The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) said on Sunday
that respect for the Lumad community and other Indigenous Peoples is always at
the forefront of the military's collective mind.
This was stressed by AFP spokesperson Col. Restituto Padilla
as he vehemently denied that the military is deliberately targeting Lumads
during their anti-insurgency operations.
"We assure the public that the interests of the Lumads
and our respect for their cultural ways are foremost in our minds," he
stressed.
Padilla issued this statement in the wake of continued
efforts by militant groups to internationalize the issue of Lumad killings in
certain provinces of Mindanao .
"The attempt to internationalize the issue and demonize
government and the AFP in regard to the matter is always an expected move on
their part. It is obviously part of their agenda to hurl all accusations and
blame everything on the AFP to besmirch the AFP's reputation," he added.
Padilla was referring to the series of atrocities in Davao
del Norte and Surigao del Sur involving Lumad communities.
"The AFP was not involved in the incident and is
working and cooperating fully with the Philippine National Police to ascertain
the facts regarding this disturbance. The AFP is also doing its own internal
investigation to ascertain if AFP actions were appropriate relative to this
unfortunate event," he added.
http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=1&sid=&nid=1&rid=803476
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