The local government unit of a town in Zamboanga del Sur turned over 2,000 kilos of organic rice seeds and vegetable seeds to Manobo evacuees here in an activity facilitated by environmental groups.
In its “Getting Away With Murder: CPJ’s 2014 Global Impunity Index” report released Wednesday, the Committee to Protect Journalists said that 51 journalists in the country have been killed next to Somalia with 27 killed and one conviction and Iraq with 100 and no conviction.
Leaders of the Manobos trooped to the offices of the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP) and the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) Tuesday to report abuses purportedly committed by the military in their community of Talaingod, Davao del Norte.
Two Tagum City reporters and their news director were reportedly harassed by police intelligence officers and a military spokesperson respectively, the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines said.
Manobo tribal children flew kites on Friday in a symbolic message to government to pull out Army troops currently doing counterinsurgency rounds in their hometown in Talaingod, Davao del Norte.
“Ang gusto gyud ni mayor unta kung pwede mubalik ang mga Lumad og mga evacuees didto sa Brgy.Palma Gil, didto sa safe area nato, dayun i-assure ni mayor ang pagkaon og tanan makaya ihatag sa gobyerno. (The mayor wants the Lumad evacuees to return to Barangay Palma Gil, in a safe place. The Mayor also assures that there would be food and other relief goods to be provided for them),” Tocmo told the leaders.
“The challenge is how to implement it. The RH Law may appear to be pro-women but the other policies of government are anti-women, such as the privatization of public hospitals, and the other policy of the Department of Health of no home-birthing,” Ilagan said.
A return to the “militarized areas” is also a violation to international human rights instruments, said Bishop Felixberto Calang, of the Iglesia Filipina Independiente and chairperson of Barug Katungod Mindanao.
Human rights group Karapatan criticized government security elements for attempting to pull out and arrest its staff member during a protest caravan here on Thursday by alleging her as a New People’s Army leader.
The Ata-Manobo Lumads repeated history as they fled from heavily militarized villages on foot and upon reaching access roads, boarded trucks to seek refuge in Davao City. Along the way, a mother gave birth, while a 12-day old infant died.
