DOJ forms body to probe ‘lumad’ killings
AMID appeals for government to act, the Department of Justice (DOJ) yesterday created a joint special investigation team of probers and prosecutors to identify and bring to court within two months those behind the killings and other atrocities against the “lumad,” a crisis that has beset the indigenous communities across Mindanao.
Acting on orders from Malacañang, Justice Secretary Leila de Lima yesterday created a 16-member panel composed of 11 agents from the National Bureau of Investigation and five prosecutors from the National Prosecution Service (NPS) to undertake a “thorough and in-depth investigation and case buildup” on the recent reports of violence against indigenous communities.
The team was ordered to look into reported incidents of physical injuries, rape, torture and slays in the lumad communities.
11 deaths
This followed a meeting that De Lima had on Tuesday with representatives from lumad and human rights groups where they discussed three incidents involving 11 deaths: three in the Davao region, three in Surigao and five in Bukidnon.
The incidents led to the evacuation of thousands of lumad from their villages.
“We have to evaluate what is happening, determine what is the real state of affairs there, the real state of things in affected communities and, No. 2, determine the extent of military presence there,” De Lima told reporters yesterday.
The panel was created in response to a memorandum issued by Executive Secretary Paquito Ochoa instructing the DOJ to “file the appropriate cases and prosecute” those responsible “upon conclusion of your investigation.”
The Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process and the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples were also ordered to “extend full assistance” to the DOJ in the investigation.
Military ‘monster’
Militant groups supporting the lumad have attributed the violence to the paramilitary Mahagat-Bagani force, a group that Surigao del Sur Gov. Johnny Pimentel recently described as “a monster created by the military.”
But some lumad leaders, who were made available to the media through the military, recently told a press conference at Camp Aguinaldo that the communist New People’s Army was responsible for the slays.
De Lima said the role of the investigation is to sift through evidence and witness testimonies to find out what is really happening.
“There are sectors that point to the military, the military denies it and also points to indigenous [security] systems or mechanisms within the lumad communities,” she said.
She said other theories point to the role of mining companies, which may possibly be arming the paramilitary groups to drive away tribespeople from the companies’ possible areas of business.
Root cause
“We have to dig deeper. If we do not find out the root cause of the resurgence of activities of those (paramilitary) forces, we might not see the end of these series of violent incidents which caused so much displacement among the lumad,” said De Lima.
The joint panel has been given 60 days to file cases against those who “most probably committed a criminal offense in relation to the alleged transgressions” against the lumad.
The Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan), one of the militant groups supporting the lumad, said it would provide information to aid the investigation.
“The creation of a joint NBI-NPS investigating panel is an acknowledgment of the seriousness of the lumad human rights issues… we are prepared to provide information to the panel,” said Bayan secretary general Renato Reyes Jr.
He urged the investigating team to determine the relationship between the military and militia groups.
“The panel must be firm in rejecting the justification of the AFP (Armed Forces of the Philippines) in arming and training these groups,” said Reyes, adding that there are “many other cases of massacres, rape and coercion.”