AFP scores int’l group for probing Lumad slays sans DFA permission

From the Daily Tribune (Oct 31): AFP scores int’l group for probing Lumad slays sans DFA permission

The military yesterday accused members of an international fact-finding mission, composed of foreigners from various countries, of disrespecting the country’s sovereignty for conducting inquiry into the killing of three tribal leaders in Surigao del Sur province.

Col. Isidro Purisima, commander of the Army’s 402nd Brigade, scored the foreigners for intruding into the country’s internal affairs by pushing an inquiry even without permission from the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA).

“Tourists have no right to intervene into our country’s internal affairs. They are already making a mockery on our laws and disrepute our government institution. They should know their ground,” said Purisima.

The military identified the foreigners supposedly involved in the “uncoordinated” fact-finding mission as Jonas Straetsman from Belgium; Dalkiran Metin and Hans Schaap for The Netherlands; Gill Boehringer, of the International Association of People’s Lawyer from Syney, Australia; Henry Langston and Philip Calles, both of the Vice News London.

“Despite the fact that these tourists were not given authority by the DFA, they still insisted to push their unsolicited inquiry,” Purisima said.

“They even violated the Lumad Free and Prior Informed Consent thus desecrating the Indigenous People’s Rights Act,” he added.

The foreigners were supposedly invited in the country by Fr. Fortunato Estillore; Bishop Rhee Timbang of IFI; Sis Estella Matutina, a Benedictine nun; Fr Modesto Villasanta of the UCCP, and Rosanilla Consad.

The fact-finding group is reportedly conducting an inquiry into the killing of three tribal leaders at the Alcadev compound in Barangay Diatagon, Lianga, Surigao del Sur. The killing was blamed to paramilitary group Magahat Bagani, allegedly backed by the military.

Capt. Joe Patrick Martinez, 4th ID public affairs officer, noted that those who invited the foreigners were the same people who accused the military of being responsible in the Lianga killing.

Marinez also lamented that the fact-finding mission was not investigating the killings of other Lumads.

“It can be noted that the said church and school personalities who invited these tourists are the accusers and now conducting investigation and later on will give their bias result,” Martinez said.

According to Martinez, the group did not touch the killings of 357 other Lumads through the atrocities conducted by the New People’s Army (NPA) in some parts of Mindanao, including the recent brutal murder of Loreto Mayor Dario Otaza and his son Daryl in Agusan del Sur.

The NPA admitted responsibility to the killing of the Otazas. The elder Otaza is a Manobo leader and a former NPA member but returned to the folds of the law and became a politician.

http://www.tribune.net.ph/nation/afp-scores-int-l-group-for-probing-lumad-slays-sans-dfa-permission