FIGHTING against illegal miners and loggers may have cost the life of a tribal leader who was killed in an upland village in Cagayan de Oro, authorities said Sunday.
Senior Inspector Allan Curato, Lumbia police chief, said they are looking at the angle of illegal mining and logging activities as the primary motive in the killing of Fausto Orasan, who’s also known as Datu Sandigan.
Chief Inspector Lemuel Gonda, chief of the Cagayan de Oro police's Operations and Plans Branch, said Datu Sandigan was allegedly ambushed around 3:30 p.m. Saturday at Sitio Cabalang, Barangay Tuburan, by still unidentified perpetrators.
Police reports said the victim was bound for home in Barangay Pigsag-an on board his motorcycle when he was shot four times in his back.
Recovered from the crime scene were three fired cartridges from a 12-gauge shotgun and one fired cartridge from an M1 Garand rifle.
Orasan, 64, was a Higaonon tribe leader known to be in the front line of promoting the creation of an eco-tourism site in the city’s hinterlands.
Edwin Dael, chief of the City Local Environment and Natural Resources (Clenro), told Sun.Star Cagayan de Oro that he and his staff, including Orasan who had been with them in conducting raids in logging and mining sites, have been receiving threats via text message from unknown suspects for multiple instances since three months ago.
rDael recalled the last time they received threatening messages was on September 12, a day before Orasan was shot dead.
"Just as we got home from our respective houses from patrolling in the [hinterland] areas, we received a message saying ''hinay-hinay lang mo sa inyong pagpangdakop basin naay mawala ninyo (take it easy on making apprehensions, one of you might be gone),'" Dael said.
Dael said that last Friday together with his team and Orasan, he had been roving around Barangay Dansolihon to thwart possible illegal activities. They saw some residents in the area brandishing firearms and bolos.
Dael said Orasan's death might be traced to what he had been fighting for—to prevent furtherance of the damages in the environment because of rampant illegal logging and mining activities.
"What had Datu Sandigan been wanting was just to push through with the eco-tourism project and for Lumads to gain income without destroying the environment," Dael said.
Last year, Dael said Datu Sandigan survived an attempt on his life, which had to do with Sandigan’s staunch opposition against environment-destroying activities in the hinterlands.
Meanwhile, results of the autopsy that came out Sunday morning showed that Orasan died from nine wounds, said Jimmy, Orasan’s son, who’s taking care of his father’s remains.
Jimmy said his father was shot many times in the back damaging parts of his liver and heart. Another shot was fired at his lower back to ensure his death.
“Gipaagi lang siya’g one meter ayha siya gipusil (the gunmen waited for him to pass by for at least one meter before shooting him),” he added.
“Before his death, he had already told me there were threats on his life,” Jimmy said.
No proof yet
He said the authorities are already conducting investigation on Orasan’s killing, as they were tracing the footsteps of the perpetrators at the crime scene.
Jimmy said he could not yet put the blame on the illegal miners and loggers as the ones responsible behind Orasan’s death since they have no proof yet, but eventually the culprits will be known.
“We will just wait for the police investigation,” he added.
Jimmy said they are appealing to kind-hearted individuals to help them since his father’s savings were all used up from buying seedlings for a reforestation project he was supposed to initiate.
Strongly condemned
Orlando Ravanera, chair of the environmental group Sulog, has condemned Orasan’s shooting.
“We are condemning to the highest degree the killing of an environment ally. We are asking the authorities to bring to justice immediately the perpetrators, because these killers, if they are into mining or logging, they must be given a very strong signal that, in fact, we follow now the rule of law with regard to the environment,” Ravanera said.
He said Sulog doesn’t allow illegal mining and logging in the city to continue, “the more that we don’t allow environment advocates, especially a lumad leader, to just be ambushed.”
Ravanera said he and his fellow environmentalists in Sulog are not intimidated by the death of Orasan.
“We will never be cowed because we all firmly believe that the cost to protect the environment, God’s creation, is greater than our life. We are never afraid to die, and will continue on the part with courage in our heart,” he said.
“Bisan pa’g hatagan ko’g death threats five times a day, we’ll continue on the fight. If we die, many will continue our cause,” he added.
“We grieve so much but that grieve will go with it the strong demand for justice. We will demand immediate investigation. We will leave no stone unturned, that these perpetrators shall be brought to the court of law,” Ravanera said.