Tribal leaders urge IPs to leave armed struggle

From the Philippine News Agency (Jun 30): Tribal leaders urge IPs to leave armed struggle

Tribal leaders in Misamis Oriental called on members of the Indigenous People (IP) to return to the tribal community and abandon the armed struggle.

Capt. Patrick Martinez, spokesperson of the army’s Fourth Infantry Division, said on Tuesday that the tribal leaders made the call during the formal launching of the “Peace Caravan” in Balingasag, Misamis Oriental last week.

Martinez said that Datu Bruno Lindahay, the tribal chieftain of the village of Kibanban, called on members of the Higaonon tribes who joined the communist New People’s Army (NPA) to return to the tribal community in order to live a peaceful life.

The hinterland village of Kibanban, a farming village in Balingasag, Misamis Oriental, is home to the Higa-onon tribe, one of the indigenous people’s communities in the province.

Martinez said that Lindahay was a former rebel under Guerilla Front 4B of the Northern Mindanao Regional Committee based in Balingasag and Lagonglong, all eastern towns in Misamis Oriental.

The tribal leaders and the Higa-onons gathered at the foot of Mt. Balatucan range Saturday last week to show support to the government’s peace caravan led by the Philippine Army and the local government units in Misamis Oriental.

During the meeting, Lindahay urged the fellow Higa-onons who have joined the NPA movement to abandon the armed struggle and come back to “rebuild” the tribal community in order to attain lasting peace.

Martinez said that the peace caravan is a prelude to a series of programs and projects for implementation in rebel infested tribal communities in Misamis Oriental.

Some of these programs include the construction of farm-to-market roads, electrification, medical and dental assistance, and other basic services of the local government, Martinez said.

http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=2&sid=&nid=2&rid=777738