Militants demand dismissal of charges against leaders

HUNDREDS of indigenous peoples and peasants who are staging a camp-out for this week in line with the ongoing peace talks at Oslo Norway called for the dismissal of the trumped up charges against their leaders before the Department of Justice yesterday.

Three groups Pasaka Southern Mindanao Lumad Federation and Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas and Bagong Alyansang Makabayan have picketed outside the Department of Justice regional office yesterday morning to demand dismissal of these charges.

Bayan SMR spokesperson Sheena Duazo in a media interview bared among more than 500 political prisoners listed in the whole Philippines, 80 were recorded within the Southern Mindanao region and these were

piled up from the previous administrations.

“Ongoing man tung mga peace negotiations ug gipangrelease tung mga peace consultants nga naa karon sa Oslo Norway, unta i-release pud tong mga remaining political prisoners (The peace negotiations are ongoing and as peace consultants were released for the event, we hope that the other remaining political prisoners will be released as well),” Duazo said.

Duazo pointed out that public must be aware of the government agencies sadly acting as peace spoilers.

She cited that arrest of Amelia Pond, a researcher of the Salugpongan School who was allegedly illegally arrested by authorities from Criminal Investigation and Detection Group in Cebu three days before the resumption of the peace talks in Oslo.

The rallying groups in a press release jointly called for the release of Pond as they attest her contribution as a lumad school teacher.

Meanwhile Duazo, in the same interview also cited the case of progressive leaders who were tagged in the Kidapawan Massacre and were included in the direct assault case filed by the police officials in the area.

“This case should also be dropped because in the affidavit of police, there is no direct assault present there; farmers were just quoted as saying, ‘We should not leave the line unless we get what we demand’. It cannot be called direct assault for that was just an assertion of their legal and democratic right as victims of drought during that time,” Duazo said in vernacular.

The groups also held protest in front of Mines and Geosciences Bureau and stayed there from 2:30 until 6:00 p.m. yesterday for the issue of cancellation permit to operate of all large scale, foreign and destructive mining companies, and uphold the people’s mining program.