Mindanao nuns to Aquino: ‘Leave the Lumád in peace’
“President Aquino, your heart is as hard as that of the Pharaoh who refused to end the oppression of God’s chosen people.”
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“President Aquino, your heart is as hard as that of the Pharaoh who refused to end the oppression of God’s chosen people.”
“As an international organization for peoples’ struggles, we stand with the indigenous peoples, the oppressed people, the workers who have a stake in supporting each other in the struggle.”
“This shows how desperate Aquino is to silence our calls to junk Apec, all for his masters.”
“You think you can hide the people’s protest? But as we leave Liwasang Bonifacio, we move closer to the venue of the summit.”
Members of the Philippine Army’s 23rd infantry battalion reportedly told the community to burn down the school.
“The Mines and Geosciences Bureau will play its role in this callousness by further ignoring the impunity of large-scale miners in Mindanao and elsewhere in the Philippines, to perpetuate the lie of peace and economic development in the mining industry.”
From September to October, three Lumád, including a minor, were killed by suspected members of the Dela Mance paramilitary group, which is affiliated with the dreaded Alamara.
“If he is dead, return his remains to his family. We just want him back.”
"We oppose Apec and its schemes in robbing our country's natural resources, and essentially its future."
“Research takes sides, too and it does not make it unscientific.”
Two weeks after the Manilakbayan arrived in Manila, another Lumád leader was killed by a paramilitary group, the Alamara, in Davao del Norte province.
The Manilakbayan ng Mindanao continues to get support in spite of being called “unsightly, unsanitary, and infiltrated with threat groups.”
“Globalization has further pushed the mining industry towards a complete sell-out of our national patrimony to foreign corporations.”
“Justice can't be bought with politicking, with cheap tricks.”
“We are being driven out of our ancestral lands, now, even here at Liwasang Bonifacio, we are also being evicted?”
“What the CHR fails to show, is that the Lumad themselves are being targeted by the military – with or without the presence of the NPA.”
“There are personal accounts from the victims themselves. These are enough grounds for charges.”
A Lumád leader from White Culaman village in Bukidnon just wants to return to the bucolic life, when there were no soldiers to ruin the peace.
“Let us continue the tradition of remembering the missing, because otherwise, we would then face the bigger tragedy of forgetting – the disappeared, their struggle, and the highest sacrifice they gave for freedom and democracy.”
Narra is dubbed as the Philippines’ national tree. It is also indigenous in the country and noted for its superior strength, hardiness and resilience.
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