Monday, April 24, 2006
Group: Dante's arrest won't stop atrocities in Paquibato
THE arrest of bandit leader Dante Lumuyod alias Kumander Dante is not an assurance that atrocities in Paquibato district would finally end, lumad group Pasaka said.
The group made the declaration as they called for a deeper probe on Paquibato atrocities saying the capture of Dante alone does not solve the conflict.
"With the arrest of Kumander Dante -- if indeed he was the leader of the killings as he claimed -- the local government should now see to the disarming and disbandment of the Alamara, Bagani Warriors and other lumad paramilitary groups roaming and reigning terror in the hinterlands of Davao City and adjacent provinces," Pasaka spokesperson Kylo Bantolan said.
Bantolan reiterated calls for the City Council "to pursue justice for the victims of Alamara."
"The recent arrest of Dante Lumuyod alyas Kumander Dante does not solve the culture of terror, banditry, militarism and impunity in Paquibato for as long as members of Dante's group, who have been known to be armed, are still roaming freely in the area, and for as long as the military are in the area. The threat has remained even with Dante's arrest," Bantolan said.
He added that there was something fishy with the way that Kumander Dante was captured by Joel Unad and Ruben Labawan.
"We are skeptical of the arrest made by the cohorts of the 73rd IB to Dante since the two are among the ringleaders of Alamara and are in connivance with the 73rd IB," Bantolan said.
He claimed that "Ruben Labawan is actively recruiting Lumads to join the Cafgus and Alamara."
This, Bantolan said, is to pave the way for the smoother entry of a Canadian firm who is interested to operate a cacao and banana plantation in his (Labawan) 32,000-hectare Certificate of Ancestral Domain Claim (CADC) area in Paquibato. (BOT/With press release)
For Bisaya stories from Davao. Click here. (April 24, 2006 issue)
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