Friday, November 23, 2007 216 tribal families flee homes in Surigao By Jeffrey M. Tupas Correspondent
MILITARY operations in Surigao del Sur have forced at least 216 Manobo families, or more than 1,000 individuals, to leave their homes for fear they will be caught in the crossfire between government soldiers and communist rebels.
But even before an actual fight can ensue between soldiers and rebels, the soldiers have allegedly threatened the security of tribal people in at least 12 villages of the towns of Lianga and San Agustin.
The villages, the human rights group Karapatan said, are now gripped with fear as soldiers in full battle gear have populated their villages since early this month.
More than 500 soldiers, some of them from the 58th Infantry Battalion, have already settled in the outskirt villages of Diatagon in Lianga and San Agustin, staying in the houses of the residents and even occupying the community literacy school.
Analyn Lumawag, Karapatan-Caraga Region secretary general, said the displaced families have sought the safety of elementary schools in the center of the villages, walking their way out of the highly militarized areas on foot and without food.
Quoting the reports of Fr. Modesto Villasanta of the United Church of Christ of the Philippines (UCCP) and human rights lawyer Antonio Azarcon, Karapatan said the military arrived in the Lianga villages of Simowao and Emeral onboard two military trucks and backed by two armored personnel carrier and two howitzer cannons.
"They mounted makeshift tents in the vicinity of the houses of the residents and converted an unfinished sari-sari store into a military station in Emerald. According to some of the soldiers, there are more than a hundred of them scattered all over Simowao alone," Lumawag said.
There are also more than a hundred soldiers in the village of Manluy -a, now staying at the houses of the villagers. Others, Lumawag said, slept at the elementary school and surrounding areas.
The soldiers have also put up a number of checkpoints where civilians were frisked. She also said the soldiers have prohibited people from going out of certain boundaries.
"Residents were asked to give their names, present their IDs and cedulas, and had their names listed. Cellphone numbers of residents and teachers were also listed. Bags and belongings were checked by the military. Names of motor drivers were taken as well as their driver's license and the motor vehicle serial numbers," Lumawag said.
"In the evening, some military men stayed in their makeshift tents while quite a number stayed and slept in the houses of residents. Some military men even slept beside local residents," she added.
In a paper prepared by Villasanta, the priest said the military's presence in Diatagon have threatened the students of seven primary lumad (tribe) literacy schools and one high school in the village.
The military operations, Villasanta said, will possibly be the reason for the more than 500 pupils and 177 high school students along with 27 teachers to stop going to school.
Villasanta said that on Nov. 4, at past 3 p.m., about 30 soldiers arrived in Manluy-a and asked two teachers of the Manluy-a Tribal Filipino Community School about their salaries and the people running and supporting the tribal school. The same questions were asked of the people in the village.
On midnight of the following day, he said, a number of soldiers arrived at the neighboring community of Simowao. The soldiers, he said, even asked the teachers of the Simowao Tribal School to accommodate them for the night.
"On the morning of the same date, pupils aging between 7 to 10 years old were interrogated if they have seen men bringing guns and if they have elder brothers or sisters who have joined the New People's Army. The soldiers also listed down the names of the pupils," Villasanta said.
"Military personnel who lived in the houses of residents frequently ask questions of children about whether they have knowledge of the NPA. Children were asked if they have elder brothers or sisters who joined the NPA and that they must surrender," he added.
In 2005, the same lumad communities have been subjected to days of continuous bombings and this prompted the residents to evacuate and caused the schools to close. Some residents, Villasanta said, were tortured and there were reported cases of enforced disappearances and death among the residents.
Lumawag said the excesses of the military in their fight against insurgents are taking their toll on the people.
She cited the case of 19-year-old Ritchie Enot of Upper Oregon in San Isidro who was arrested by the military on November 11 while he was harvesting rattan at Venus forest area. The young man, she said, was forced to guide the military in their operations and was only freed four days after.
"The military warned the school children, teachers of the Tribal Filipino Program, Inc., and the local residents that if they (military) will be bombed during their military operations, they will harm the civilians," Lumawag said.
Lumawag said that the presence of the military clearly violates the residents' rights.
"Residents do not leave their houses at night, even afraid to go to the toilet for fear that they will be harmed by the solders who are roaming around their villages. Movements and economic activities of residents were limited and monitored by the military. They were restricted from going to their farmlands. There were families that only ate once a day due to the restrictions set for going to their farmlands," Lumawag said.
