Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Manila (Agenzia Fides) - The Church in the Philippines is alongside the Lumad (tribal) communities who today are victims of abuse, persecution, extrajudicial killings: reaffirmed the Auxiliary Bishop of Manila, His Exc. Mgr. Broderick Pabillo, head of the Standing Committee of the Filipino Bishops for public affairs, who met with the leaders of the Lumad communities in Manila.
The leaders have asked the Bishops to "actively intervene to end the militarization of the areas where the tribal communities live" acting as "facilitators" for the resumption of peace talks between the government and the communist guerrilla formations present in the tribal areas. In the military operations to counter the rebels, innocent civilian Lumad are often involved, sometimes even accused of supporting the rebels.
"In Mindanao the occupation of the territories of tribal communities carried out by the armed forces has forced at least 3,000 Lumad to abandon their lands, while another 500 have sought refuge in the city of Davao", explained Mgr. Pabillo.
The Church had already strongly condemned the recent killings of Lumad leaders in Mindanao, criticizing the government's response. The President of the Episcopal Conference, His Exc. Mgr. Socrates Villegas, said that "it is disturbing how the government quickly exonerated from responsibility those who are allegedly behind the killings of defenseless leaders" referring to the military and paramilitary groups at the service of the army. Hoping for "truth and justice", the Bishops, together with numerous human rights groups, have asked the government to urgently investigate the killings of the three Lumad leaders in Surigao del Sur and to review the policy of the use of paramilitary forces against insurgents. "If the militia groups are not under the control of state legitimate authority they should not be tolerated, much less used as mercenaries by the State", added Mgr.Villegas.
According to the group of "Rural Missionaries of the Philippines" (RMP), Lumad communities are under attack for defending their ancestral lands. According to Sister Francis Anover, coordinator of the RMP, the tribal peoples continue to be victims of "land grabbing" and mass displacement, due to large-scale mining activities and the expansion of large plantations. In this context, "the Philippine military and its paramilitary groups commit serious human rights violations, supporting the operations of big foreign and local companies", said Sister Anover. (PA) (Agenzia Fides 24/09/2015)
