Lumad reps fear for lives for ‘telling truth’ on NPAs

THE INDIGENOUS Peoples (IPs) representatives who recently traveled to the United States of America (USA) for a “Truth Caravan” said they are fearing for their lives as well as for their families after telling the truth about the plight of the tribal communities in Mindanao.

On June 28, eight IP representatives dubbed the “Ambassadors of Truth” made their way across the United States — from New York to Chicago, California, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Washington DC — to call on the international community to hear the real situation of the IPs in Mindanao.

“Even if we were there, we received death threats for us and for our families. Yes, we are afraid but if we will not continue with our cause, we cannot save our communities,” said Datu Malapandaw Nestor Apas, chief of Langilan Manobo tribe of Davao del Norte.

During their homecoming in this city on Thursday morning, Apas recalled that because of fear, they sought the help of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) to secure them from the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army-National Democratic Front of the Philippines (CPP-NPA-NDFP).

The fears, they said, were compounded when a malicious video of their encounter surfaced in the Internet, accusing the tribal leaders of being pro-government paramilitaries.

Because of the NPA’s propaganda, Apas said some of their leaders now hesitate to seek help from government agencies for fear of being accused of selling their ancestral domains.

“We don’t know where to go. So we decided to fight for our rights,” Apas said.

Human Rights appeal

The Ambassadors of Truth who are representing the Mindanao Indigenous Peoples Council of Elders (MIPCEL) presented a list of human rights violations committed by the CPPNPA against IPs before the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (UN OHCHR).

The list, called “17 atrocities,” looked into the alleged human rights violations committed by the CPP-NPA to the tribal communities in Mindanao.

Christine Bayugan, a representative of the Mandaya tribe from Davao Oriental, said the affidavit submitted to UN OHCHR summed up the problems faced by the IPs for the past 50 years.

“They were actually surprised that it happened to us, because most of the issues raised to them are abuses perpetrated by the government. We are really left behind,” Bayugan said.

Meanwhile, Presiden

tial Communications Operations Office (PCOO) Undersecretary Lorraine Marie Badoy said she was saddened that the UN OHCHR did not give much attention to the affidavits submitted by the IP representatives.

“I cannot blame them because for the past 50 years, the government did not do their job,” Badoy said.

But this time, we have a government that is fed up with insurgency and longing for peace especially for the IPs,” she added.

However, UN OHCHR said that the case is no longer under their jurisdiction but vowed to study the affidavit.

“When we presented it to them, you are like talking to people who are deaf. What I learned is that, it’s okay if they tell their stories. We also have a story to tell and we have evidence,” Badoy added.

Badoy also said that she was saddened that the “lies” of the communists reached as far as the US that enabled the communist rebel movement to paint “a terrible picture of the country and the government.”

“They are surprised when we told them that they are actively funding terrorism in the country and it is the first time they’ve been hearing it,” she added.

Moving forward

Chiary Balinan, secretary of the Mindanao Indigenous People’s Youth Organization (MIPYO), underscored the need for a broader dissemination of IP issues to the public.

“We hope that there will be an IP attaché to stand for us and relay to the United Nations our struggle against these communist groups,” Balinan said.

The Ambassadors of Truth said they look forward to the conduct another “Truth Caravan” in Switzerland in September. (PNA)