Lumad won't go home if the military continue to operate in the community - tribal leader

Duterte, Del Rosario to tackle Talaingod problem

By Ivy C. Tejano
April 27, 2014


DAVAO CITY Mayor Rodrigo Duterte will be sitting down with Davao del Norte Governor Rodolfo del Rosario along with evacuees from Talaingod, Davao del Norte, some progressive groups, and military officials in the city tomorrow, to address issues that caused the Manobo-tribes to vacate their land.

The mayor, in an interview, said he and the provincial governor scheduled the meeting tomorrow at around 3 p.m. Duterte added that he will try to find a solution to their problem with Davao del Norte Governor Rodolfo del Rosario.

Over a hundred Ata-Manobo residents of Talaingod have sought temporary residence at the Haran House of the United Church of Christ in the Philippines (UCCP) for almost a month now after claiming militarization of their villages and military abuses.

"I have requested [from the military and the Talaingod town evacuees] to have a meeting. Let us find out what ails everybody. I also invited governor del Rosario; he might want to share a moment with us in solving this problem," Duterte said.

"We need to talk. Hindi naman puwedeng ganyan na lang. We need to hear from both sides before we come up with a solution or agreement on what is best for all," Duterte added.

In a separate interview, del Rosario echoed the same reaction. He said the local government cannot conclude anything until the issue has been discussed. He also admitted that he requested the Davao City mayor to help them on the matter.

"When I got this chance talking with Mayor Duterte… we both agreed to meet, to sit down and talk about the problem on how we can settle this with those people [evacuees]. We will try to work something out at sana nga okay ang kinalabasan," del Rosario said.

The Salugpongan Ta Tatanu Ig Kanogon (Unity in Defense of Ancestral Land), Pasaka (Confederation of Lumad Organizations in Southern Mindanao), and other organizations, including lumads, urged the local government to pull out the military from the communities instead.

Groups issued such call following the alleged aerial bombing, massive harassment, and encampment in places where soldiers were not supposed to put up camps. Others from their tribes have sought refuge in Bukidnon, Northern Mindanao.

Datu Duloman, spokesperson of Salugpongan ‘Ta Tanu Ig Kanogon, said that while they long to go home after weeks of staying at the Haran House, they will not do so if the military continue to operate in the community. He added that they do not need the relief goods from the government but to have a peaceful community.

Talaingod town Mayor Basilio A. Libayao earlier denied the accusations of the militant organizers against the local government unit and military. He said there are no reports of harassments and aerial bombing that has been committed by the military in the area.

Colonel Harold Cabreros, commander of the Philippine Army's 1003rd Brigade, also said the residents sought the assistance of their troops from the 60th Infantry Battalion (60IB), 68th IB, and Special Forces, following the presence of the New People's Army (NPA), who installed camps in some areas of Talaingod town.

The Municipal Council of Talaingod declared a state of calamity last April 1 and has allotted an initial amount of P500,000 to cater the needs of the evacuees. But the militant organizations started moving out the evacuees after the declaration, which is an act considered by Libayao as an insult to his constituency.

Aerial bombing, massive harassment, and military encampments caused internal displacement of lumads

Duterte, guv: Stop Army ops in 11 lumad sitios

By Ivy C. Tejano
April 30, 2014
Sunstar Davao

THE residents of Talaingod in Davao del Norte belonging to the Ata-Manobo tribe will be escorted by civilian government officials on May 1 and 2 to bring them home following the agreement that military operations in 11 sitios of barangay Palma Gil in Talaingod will be suspended.

This was the agreement reached on Monday in a meeting that started at 3:15 p.m. and was still ongoing as of presstime at the Grand Men Send Hotel in Davao City.

The meeting was attended by the Talaingod evacuees, the leaders of the United Church of Christ of the Philippines who have been giving shelter to the lumads since April 4 in Davao City, and local and military officials, with Mayor Duterte Davao del Norte Governor Rodolfo del Rosario, and Talaingod Mayor Basilio A. Libayao.

At the same time, another meeting was going on in a different function room regarding a similar problem in Paquibato District of Davao City, but this meeting started a bit later.

The Talaingod lumads belonging to the Ata-Manobo tribe led by the Salugpongan Ta Tatanu Ig Kanogon (Unity in Defense of Ancestral Land) and Pasaka (Confederation of Lumad Organizations in Southern Mindanao) remained firm in their stand that they will only go back to their villages if the military stop their operations.

Datu Dulomon Dawsay, spokesperson of the evacuees said, the military have set up camps in sitio Dolianog, Tulugan, and Igang in barangay Pamla Gil, Talaingod.

Colonel Harold Cabreros, commander of the Philippine Army's 1003rd Brigade, in his presentation said that the reason they are in the area is because of an NPA encampment there, as he showed slides of a recent operations where they were even able to recover cash believed to be fund of the rebels.

Duterte said that the military and the rebels will always be where the other are, but since the problem involves evacuees, then he, with the concurrence of Gov. del Rosario, can only order the military to suspend operations in order to bring the residents home safely.

He said the best he can do with regards the rebels is to appeal to them to suspend operations in Talaingod as well.

In an interview with del Rosario around 6 p.m. Monday, he said, that it was agreed on that the military will pack up their operations in all 11 sitios where they are presently encamped today and that he will expect no military camps there, including those in the barangay center and schools.

The evacuees will then be escorted solely by civilian officials on May 1-2.

He said it was agreed that not one policeman or military will escort the local officials who will be escorting the evacuees to their homes.

Mayor Libayao, meanwhile, assured that should the residents not want to return to their remote villages, their town has relief assistance ready for them.

The lumads who have sought refuge in the city claim aerial bombing, massive harassment, and encampment in places where soldiers were not supposed to put up camps.

Libayao had earlier denied these claims but insists it is the rebels’ presence in the area that has made it necessary for the military to operate there.

Beyond the claims and counter-claims, Mayor Duterte raised his appeal again for the resumption of peace negotiations between the communist rebels and the National Government to bring peace to areas like Talaingod, that are victimized by the never-ending conflict.

Mining and plantation companies will claim our ancestral lands - lumad spokesperson

Tribal leaders urge Duterte to mediate in negotiations

By Ruji Peter S. Abat
April 25, 2014
Sunstar Davao

TRIBAL leaders, who are part of the evacuees from Talaingod, Davao del Norte, re-echoed their call to halt the militarization in their homeland but this time, they want Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte to intervene in the negotiations.

Leader of the Ata Manobo tribe in Barangay Palma Gil in Talaingod and spokesperson for Salugpongan Ta Tanu Igkanogon, Datu Duloman Dawsay told Sun.Star Davao in an interview that he has been very grateful of Duterte for welcoming the evacuees in the city yet he would appreciate him more if the mayor assists them in getting back to their homeland.

"Kaniadto pa gyud dako ug tabang si Mayor Duterte sa amoa apan iya ming natagad kaniadtong namakwit mi tong 1994. Pero unta matabangan pud niya mi ug usab sa among pagpauli pero una una sa gyud nga pahawaon ang militar sa among lugar (Mayor Duterete has helped us before when he gave attention to us when we evacuated in 1994. But we hope that he can help us again in getting back home as long the military are pulled out from our area)," Dawsay said.

He also said that they have yet to personally talk to Duterte as well as Talaingod town Mayor Basilio Libayao and the closest that they got to the government was through the Provincial Board and the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP)-Davao.

"Relief goods are nothing compared to what we are experiencing here and what we have left there. We cannot live in the city and we have left our farms there. We need to get home before our livelihood will be destroyed there," Dawsay added.

Spokesperson for the Pasaka (Confederation of Lumad Organizations in Southern Mindanao) Isidro Andao, in a separate interview, lambasted the intervention of NCIP-Davao claiming that they were suggested to accept the offers of mining companies and plantations in their areas.

"Ang ilang pamaagi sa amoang konsultasyon kay ilang ming padawaton sa mining ug sa laing plantasyon kay mao daw na ang makapalambo sa mga lumad pero dili namo na madawat kay ila gihapon pangkuhaon ang among yutang kabilin (Their suggestion in our consultation was that we should accept the offers of the mining and plantation companies since that will lead to the progress of the lumads but we will not accept that because they will still claim our ancestral lands)," Indao said.

He added that there has still been a conflict between the provisions of the Indigenous Peoples' Rights Act (Ipra) of 1997 and the People's Small-Scale Mining Act of 1991, thus, there should be amendments that will truly enforce the Ipra.

FLASHBACK to 2014: Datu Doloman Dawsay explains why they sought refuge in Davao City

The Manobos left heavily militarized villages last April 1, 2014 to seek sanctuary at Davao City. Continuous military operations and harassment displaced more than 1,300 individuals from the sitios of Pongpong, Nalubas, Bagang, Bayabas, Saso, Lasakan, Sambolongan and Bugni of Barangay Palma Gil, Talaingod, Davao del Norte. After a month, they returned to their communities following the military's promise on withdrawal of troops.

A year later, the same problem of human rights violations arising from militarization occur causing the Manobos to left again to seek sanctuary in Davao City and to air their grievances against the military.