Richard Coguit (2nd left) watches as a fellow displaced lumad shows his mobile message to Kasalo Caraga Julito Otacan (2nd right) for an update on the situation of the displaced Indigenous People in Talacogon. Photographed by Erwin Mascariñas, InterAksyon
Butuan City - Residents in an indigenous people (IP) community are asking for support after they were displaced in early July from their hinterland village in the town of Talacogon in Agusan del Sur by the arrival of troops from the Philippine Army's 26th Infantry Battalion.
On August 4, 2016 196 IPs comprising some 48 Manobo families trekked 14 kilometers from their settlement toward the barangay center of Zillovia, Talacogon, Agusan del Sur, recounting the request of the soldiers that they be allowed to stay for several days.
"Soldiers started coming to our village on July 11, they explained that they were here to help facilitate projects on water supply, road-building and even the construction of toilets. We requested that they stay about 500 meters away from where the main population is living. But, they decided to live in the village and stayed in two of the houses," said Richard Coguit, village head of Purok 8, Barangay Zillovia.
Coguit a father of six, pointed out that the village started to be alarmed when the soldiers stayed longer than what was agreed upon.
"The people in the village started to feel that their daily activities are being hampered by presence of the soldiers, who had proceeded to get census data and taking pictures, asking question like whether there are family members who are associated with the New People's Army (NPA).
Our community members couldn't anymore freely go out at night or stay overnight out in their farm for fear that the soldiers would start questioning and interrogating them a day after," said Coguit.
Coguit said the people in the village became more alarmed when the number of soldiers increased.
"By July 30, the number of soldiers in the village had increased without consultation with us. People started to worry that we might be caught in the crossfire there will be an exchange of gunfire between the NPA and the soldiers right in the village. What spooked the villagers even more was that fear and uncertainty started to grow in our once peaceful community. And then, we found out that several families had decided to leave," he said.
Coguit elaborated that they are asking for help and intervention from the local government to make arrangements for the soldiers to leave their community.
"We are farmers and our lives have been affected much. Our wish for peace and progress should not be in exchange for fear for our lives. We want to go back home. Our livelihood, livestock and farm animals are left behind with no one to take care of them," concluded Coguit.
The 25 year old farmer Mariel Lintao, recalled: "We were living in fear, you have fully armed men living among you and we cannot even gather together without alarming the soldiers.
"We are used to gathering at the end of the day and talk. Now would question us as though we are a threat for them. If we go out and come back a day after, they would interrogate us. Of course, there have been instances when we are too tired to hike several kilometers, so we had to resort to sleeping in our small huts in the mountains. We are a peaceful community and we are not used to having our movements scrutinized."
Ferdausi Cerna, Municipal Administrator of Talacogon, said the local government unit is extending every means to help.
"The evacuees generally are in good physical condition except that there are at least six of them suffering from diarrhea, and the Municipal Health Officer is treating them now. They have requested to elevate the issue to the Municipal Peace and Order Council, and we will find ways to help resolve the issue," said Cerna.
Cerna said he is hoping the matter gets threshed out soon, and that an agreement will be arrived at between the soldiers and the displaced community.
Captain Jeffrey L Batistiana, Civil-Military Officer of 26th IB, explained that the presence of soldiers in the village is part of the government program.
"We have a program, which the Armed Forces of the Philippines has coined Bayanihan Team Activity, in which we have soldiers conducting needs assessment survey and to see identify what are the issues in the barangays and then help them address these issues, which, based on experience, are mostly basic services," said Batistiana.
Batistiana added that before the soldiers take steps to get into the village, "they forge a memorandum of agreement with the LGU and the barangay for the conduct of Bayanihan. The conversations and interview by our troops are basically part of them trying to get to know the people in the community, we can't be too complacent in working in the hinterlands, and that's the very same reason why we have our firearms with us when we talk to them, besides we are first and foremost soldiers and our weapons are part of us," he said.
http://interaksyon.com/article/131282/lumads-woes--in-talacogon-soldiers-occupy-village-displacing-residents
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.