Billianes death part of struggle vs. imperialist mining — NDF
The NDF-FarSouth Mindanao region expresses its deepest grief at the untimely death of the anti-mining activist Eliezer ‘Boy’ Billianes. He was shot to death by the notorious death squad of the US-Arroyo regime on the afternoon of March 9, 2009 in the public market of Koronadal City, about a hundred meters away from the city hall. The NDF grieves with the Boy’s family and friends who laid down his life in his unstinting effort to fight the imperialist mining company which is presently reigning over our land and our resources in south central Mindanao .
For more than two decades, Boy Billianes has consistently fought for the environment, for the ancestral land of national minorities (particularly the B’laans), and for the rights and welfare of the people of south-central Mindanao . With the people’s organizations, Boy held seminars, public forums, lectures and dialogues on large-scale mining and its effects on our land and our waters. He specifically pointed out the environmental disaster that would result once Xstrata-SMI operates its open pit mine in the quadri-boundary in Sultan Kudarat, South Cotabato, North Cotabato and Davao del Sur. Boy was a very peace-loving citizen whose only fault was to stand for the truth and fight for the nations patrimony. For this, he was killed.
The US-Arroyo regime and the 27th IB in particular will pay a very deep price for its heinous crimes against the leaders and unarmed activists like Boy Billianes. Like the rest of the thousands of victims of the fascist Arroyo regime, Boy Billianes’ death lies deep in the collective consciousness of the people and will inspire us to work even harder against all the plunderous activities of the regime and its imperialist master. The people will never forget what this regime has resorted to in order to pursue its most selfish interests. The NDF and the entire revolutionary movement will not rest until justice is served for Boy Billianes, and the thousands of victims of the regime.
The state and the multinational company Xstrata are both very much mistaken if they think they could paralyze or stop the people’s resistance by killing Boy Billianes. On the contrary, this event further compels us to take an even stronger commitment against this brutal and fascist regime. For every Boy Billianes killed, a thousand are born to take up his cause and march in his footsteps.
(Sgd) Ka Efren
Spokesperson
National Democratic Front-FarSouth Mindanao
