Military disowns anticommunist tribal warriors

THE COFFIN of slain Manobo tribal leader Henry Alameda is displayed at the Diatagon barangay (village) hall where thousands of displaced residents sought temporary shelter. CHRIS V. PANGANIBAN/INQUIRER MINDANAO

LIANGA, Surigao del Sur—The military has disowned a group of anticommunist tribal warriors who have been blamed for the massive displacement of Manobo communities here.

In a peace dialogue called by Gov. Johnny Pimentel on Thursday, military officials said the Bagani forces, headed by Datu Calpet Egua, had no authority to conduct operations against New People’s Army (NPA) rebels and had not been given orders to recruit from among the villagers.

Egua’s armed group “was not part of paramilitary groups allowed to fight the rebels,” said Col. Gregory Cayetano, head of the Army’s 401st Brigade.

2,000 displaced

At least 2,000 Manobo people from the hinterland village of Diatagon here have fled their homes for fear of their lives after the Oct. 24 killing of Henry Alameda, an official of the militant Malahutayong Pakigbisog alang sa Sumusunod (Sustained Campaign for the Next Generation or Mapasu), allegedly by soldiers and Bagani forces.

Bertoldo Garay, Mapasu council member, said the killers could have targeted Alameda because he had opposed Egua’s attempts to enlist villagers to the Bagani.

Mass evacuation

The mass evacuation also came after the beating up of a farmer, Ariel Pagalan, allegedly by another group of soldiers and Bagani forces, the burning of farm equipment owned by a cooperative and a death threat to Mapasu leaders sent through a text message said to have been sent by Egua’s aide, Mario Vocales.

While he did not directly answer allegations against soldiers involved in alleged abuses, Cayetano challenged Mapasu leaders to file criminal charges against the Bagani forces.

Amid the charges, however, Pimentel agreed that a fact-finding committee be formed to assess if the evacuees should be allowed to return to their homes safely. The committee shall be composed of representatives of the communities, religious leaders and the government.

“I will leave all the decision to you if you want to return home or not after we get the findings of the committee,” Pimentel told the evacuees during the peace dialogue. Chris Panganiban, Inquirer Mindanao