Wednesday, March 19, 2008 Jabidah march gathers provincial participants
SUARA Bangsamoro led various Moro groups in a caravan around Davao City's main thoroughfares for the commemoration of the 40th year of Jabidah Massacre Tuesday and to protest the "continuing injustices" against the Moro people.
Participants of the caravan, which started from Rizal Park in beside City Hall to Freedom Park along Roxas Boulevard for the culmination program, came from the provinces of Davao del Sur, Davao del Norte, and Compostela Valley.
These included members of Bangsamoro Women, Liga ng Kabataang Moro, Khadidja-Davao, and Consortium of Bangsamoro and Civil Society.
"The Jabidah massacre occurred during the fascist years of Marcos dictatorship. Forty years have passed yet the Bangsamoro people continue to live in fear knowing that there are the likes of Jabidah massacre that are still happening," Abubakar Uy, secretary-general of Suara Bangsamoro, said in a printed statement.
The group believes the massacre of the Moro people continues under the Arroyo administration. Since 2001, there are three known massacres against the Bangsamoro people, including the Padiwan and Camp Bagong Diwa massacres in 2005 and the recent Maimbung, Sulu massacre in 2008.
"We call on our Muslim brothers and sisters to strengthen our unity and our call for the ouster of Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo not only because of the issues of corruption but most importantly for her selling of the sovereignty of our nation to the US," Uy said.
"State-sponsored terrorism in the guise of war against terrorists allows our people to be vulnerable to abuse and killing just like what the US soldiers have done in the past," he added.
With the continued assault against their people, Uy said they "commit to continue our struggle against these injustices." (GLP)
