It’s Kadayawan! The city streets, parks and plazas of Davao are re-echoing the footfalls of tribal peoples in ‘indak-indak’ choreographies, made more eye-catching by the sparkling rainbow hues in the Lumad performers’ traditional tribal dresses and ceremonial “burloloys” from their heads to their toes. Even the Bankerohan river swirls in rustling merriment with bancas in full regalia, equaled only by the elegant floats proudly drifting along the city’s main thoroughfares during the ‘pamulak sa kadalanan’. And all the while the festive atmosphere is accentuated by the incessant throbs of gimba gong-beats and the tintinnabulation of the kulintangan.
All this extravagant display of pageantry derives its springs from the Lumad peoples’ traditional expression of thanksgiving in celebration of the munificence of Nature– for the season’s bountiful harvests— durian, marang and fruits of all kinds, as well as waling-waling orchids and all other flowers of wondrous assortments—all from the garden of the gods [hardin sa mga bathala]! In sum, Kadayawan is a celebration of life in intimate relationship with Nature — the very principle of tribal‘s lifeworld.
But the government of President Noynoy Aquino through all the years of his “matuwid na daan” brand of leadership has provided a contrapuntal dissonance to the celebratory mood of the yearly Kadayawan. His policy of massive militarization of Mindanao earns for him an apt “citation of dishonor”.
Yes, while all of Davao’s tribal peoples celebrate the bountiful gifts of Nature, the military organization of President Noynoy is likewise singing and dancing in ceremonious expression of diabolic triumph and evil pride. It has attained a harvest of murders, massacres and other heinous violations of the Lumad people’s human rights. President Noynoy’s command is a cause for celebration on the part of the military people in the AFP.
The responsible officers of the AFP deserve the President’s applause and “medals of treachery and cowardice”. NO! Not for victories in the battlegrounds! But for their string of traitorous murders and massacres of unarmed civilians – mostly Lumads!
For his Excellency President Noynoy Aquino’s pampering of the military — not unlike former President Gloria Arroyos’ policy during her incumbency — Noynoy is very much guilty of nurturing the culture of impunity spawned by his predecessor.
The Tampakan massacre in 2012 has been sounding shrill calls for justice. But they all fall on deaf ears. It is a well-known instance of flagrant disregard for human lives—innocent civilian lives!. Juvy Capion, 28, and her sons Jordan, 13 and John Mark, 6, were killed by elements of the Army’s 27th Infantry Battalion in Barangay Kimlawis, Kiblawan, Davao del Sur. Until now, the perpetrators have not been jailed in spite of warrant of arrest issued by the court.
A few months ago, we have been shared the testimony of Aida Seisa, woman leader of a farmer’s association, who was celebrating a birthday party in her house in a Paquibato District, when military men strafed her house with gunshots, killing three of her guests. Her own child was hit on the shoulder.
Joel Gulmatico, chairman of Arakan Progressive Peasant Organization (APPO), was shot dead by motorcycle-riding men while he was driving a motorcycle, meters away from his house. Gulmatico had been very vocal in his opposition to the Army’s PDOP (peace and development outreach program). He was a village kagawad (councilman) who served for three terms and in 2013 tried to run for village chairman but he lost because the Army campaigned against him.
Gulmatico has been receiving death threats since 2005 because of his pro-peasant stance as a councilman. It intensified in 2013 during the attempt of the military’s PDOP (peace and development outreach program). This program, by the way, has failed as a peace and development project but succeeded in its harassment, threats and intimidation and other human rights abuses against the masses.
Less than two weeks ago, Gregorio Ybanez, current president of Davao del Norte Press Radio Club (DNPRC) and former president of the Board of Directors of the Davao del Norte Electric Cooperative under the National Electrification Administration (Daneco-NEA), was gunned down 9 pm Tuesday outside his home in Mirafuentes Subdivision, Tagum City.
And just three days ago, we hear the assassination of Teodoro Escanilla, mercilessly gunned down by unidentified men inside his house in Tagdon Village, Barcelona, Sorsogon. Escanilla, a spokesperson of human rights group Karapatan, anchored a radio program ‘Pamanang Lahi’ over local radio station DZMS for 10 years. According to Karapatan, Escanilla wasa staunch critic of the military for the rising human rights abuses in Sorsogon over his radio program. He is 63 years old.
The killing of Ybanez and Escanilla brings the number of media killings to 29 under the Aquino administration. Their deaths are a grim reminder of the Aquino administration’s evident sanction to the climate of impunity and injustice in the country.
Media organizations have called for an end to the escalating culture of impunity and the continuing attacks against the right to freedom of expression and against extrajudicial killings in the Philippines. But if even calls from the media are blatantly ignored, we can expect more and more Palparanic murders of hapless civilian Lumads and peasants by the military. There is ample reason to conclude that President Noynoy is in his real nature suffering from a Hitlerian syndrome.
And so more dissonant sounds can be heard through the days ahead as counterpoint to the lilting music of Kadayawan festival. But perchance, the lilt of Lumad heartbeats will later turn to protest tempo with the unabated killings of civilian Lumads by the State security forces whose commander-in-chief is at heart a fascist and a tyrant.
