De Lima forms team to probe ‘lumad’ deaths

JUSTICE Secretary Leila de Lima has formed a joint team composed of state prosecutors from the National Prosecution Service (NPS) and officials and agents from the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) to investigate the killings of the leaders of “lumad” or indigenous people in Mindanao early this month.

In a statement, de Lima said the move is in accordance to an order of the Office of the President to “conduct an investigation into the alleged transgressions committed against the Lumads.”

“The Department of Justice has been following the unfolding events in and around the Lumad communities also with great concern. The incidents have undeniably increased ethnic strife and exacerbated political tensions in the hinterlands, with some reports indicating that the violence is inflicted by armed groups of one Lumad tribe against the unarmed civilian population of rival indigenous communities,” de Lima said.

Last September 1, Alternative Learning Center for Agriculture and Livelihood (Alcadev) executive director Emerito Samarca and lumad leaders Dionel Campos and Bello Sinzo were allegedly killed by the Magahat-Bagani military group in Han-ayan, Surigao del Sur.

The killings displaced thousands of lumads who are now in temporary shelters.

The Justice Secretary said that the crimes committed by paramilitary groups will also be investigated.

“The reported involvement of paramilitary groups in the recent spate of violence against the Lumads must be treated with grave concern, considering their long tradition of involvement in criminal activities in Mindanao. These crimes include vigilante operations of the most heinous kind, whether in the name of counter-insurgency or tribal retribution. In the DOJ investigation, we are also going to dig deeper into the links these paramilitary groups have with organized crime,” she said.

De Lima said that the “finger-pointing” between pro and anti-administration forces is polarizing the issue and thus, putting the lumads in the middle.

“It is important that we cut through the din and obfuscation in order to undertake objective investigations. Ideological agendas should be set aside so the facts can surface from all the political noise. Truth is not established merely by shouting the loudest and making the most noise,” the Justice Secretary said.

She also urged state forces and the New People’s Army to “cease and desist from inflicting further acts of violence, whether against each other” and to “comply with international humanitarian laws and observe the basic human rights to life and peace of the civilian populations.”