AN INDIGENOUS Peoples' organization condemns the supposed threats and harassment allegedly perpetrated by the military to a lumad leader in Opol, Misamis Oriental.
In a statement, Kalumbay Lumad Regional Organization said since September this year, elements of 65th Infantry Battalion have encamped at the Senior Citizens Office and the Multi-Purpose Hall of Barangay Bagocboc, Opol, Misamis Oriental.
These soldiers have been visiting Joseph Paborada, chairperson of Pangalasag, an umbrella organization of Kalumbay, accusing him as a member of the New People’s Army and coerce him to surrender.
According to the group, two soldiers in full battle gear went to his house to conduct a census of household members.
"Pangalasag has been engaged in a fierce battle to reclaim their ancestral land from A. Brown Company which wants to convert the land to a palm oil plantation. Two members of the organization have been killed by suspected goons of the company, including former chairperson Gilbert Paborada, Joseph’s brother. This has been featured in the documentary Gikan Sa Ngitngit nga Kinailadman/From the Dark Depths (2017)," the group said.
Kalumbay said two days before the International Human Rights Day last year, Joseph and two members received anonymous messages threatening them that if they leave their community, something terrible will happen to them.
"These outright violations of Lumad rights by the military is a clear indication that Martial Law is never intended to secure peace in Mindanao. It is a tool by which the State in cahoots with big businesses and landlords use violence against the Lumad and other Mindanaonons for the sake of profit," it added.