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Officials of the United Church of Christ in the Philippines (UCCP) and Lumad leaders hang a tarpaulin at the gate of UCCP-Haran compound in Davao City Thursday (Jan. 30). Their message is clear: no arms should be brought or stored inside the church places and premises. Their action came following the Jan. 25 forcible entry of bolo-wielding members of the Alamara paramilitary group into the evacuation camp that holds hundreds of Lumad who evacuated due to militarization and other rights abuses. (Kath M. Cortez/davaotoday.com)

In a press conference last January 28, tribal leaders from Talaingod and Kapalong, Davao del Norte spoke in behalf of the hundreds more staying in the UCCP Haran Center in Davao City that they have chosen to stay amidst the clear and present threats to their lives by the presence of the members of the military and paramilitary which their local governments failed to address for years. (Medel V. Hernani/davaotoday.com)

Dancers perform a lion dance at the lobby of the Limketkai Luxe Hotel as part of the Chinese New Year celebration on Sunday, Jan. 26. The Chinese New Year was on Jan. 25. (Jigger J. Jerusalem/davaotoday.com)

A performer holds up a small statue of the Sto. Niño during a Sinulog dance competition held at the Piaping Itum neighborhood in Barangay Macabalan, Cagayan de Oro, late Sunday (Jan. 19). Macabalan is one of the barangays in the city where the Sinulog Festival, which has its origin in Cebu, is being celebrated. (Jigger J. Jerusalem/davaotoday.com)