In Iloilo, tribesman finally freed after two years in jail
Rodolfo Diaz (Photo from the Defend Panay Network)
ILOILO CITY, Iloilo, Philippines — A human rights alliance here has renewed its call for justice to the killing of nine Tumandok tribe leaders and members during simultaneous raids in Iloilo and Capiz provinces in December 2020 following the release of the 75-year-old tribe member whom the authorities arrested during the operation.
Rodolfo Diaz was freed from the Iloilo District Jail on Oct. 31 after the regional trial court allowed him to post bail on charges of illegal possession of firearms and explosives.
“Despite his advanced age and frail health, Tay Dolping (Diaz) spent almost two years in jail while his case was being heard during protracted and slow court proceedings. His arbitrary arrest and detention are a grave injustice that must be addressed, and the perpetrators — the police and military — must be investigated and prosecuted,” said Defend Panay Network (DPN) on Wednesday.
DPN, a network of indigenous peoples’ rights advocates, church people, environmentalist groups, and human rights groups on Panay Island, noted that justice for the so-called Tumandok 9 was still to be served as none of the police and military personnel was held liable for the death of the nine tribe leaders during simultaneous raids in seven hinterland villages in Tapaz, Capiz and Calinog, Iloilo, on Dec. 30, 2020.
Among those killed was Roy Giganto, chair of the Tumandok nga Mangunguma nga Nagapangapin sang Duta kag Kabuhi (Tumanduk), the largest ethnic group in the hinterlands of Panay.
Tumandok is an alliance of 17 indigenous communities in Tapaz and Jamindan towns in Capiz and Calinog in Iloilo. It is a member of Sandugo, an alliance of indigenous peoples organizations under Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan).
Diaz, along with 15 others, was arrested and charged with illegal possession of firearms and explosives, with the police claiming they recovered a firearm from his home at Barangay Masaroy in Calinog.
‘Weak evidence’
He was the last of the 16 to be freed, as the others were released either on bail or after entering a plea bargaining agreement. His release was facilitated by Msgr. Meliton Oso of the Jaro Archdiocesan Social Action Center in Iloilo.
Diaz was allowed to post bail because the evidence against him was weak, said Crimson Labinghisa of DPN.
The group has asked the court to dismiss all charges against Diaz and for persecuting the Tumandok who were only defending their ancestral land.
Danilo Ramos, chair of Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas, earlier said the Tumandok leaders were fighting against the construction of the multibillion-peso Jalaur megadam in Calinog, which would submerge their homes and farmlands in their ancestral land.
Some tribespeople had been harassed, placed under surveillance, and accused of being communist rebels by the military prior to the December 2020 raid, Ramos said.
The Jalaur Dam project was designed to produce hydropower and supply water for irrigation in Iloilo province.
