The violent dispersal by the police of the 6000-strong protest by farmers and lumad (indigenous people of Mindanao) in Kidapawan, North Cotobato last April 1 could be dismissed as just another incident in the long list of clashes between state security forces and citizens airing their grievances against government. But this is different. This has…
“The brazen human rights violation and martial law in North Cotabato is madness in the highest order.”
“It is the responsibility of the Philippine National Police to ensure their safety as they do their job as journalists.”
“The United Methodist Church deplores violence of any kind, and we are praying for a just and peaceful solution that upholds the dignity and protects the human rights of all persons.”
“The search warrant only adds more insult to the injury inflicted by the government to the starving farmers. Why they are being searched? They are not the violent rousers, it’s the police who started the dispersal upon the order of Gov. Emmylou Taliño-Mendoza.”
“Aquino’s unparalleled incompetence and gross negligence in addressing the prolonged drought is among the main culprit in the bloody carnage of farmers in Kidapawan.”