A church leader has called the government “insensitive” on the plight of the indigenous peoples.
Hundreds of Lumads to be hosted by the National Cathedral of the Iglesia Filipiniana Independiente were blocked by buses brought by the police forces as tribal protesters were about to leave for travel to the IFI Cathedral, Saturday afternoon.
As the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Summit approaches, global activists are also set to gather here to provide different points of views on the world’s economy contrary to what will be discussed on the said summit.
The Army’s Eastern Mindanao Command said it condemned the burning of an IP (indigenous people) school in Surigao del Sur, adding it was a handiwork of “still unidentified lawless armed group wearing Army uniforms.”
At around 2:00 am on Thursday, the cottage used by the school staff and teachers of an alternative school catering to tribal students in Padiay village, Sibagat town in Agusan del Sur was burned.
The city government is willing to relocate here the tribal evacuees (also called Lumads) who have taken refuge for more than eight months now in UCCP Haran compound.
Councilor Mary Joselle Dilig-Villafuerte would file a resolution urging the Land Transportation Office to offer for free its existing training program to motor owners as hospitals here recorded increasing number of patients admission related to motorcycle accidents.
Archbishop Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Manila visited the camp of Manilakbayan at Liwasang Bonifacio and expressed his support to the calls of the Lumads for a pull-out of military troops in their communities.
Amid heavy rains, an estimate of 500 lumads marched from People Power Monument to the national headquarters of the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Philippine National Police to condemn the lumad killings in Mindanao allegedly perpetrated by the state forces.
A research and media center solely focused on indigenous peoples’ issues was launched Monday morning at Balay Kalinaw in University of the Philippines Diliman campus.
