Fire at 2 dorms where Lumads stay deliberate, activists claim
POLICE investigators are verifying reports of armed men torching two dormitories inside the UCCP Haran compound along Fr. Selga Street that injured two children and four other Lumad at 2:30 a.m. yesterday.
Speaking in yesterday’s AFP-PNP press conference held at Task Force Davao, Chief Insp. Milgrace C. Driz said they are still gather evidence and testimonies from the
victims and eyewitnesses.
“Whatever evidence we gather will be used in the case we will file if we can arrest the perpetrators,” she said.
In a text message, Hanimay Suazo, secretary general of Karapatan-Southern Mindanao, strongly condemned the incident.
“Undoubtedly, it is a clear case of arson. It wasn’t an accident but politically motivated,” Suazo said, as she accused the 10th Infantry Division and the Alamara of being behind the incident.
“Since last year, the evaciuees have been experiencing harassments from the AFP,” she alleged.
Brig.Gen. Ronnie Evangelista, deputy commander of Eastern Mindanao Command, meanwhile, said they will just wait for the results of the investigation into the incident.
“There is an ongoing investigation we will find who the culprits are,” he said.
“it’s hard to start pointing fingers at anybody.”
“it’s hard to start pointing fingers at anybody.”
Nevertheless, he said that the military won’t gain anything by burning down the dormitories.
But Task Force Davao chief, Col. Cristobal Zaragosa, threw back the accusation at the leftist groups as he said that they could have started the fire to “gain more attention,” or so “their donors will give more money because Haran was burned down.”
“Those are just the angles we are looking at,” Cristobal said.
According to Crestoni Latiban Monzon, secretary general of Pasaka farmers group, one of the temporary shelters near gate 2 was deliberatedly set on fire.
Among those injured were Magno Kulot, 14; Odessa Dumol, 12; Loloy Manayap, 30, and his 2-year-old son, all residents of Talaingod, Davao Del norte.
After a few minutes, they heard an explosion from Gregorio Gonzales dorm occupied by students before the flames started to spread to the adjacent dorm.
Elisa Payta Fuentes, 27, told investigators that she noticed a man jump off from the Haran gate 2 before the fire started.
SFO4 Dioscorro Baja Jr., investigator of the Bureau of Fire, said the fire started at at 2:53 a.m. and they were able to control the flames about 20 minutes later.
They were also able to recover one plastic gallon container in the area. They are still investigating if it’s linked to the fire.
“We traced the point of origin, and according to the witness, the fire came from outside the house which was why I became suspicious,” he said.
The estimated cost of damaged was about P900,000.
The Haran Compound of the United Church of Christ in the Philippines has become a temporary shelter of the Lumads, numbering about 700 who left their homes in Bukidnon and Talaingod, Davao del Norte reportedly because of militarization.
In July 2015, a commotion between the police, leftists and Lumads occurred resulting to injuries on both sides.
KARAPATAN and PASAKA are both Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) front organizations. There is no tangible evidence at present to link the military or any other group to the fire at the Haran compound. In fact, authorities have yet to conduct an investigation to determine if the fire actually is a case of arson.
ReplyDeleteBut yet CPP propagandists like Hanimay Suazo of KARAPATAN just can't wait to pin the blame for the fire on the 10th Infantry Division. Suazo is just jumping to conclusions with little or no evidence to back up her accusations.
In fact, as this point, it seems just as likely that that the commies "could have started the fire to 'gain more attention,' or so 'their donors will give more money because Haran was burned down,'" as stated by Task Force Davao chief, Col. Cristobal Zaragosa.