Palaso Newsletter - October 2015 Lumad Hq-1 (2)

8/19/2019 Palaso Newsletter - October 2015 Lumad Hq-1 (2)

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A BRIEFING PAPER O

LUMAD ISSUE

This briefing paper presents various perspectives on the emerging issues ab

indigenous people in Mindanao. Amidst conflicting accounts from various interest

the information presented may be used by the Lasallian community in classro

informal group discussion-ref

OCTOBER 2015, Vol. 1 Issue 1

to courtesy of www.mindanews.com


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Is peace really elusivein Mindanao? A series

of violence against Lumadcommunities in Davao del Norte,Surigao del Sur, and otherparts of Mindanao have beenclaiming innocent lives.

The Lumads in Mindanao are once againcaught not only in the armed conict but also in the

conict of various interests between the extreme leftCommunist Party of the Philippines - New Peoples’ Army(CPP-NPA), the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), andwith the special participation of para-military group “Magahat-Bagani.” Unfortunately, innocent civilians, especially lumad womenand children are left suffering and defenseless.

The spate of violence affecting various Lumad areas, areas not only inSurigao Del Sur but in nearby provinces as well, was caused by conict on

who should take control of their resource-rich ancestral domains. Accordingto the Philippine military, this ght for control by rival tribal groups became a full-blown armed conict when the communist New People’s Army (NPA) joined the fray by


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harassing and attacking Lumad tribes resisting their presenc

The 4th Infantry Division based in Cagayan De Oro also said that “The cru

of the problem is the conicting interests of parties to control the resourcethat are found in the IPs ancestral domain, particularly gold and othe

minerals. The communist NPA wants to control our IP communitiebecause to them, they are a rich source of recruits. To them, th

ancestral domain of our Lumads does not just give them meto ght for them but also the funds and other logistics t

ensure their existence

Photo courtesy of www.rappler.com


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The term “Lumad” refers to indigenous and various ethno-linguisticgroups in Mindanao. Among those usually included as Lumads arethe Subanen, B’laan, Mandaya, Higaonon, Banwaon, Talaandig, UboManobo, T’boli, Tiruray, Bagobo,Tagakaolo, Dibabawon, Manguanga

and Mansaka. The “Lumads” are also considered among the mostpeaceful and gentle, and the most vulnerable group. The Lumad’s

territories are rich in natural resources, especially minerals. This is tprimary reason why their ancestral domains are encroached upon byoutsiders and have been subjected to development aggression(La Viña, 2015).

Lumads live in the mountainous areas of Davao del Norte, Davao de

Sur, Bukidnon, Agusan del Norte, Agusan del Sur, Surigao, ZamboaMisamis Oriental, Misamis Occidental, Cagayan de Oro, NorthCotabato, South Cotabato and Saranggani Province (K. Cariño, 201ACCORD, 2015).

About The "Lumads"

Photo courtesy of www.rappler.com


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Around 700 to 1, 280 members of Banawaon,Matigsalug, and Manobo communities havebeen staying in the United Church of Christof the Philippines (UCCP) Haran Compoundlocated in Father Selga St., Davao City, since

March 2015 to present (OPAPP, Sept 2015).

According to UCCP and Bayan Muna activists,the Lumad evacuees, mostly women andchildren, sought refuge in the Protestant churchallegedly because of the presence of military intheir communities (Rappler, July 2015).

On the contrary, tribal leaders from the

communities of Matigsalug, Banwaon, andTalaingod claim that there is no militarizationin their area. The Lumads in the UCCP-HaranEvacuation Center were allegedly deceived

to believe that they were meeting importantpersonalities, and they were promised of goodsthat they can bring home if they join the Davao-bound group. The Datus claim that their people

are being held under threat. It has also beenreported that an identied man in the Haranevacuation center has committed suicide dueto depression. The man was allegedly notallowed to go home. A few weeks after hisburial, his wife also committed suicide. Theyleft behind four (4) young children.

THE LUMAD ISSUES

UCCP-Haran Evacuation Center, Davao C

In the assessment of the DSWD Regional focalperson for indigenous peoples, many evacueesare getting sick and the water supply was cutoff. The evacuees are staying in deplorableliving quarters and their mobility and daily liveshave been extremely disrupted and need to beaddressed immediately.

A tension was triggered in the UCCP-Haranlast June 23, 2015 when police and the militaryattempted to force their way into the compoundwhere Lumad evacuees have been staying forabout 3 months already. According to NorthCotabato Representative Nancy Catamco, Chairof the House Committee on Indigenous Peoples,she wanted “to rescue, kids, women, and the

elderly because they are being heldhostage by militants.”


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Alleged Rape of a 14-year old Manobo in

Talaingod, Davao Del Norte

According to a report, the 14-year oldManobo girl who escaped from the UCCP-

Haran Evacuation Center last July 23, 2015was found to have been a victim of rape prior

to her stay in the UCCP-Haran compound.Cases have been led against the

suspected three soldiers and courtmartial proceedings have been

reportedly recommended.

Killing at the Alternative Learning Centerfor Agricultural and Livelihood Development

(ALCADEV), Lianga, Surigao Del Sur

Emerico Samarca, Executive Director of ALCADEV,

was found hogtied, with a stab wound, his throat slitopen, and his body was found inside a classroom.

After killing Samarca, the armed men also killed DionelCampos and his cousin Datu Bello Sinzo. Camposwas a community leader and the chairperson of theindigenous people group Maluhutayong PakigbisogAlansa sa Sumusunod (Mapasu), which is known for

its rm position on the protection of ancestral lands andits campaign against human rights violations targetingindigenous people. Samarca, Campos and Sinzo werebrutally killed in the presence of the community last

September 1, 2015 (K. Manlupig & Rappler, 2015).

Governor Pimentel said the suspects are mem-

bers of “Magahat-Bagani Force” which isallegedly a paramilitary unit created andhandled by the AFP (PDI, 18 Sept.2015).

After the killing of Samarca,Sinzo, and Campos,more than 3,200people from

Lianga were

evacuated to the sports complex of Tandag City,

Surigao del Sur due to fearof getting caught in the cross re.

According to a report, the possibilityof creating a “UCCP-Haran”type of situation is beingduplicated in Tandag.

The report also conrmedthat the extreme left groups are

already part of the management of theevacuation center.

The Diocese of Tandag strongly condemned the

killings of “lumad” or indigenous peoples in Surigaodel Sur. In a statement, the diocese said the targetof the “extensively planned” killings were those who

opposed mining activities in the area. The Dioceseof Tandag also stressed that “One can see andunderstand that only those lumads who rmly standto protect the forest and reject mining activities and

anything that destroys nature were obviously theones being hounded and intimidated supposedlyby the aforementioned notorious group” (Gonzales,INQUIRER.net, September 2015).


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The Declaration of War and

Resistance Against the New People’sArmy (NPA) by the Datus in AgusanDel Sur and Bukidnon A three-day “Help! Kitao-Kitao Bukidnon Hu-

manitarian and Peace Mission was initiated lastSeptember by various extreme left-leaning organzations such as the Promotion of Church Peo-ple’s Response (PCPR) in Southern Mindanao,

Solidarity Action Group for Indigeneous Peoplesand Peasants (SAGIP), and Pasaka. The “mercy

mission” aims to give assistance to alleged victimof militarization and to validate the alleged humanrights violations reported in the area.

On the contrary, in Loreto, Agusan del Sur, 60 tribal leaders condemned the NPA and declared thatthey don’t want the NPAs and their front organiza

tions such as KARAPATAN, ALCADEV, BAYANMUNA, ANAK-PAWIS, GABRIELA, KMP, and othextreme left groups in their ancestral domain.

Also, in Kitaotao, Bukidnon, the Matigsalog tribaland barangay leaders declared resistance againsthe presence and abuses of NPAs and otherhard-left groups in their domain. As a result, 132

individuals from 29 families who are consideredsympathizers of NPA have evacuated and soughtrefuge to the Parish of Arakan, North Cotabato.If these incidents are not managed well, the situ-ation might become a “ashpoint” in both politicaland security levels.

Photo courtesy of www.interaksyon.com


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Response of the Catholic ChurchPhilippine Government’s Programfor Lumads in Mindanao

Task Force “Whole-of-NationInitiative

”

In response to Lumads’ crises in Surigao delSur, the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of thePhilippines (CBCP) Commission on Health Care isproviding humanitarian assistance such as medicaland psychological support to the victims. Theseinclude providing basic medical needs, as wellas mental health and psychological interventions

for refugees, especially the children. A group ofdoctors and experts are already being organizedin Mindanao, and some will be coming from Luzon,

to help in the mission (R. Lagarde, CBCPNews,Sept. 2015).The Catholic Bishops Conference of thePhilippines (CBCP) and the National Councilof Churches in the Philippines (NCCP), a non-Catholic religious group, have also urged the

government to resolve the killings and put anend to the “militarization” of the areas whereindigenous people live.

The group said it was “deeply alarmed” that

the reason behind heavy militarization oflumad communities in Mindanao is allegedlyto protect the interests of mining companies

and other corporate entities in plundering themineral resources in the ancestral homes of theindigenous people.

The Philippine government created the TaskForce Whole-of-Nation Initiative (WNI) toconsolidate all government services in a two-

day caravan. The Task Force WNI is headedby Undersecretary Manny Bautista, ExecutiveDirector of the Cabinet Cluster on Security,Justice and Peace. The initiative covers theentire country, but currently prioritizes EasternMindanao due to their peace and development

condition.

Recently, a two-day service caravan was

conducted in Talaingod, Davao del Norte, oneof the poorest towns in Mindanao. Throughthe effort of national line agencies and regionalofces, the service caravan provided anarray of social services, distribution offarm goods, awarding of livelihoodprojects and trainings, and legalcounselling, among others, to

around 5,000 residents ofthis town.

Most of its

residents belong tothe Atta Manobo tribe

with a poverty incidenceof 78.56%, and has been

long affected by the decades-longconict between the government and

the communist rebels. In addition 3,000

community residents in Loreto Agusan del Suralso benetted from the caravan.

Primarily, the Armed Forces of the Philippines(AFP) has declared to cover the province ofDavao del Norte for further development. TheAFP has also declared that three cities, eightmunicipalities, 222 barangays, and around150 sitios are now free from the inuence ofthe Communist Party of the Philippines-New

People’s Army-National Democratic Front.


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The PAMANA Program

The Ofce of the Presidential Adviser on thePeace Process (OPAPP) is the lead agency

in supervising PAMANA or the Payapa atMasaganang Pamayanan (Peaceful andResilient Communities) program that wasestablished after the signing of the 1996 FinalPeace Agreement between the government andthe Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF).

PAMANA is the Aquino administration’s programand framework for peace and developmentin conict-affected areas as well as thosecovered by existing peace agreements. It aims

to reduce poverty, improve governance andempower communities through projects thatenhance peace and socioeconomic conditions.

PAMANA is being implemented in MNLF Peace

and Development Communities (PDCs) in 133barangays located in 14 provinces and threechartered cities. The provinces that alreadyformalized partnership with the governmentinclude Maguindanao, Lanao del Sur, Tawi-Tawi, Basilan, Sulu, North Cotabato, Sarangani,

South Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat, Lanao del NorteZamboanga del Norte, Zamboanga Sibugay

and Palawan.

One of the successful PAMANA livelihood projectis found in Barangay Aliwagwag Cateel, DavaoOriental and its beneciary is the AliwagwagFarmers Multipurpose Association (AFMA). Since

the residents of the said barangay dependson upland rice as their source of income,the PAMANA project under the Ofce of thePresidential Adviser on the Peace Process

(OPAPP), together with the Department ofAgriculture and Provincial Government of DavaoOriental, granted the association with upland riceproduction and post-harvest facilities (single passrice mill) in 2013.

Photo courtesy of www.senate.gov


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Lasallian Reflection

1. In what ways have my ownthoughts, words and (in)actions contributed to themisunderstanding and sufferingexperienced by Filipino

indigenous people?”

2. What should have been doneby all stakeholders (CPP-NPA,AFP, Paramilitary, Lumads,

Gov’t, Civil Society) to preventthe dehumanizing conditions ofLumads in Davao and Surigao?

3. How can I support the humanitarianmission and call for justice forLumads in Mindanao?”

“It is our responsibility to help the ruralpoor, especially the Lumad peoples who are

fighting for their lives and existence.”

We invite you also to join the “Lumad Mindanaw - Searching for Truth and Justice” Forum on

October 30, 2015 at the Waldo Perfecto Seminar Room. Resource persons from the civil society

group, Lumad Mindanaw will share the results of their fact-finding mission in Lumad commmunities


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SPS202 De La Salle University,

Taft Avenue, Manila 1004, Philippines

Trunkline: 524-46-11 to 19 loc. 147/417

Telefax: (632) 523-4143

Email:[email protected]; Ofcial FB Page: DLSUCOSCA

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