Palace: We did not abandon ‘lumads’

Malacañang on Sunday assured the public that it did not abandon the welfare of the indigenous people in Mindanao, known as “lumads.”

In an interview on radio dzRB, Communications Secretary Herminio Coloma Jr. said that the government’s efforts of protecting the lumads have never wavered.

“Sa simula’t sapul ay talaga namang tinututukan ng pamahalaan ang sitwasyon ng ating mga kapatid na indigenous people,” Coloma said.

(From the very start, the government has aimed its focus on the situation of our brothers, the indigenous people.)

He said that it is erroneous to assume that the government has left the lumads to fend for themselves as government agencies such as the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples have been assisting the lumads from the beginning.

“Sa pamamagitan ng pagbibigay ng katiyakan na ‘yung pamahalaan ay ginagawa ang lahat ng nararapat para sa tamang pagkalinga sa ating mga kababayan na kabilang sa indigenous peoples, tayo po ang kumukuha ng ganap na responsibilidad sa pagbibigay sa kanila ng proteksyon at kalinga,” Coloma said.

(Through ensuring that the government is giving all that is needed for the right care for our countrymen who are part of the indigenous people, we are taking responsibility in giving them protection and care.)

Reacting to a report from the United Nations High Commissioner For Refugees which stated that there are about 6,000 lumads displaced in Mindanao due to supposed militarization in their communities, Coloma said that the government has been “working tirelessly” to help them.

“The government is continuously addressing the situation of the indigenous peoples in Mindanao, and is working tirelessly to ensure their safety and to protect them from unnecessary acts of violence,” the Palace spokesperson said.

The death of three lumad leaders: Emerito Samarca, Dionel Campos and Bello Sinzo in the hands of alleged military-backed Magahat-Bagani paramilitary group in Liangan, Surigao del Sur last Sept. 1 has sparked national outrage and caused thousands of indigenous people to evacuate from their homes.

Coloma said that the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the Philippine National Police (PNP) are closely coordination with each other to “pursue the individuals and groups responsible for this incident and bring them to the bar of justice.”

He also said that the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) has launched a “Serbisyo Caravan” last June which provided assistance to more than 13,357 beneficiaries. Lumads were also beneficiaries of the government’s Conditional Cash Transfer program.