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“We denounce the arming of the Lumad people against their own kin, making them pawns against the government's fight against insurgency.”
Many Moro heroes in Philippine history have been ignored and forgotten because of a legacy from the colonizers: the alienation between Christians and Muslims.
“He (Aquino) does not recognize and respect the indigenous peoples rights to their land and self-determination, and he turns a blind eye to the killings of indigenous peoples and the grave human rights violations committed against them by agents of the State,” said Piya Macliing Malayao, Katribu secretary general.
Calling President Aquino the “Plunderer-President,” protesters said the Mining Act and the government’s continued liberalization of mining adds more reason for his ouster.
"The special operation in Mamasapano, Magindanao is a U.S. operation from the start."
The death of 44 policemen from the Special Action Forces is not the whole story in the Mamasapano fiasco, there are stories of people in the communities that were attacked.
Three evacuees have died as Lumad communities blame the evacuation to relentless military operations “meant to pave the way for mining” in San Luis town, Agusan del Sur.
Tambuli Mining Company Inc. and Malampay Mining Inc. are planning to conduct an open-pit mining in the area for gold.
A Manobo leader and his son are keeping a tradition passed on through generations: the defense of their ancestral lands.
“With the continuous mining in our communities, the indigenous women and the whole community continue to fight.”
There are at least 508 activists and leaders facing 608 trumped-up charges all over Mindanao.
“The people of Mindanao are raging and our resistance grows stronger every day. Leave now, or face the people’s resistance.” – Panalipdan Mindanao secretary general Dulphing Ogan
In Southern Mindanao region alone, the Children's Rehabilitation Center documented at least 41 instances of attacks on both DepEd schools and Lumad community learning centers since 2011.
“The soldiers came and burned our school. They said it was a school of the New People’s Army.” – Epoy, 19, a Manobo from Mindanao
Armed men have killed two Lumads, ransacked a store, started fires, and knocked on houses, in the middle of military operations.
“It is not true that soldiers on the ground are after rebels. They are really after civilians who are protecting their ancestral domains.” – Dulphing Ogan, secretary general of Kalumaran
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