ORGANIZED groups
of indigenous people in Mindanao called on the Armed Forces of the Philippines
Kalumaran
secretary general Dulphing Ogan, in a statement sent to Sun.Star Davao, said
this was the call of over 500 IP leaders during the 3rd Kalumaran assembly at
Almacen in Catalunan Pequeño, Davao
City
"The
assembly seeks to unite the various IP communities in Mindanao
in their struggle to defend their ancestral lands from attacks under Oplan
Bayanihan," Ogan said.
He also described
the Army's Oplan Bayanihan as a tool that "allows foreign mining companies
to pillage the natural resources" from what they claimed as their ancestral
lands.
"All over Mindanao , wherever there are foreign mining plantations
or mining companies, military encampments are always nearby. This results to
numerous human rights violations, the perpetrators of which are state forces
who to this day remain unpunished," Ogan said.
Bayan Muna
Representative Karlos Zarate, who delivered the keynote speech during the
conference, said: "In this situation where globalization and capitalism
slowly swallow the little remaining dignity of indigenous peoples, it is time
that we stand and unite to face our oppressors and assert what is rightful for
us."
He also noted
that IPs have been the victim of extrajudicial killings especially when they
invoke their right to protest against the entry of foreign companies.
Religious group
Sisters Association in Mindanao (Samin),
meanwhile, supported call of the IPs.
"The plight
of our indigenous brothers and sisters are being assaulted ever more fiercely
in the face of military harassment, foreign investments, and toothless government
policies. Yet in the midst of these grave offenses, the Lumads are also
becoming stronger in their unity and assertion in the name of justice and
peace," Samin executive secretary sister Noemi Degala said.
http://www.sunstar.com.ph/davao/local-news/2015/04/24/stop-oplan-bayanihan-404118
This is Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) anti-government/military propaganda activity. All of the groups cited below are known or suspected CPP front organizations or are in bed with the Maoist movement.
ReplyDeleteThe commies have routinely sought to discredit Philippine counterinsurgency (COIN) campaigns but have been especially vitriolic in their attacks against OPLAN BAYANIHAN, probably because this campaign has been comparatively more effective than previous COIN plans.