“President Duterte, let your fellow Mindanawons march with you in your first SONA. Allow us to hold a rally near Batasan.”
According to human rights group Karapatan, 85 percent of political prisoners were slapped with criminal charges, a clear violation of the Hernandez political doctrine, a Supreme Court jurisprudence that prohibits the criminalization of political dissent.
“We bring home victory: the support of a broad range of people to the people’s resistance in Mindanao, which is also the Filipino people’s struggle.”
Two weeks after the Manilakbayan arrived in Manila, another Lumád leader was killed by a paramilitary group, the Alamara, in Davao del Norte province.
“Justice can't be bought with politicking, with cheap tricks.”
The Philippine Coconut Authority’s (PCA) 2014 to 2023 road map has identified about a million hectares of potential oil palm farms. Ninety eight percent of these areas are in Mindanao.
What they refuse to recognize is that it is mainly the Left which has chosen to embrace the struggle of the Lumad compared to other political forces which sided with foreign capital and big business in the exploitation of our precious resources.
“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.”
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.
The “Kampuhang Bayan” transformed an empty ground into a fertile spot for cultural and political unity.
A village in Kitaotao, Bukidnon is being militarized after its residents asserted their right to get drought assistance from government.
Paramilitary cult groups were known for their brutality, brazenness and impunity. The purpose, as US counter-insurgency, counter-terror manuals revealed, was to generate enough terror and fear.
“What’s at stake here is the Lumad schools, the heritage, the yutang kabilin (ancestral land). The Lumad must survive.” -- UP Diliman Chancellor Michael Tan
“Even in the middle of this very urbanized city, the Talabugta is there.”
More than 70 indigenous organizations from across Asia urged President Benigno Aquino III to put an end to the killings and attacks against the Lumad of Mindanao.
“We are here to bring the bad news of the attacks on the people of Mindanao. But we also bring the good news, that we are not afraid, that we know why this is happening, and that our actions are just.”
“We are Filipinos, too. We should fight for each other’s rights.”
BULATLAT SPECIAL REPORT:
“This is not just seeking sanctuary, but also our protest, to demand respect for us indigenous people, not just in Mindanao, but the whole country.”
A community of readers and supporters that help us sustain our operations through microdonations for as low as $1.