Benjie Planos, a Bisaya settler living among the Manobos, and other leaders of KASAKA had been receiving death threats from the Philippine Army’s 26th Infantry Battalion and the paramilitary group Bagani. the militarization, KASAKA leaders said, is linked with the entry of New Britain Palm Oil Ltd, which is eyeing KASAKA’s ancestral domain.
This cultural activist is all smiles as she sings for the Manobo evacuees in a solidarity activity Friday at the evacuation gym in Bankerohan Gym. Some 500 Manobos will finally return to their villages in Loreto, Agusan del Sur after their mayor Dario Otaza signed an agreement to stop military operations and help rehabilitations of their farms. (davaotoday.com photo by Medel V. Hernani)
Loreto, Agusan del Sur Mayor Dario Otaza (in white shirt) finally showed up in a dialogue Thursday at Men Seng Hotel with the Manobo evacuees and concerned groups including Davao City Mayor Rody Duterte (left) to reach an agreement to pullout military and paramilitary troops in their communities so they can return. The Manobos also demanded seedlings from Otaza to make up for the planting season they lost due to their evacuation. (davaotoday.com photo by Ace R. Morandante)
