Manila Archbishop Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle converses with representatives of the lumad tribe camping out at the Liwasang Bonifacio. SCREENGRAB FROM RENATO REYES’ TWITTER ACCOUNT
Manila Archbishop Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle has joined calls for the military to pull out from the communities of the lumad or the indigenous peoples from Mindanao following the spate of killings of tribal leaders and forced evacuation of residents in the Davao and Caraga regions.
In his surprise visit in the makeshift camp of the lumad at Liwasang Bonifacio on Wednesday, Tagle called for the abolition of paramilitary groups and asked both the military and the National Democratic Front (NDF) to declare the lumad communities as “peace zones.”
“Nananawagan kami, unang-una, sa ating mga pinuno sa pamahalaan. Pairalin sana nila ang kapayapaan. Nangangahulugan ito ng paglisan ng mga hukbong militar sa lugar ng ating mga
kapatid na katutubo, at gayundin ng pagbuwag at pag-alis ng mga armas sa mga grupong para-militar. Nanawagan kami, kapwa sa militar at sa NDF, na gawing ‘peace zones’ ang lugar ng ating mga kapatid na katutubo,” Tagle said in a statement.
(We call on the leaders of the government, first and foremost, to let peace prevail. This mean the withdrawal of military camps in the dwelling place of the indigenous people and the abolition of paramilitary groups and the confiscation of their weapons. We call on the military and the NDF to declare as peace zones the dwelling place of our indigenous brothers and sisters.)
READ: Militia in lumad killings a ‘monster created by military’
The Manila archbishop also asked the government to help the lumad who have been displaced by the military in their communities and to seek justice for the deaths of Manobo leaders Dionel Campos and Bello Sinzo and Alternative Learning Center for Agriculture and Livelihood (Alcadev) executive director Emerico Samarte last Sept. 1 in Surigao del Sur.
READ: No arrests made 2 months after ‘lumad’ killings
The killings were attributed to the Magahat-Bagani paramilitary group.
“Umiral sana ang katarungan, at mapanagot ng mga kinauukulan ang mga nagkasala at pumatay sa mga pinuno ng ating mga kapatid na katutubo,” he added.
(I hope justice prevails, and that those responsible for the killings of the leaders of this indigenous group will be made accountable.)
They gave Tagle a “tubaw” or a traditional headdress as a sign of their appreciation for the prelate who joined them in their fight to put an end in the killing of fellow lumad.
The protest camp was set-up by 700 lumad and human rights activists after they embarked on a month-long march from Mindanao to Manila to call for the government to act on their plight. IDL