PRESS RELEASE

Reference:

Kerlan Fanagel

Secretary General

PASAKA Confederation of Lumad Organizations in Southern Mindanao

MILITARY HAMLETTING OF LUMAD VILLAGES IN NEW BATAAN DENOUNCED

PASAKA lumad confed protested the reported hamletting of Mandaya and Mansaka indigenous communities in New Bataan, an incident which preceded and triggered the evacuation of the more than 260 families (New Bataan Municipal Social Work Department (MSWD)data) who are now staying at the Poblacion gymnasium.

“To be displaced from one's home is already a violation of the right to peace and security. To deny the people access for safe refuge while military elements occupy their villages as it gears for combat is inhumane, indeed a violation of the peoples' very right to life,” said Kerlan Fanagel, secretary general of the PASAKA, a lumad confederation in SMR.

Fanagel said that as early as October 24, the military led by the 66^th Infantry Battalion have started to cordon and hamlet Sitio Taytayan and Sitio Camarin in Brgy. Andap in New Bataan .

The residents left their homes and headed towards the town center for refuge but they were prohibited from leaving their communities even at the insistence of New Bataan Mayor Lorenzo Balbin who personally sent a rescue vehicle for the evacuees but was denied entry by the soldiers hamletting the areas.

Fanagel protested the prevalence of military – led operations in indigenous communities. He attributed this to the military stereotype that indigenous communities are guerilla bases, thus making them targets of RSOT operations. This he said is stipulated in the military counter-insurgency plan called the Oplan Bantay Laya 2.

“This is the second time this year that the lumads of Taytayan were forced to evacuate and subject to such harassment and discrimination. This vicious cycle illustrates the situation in all lumad communities and this has far worsened this year after GMA unleashed an all-out-war policy that victimizes civilians more,” Fanagel said.

PASAKA called for the immediate stop to the military operations in New Bataan and other areas in Mindanao . It said it will forward the gathered documentation and complaints at the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Indigenous Peoples and other international HR monitoring agencies.

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! ###

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



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