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.
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.
With information right at our fingertips, a journalist can write a story from calling sources and receiving press releases. But real stories happen on the ground and are best told when seen by the writers themselves especially in indigenous peoples communities.