siding with the people, they are used as instruments of violence in order to protect the profits of capitalists,” Elio said.

Board Member Bello also challenged the presence of the AFP, saying it should not get in the way of the people’s political affairs. He encouraged the people to report instances of military abuse in the area.*

For Reference:

ROGER LIMOKON MEL ELIO

SILUBAME Chairperson PASAKA Chairperson

Media Officer: 0929-265-8967

PASAKA

Confederation of Lumad Organizations in Southern Mindanao

c/o Diakonia Center, IFI Compound, F. Torres St., Davao City

Tel Number: 305-0824 Email: yutangkabilin@yahoo.com

Press Release

January 21, 2008

LUMADS FLEE AS MILITARY OPERATIONS IN TALAINGOD HEIGHTEN

PASAKA condemns the massive military operations being conducted by 73^rd Infantry Battalion commanded by Lt. Colonel Alexander Ambal together with the Army Scout Rangers led by 1 ^st Lt. Betinol, 2^nd Lt. Mopal and 1^st Lt. Villanueva in the hinterlands of Talaingod town, Davao del Norte which has now caused the enforced evacuation of Ata-Manobo families.

At least 17 villages in Talaingod such as Tibukag, Purok 31, Paiton, Purok 17, Dalingding, Tibugaw, Natampod, Labuo, Duryan, Tambuko, Mahindang, Nalubas, Lasakan, Sasu, Bagang, Pongpong and Nasilaban were gravely affected by the said military operations.

"We demand the immediate pull out of these bloodthirsty military elements from Talaingod. Base on the reports reaching PASAKA, over the last 15 days, the counter-insurgency operations of government troops have sown terror in Talaingod by encamping in the homes and schools in barrio centers in almost all the Ata-Manobo communities in Talaingod," PASAKA chairperson Mel Elio said.

Lumad local residents confirmed that during these military encampment and combat operations, farm animals were divested and slaughtered, lumad farm houses together with their farm rice and seeds were destroyed and burnt down, water gallons of the local residents were urinated and left with fecal. The lumad residents also protested that their money, salt, tobacco (trisbi), knives and bolos were divested.

After the encounter between the government and rebel forces last January 13 in Sitio Sasu, Brgy. Palma Gil, lumad residents are now suffering the reprisals coming from the military. Lumad women were being harassed and even datus (lumad leaders) like Datu Kolorot and Datu Ele were disrespected as their properties were also destroyed.

According to Osting Dawsay of Salupongan Ta Tanu Igkanugon, the local lumad organization in Talaingod "ang mga lumad sa Sitio Lasakan gibawalan sa mga sundalo nga molakaw ug muadto sa ilang uma aron mangalot og lagutmon sulod sa tulo ka adlaw maong wala silay kaon ug grabe nga nagutman gani adunay lima ka bulan nga bata nga ginganlan og Kalyawa ang namatay sa kagutom." ("In Sitio Lasakan, the residents were prevented to go to their farm for three days that they have nothing to eat and were left hungry. A 5-month old baby named Kalyawa reportedly died due to hunger.")

According to the press statement sent by Salugpongan to PASAKA, the situation has become so unbearable that residents left their farms and homes and trooped to other baranggays as far as Bukidnon. Others opted to hide in the thick forests of the Pantaron Range to evade the anger of the military.

The statement further said that the tribal leaders and members of Salupongan are alarmed by the recent atrocity. The leaders feared that their people are not safe from the abuses of the government soldiers. The incidents, particularly the destruction and divestments of properties, harassment and grave threats and the aerial bombings, has since disrupted their communities; particularly their livelihood, production and the children's learning activities.

Salupongan also condemned the on-going militarization which they attribute to their strong opposition against the Integrated Forestry Management Agreement (IFMA) logging project that has yet again threatened to intrude their ancestral domain.

Manoling Tingkas, spokesperson of Salupongan Ta Tanu Igkanugon said that instead of denying the abusive military operations in Talaingod, Military Officials must heed their call to stop targeting civilian populace in the course of their military operations, indemnify and give justice to the victims. " Dili nila malimod ang ilang gipangbuhat nga kalapasan sa among tribo tungod kay daghan gayod kaming mga gipangbiktima nila, ubay-ubay na ang namakwit tungod sa kahadlok ug kasamok nga gilunsad sa mga sundalo. Nagahangyo kami nga unta maimbistigahan sa hinanaling panahon kining panghitabo sa among lugar nga nakadala og dakong alaot kanamong mga lumad nga unta kami nagapangingkamot nga manimuyo sa kalinaw ug nag-amgo og tiunay nga kalamboan sa among tribo."

The Ata Manobo victims will be filing formal complaints against the abusive military soldiers who are accountable for the atrocities happening in their area. They are also calling for the intervention of the local government leaders as well as the provincial officials of Davao del Norte to intercede, investigate and immediately stop the on-going militarization in Talaingod.

"The rise of the human rights violation incidents against indigenous peoples shows the Arroyo government's blatant disregard to our basic human rights and right to self-determination. The massive and systematic attack on Talaingod violates International Humanitarian Law. We are urging the concerned government agencies to immediately probe deeper into this matter, prosecute the perpetrators, indemnify and bring justice to the Ata-Manobo victims in Talaingod town," Elio concluded.###

For Reference:

(sgd.)

Mel Elio

PASAKA Chairperson

(sgd.)

Manoling Tingkas

Salupongan Ta Tanu Igkanugon Spokesperson