A HUMAN rights defender Thursday, August 02, 2018, accused the military of using the lumads to discredit and undermine the credibility of fellow lumads from Lagonglong, Misamis Oriental encamped at the provincial capitol park.
Father Christopher Ablon, secretary-general of human rights group Karapatan, said the military had supposedly fetched the lumads from Bukidnon to hold a pro-government “Peace Rally” near the encampment of Lagonglong bakwits.
“Nakita nato nga ang mga placards nga gidala sa mga lumad didto nakabutang sa sakyanan sa mga military (We saw the placards of the rallyists placed at the military vehicles),” Ablon said.
He said a delegate from the International Solidarity Mission had confirmed that the military had asked a permit from the Provincial Government to conduct the rally at the capitol grounds.
The Northern Mindanao leg of International Solidarity Mission was held at Pilgrim Christian College last Wednesday, August 1, where victims of human rights abuses shared their experiences under President Rodrigo Duterte's martial law.
Ablon said the pro-government rallyists passed by at the venue where they shouted that the Lagonlong bakwits were organized by the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP).
“Kana usa ka lakang sa militar aron i-undermine ang mga igsoong lumad nga gigamit ra pud ang laing lumad nga ingon nila taga Bukidnon (That is a clear move of the military to undermine our Lumads where they also used fellow lumads),” Ablon said.
During the forum, several victims of human rights violations have shared the adverse effects of military rule and how it forces other lumads to flee their community, as in the case of Lagonglong evacuees.
Ablon said they were hopeful that the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) would investigate the human rights violations allegedly perpetrated by the state forces.
He said that some personnel of the commission joined the activity and interviewed the victims of human rights abuses.
“Malaumon kita nga mohimo og lakang ang CHR niini (We hope that the CHR would act on these cases),” Ablon said.