“Libro hindi bala” plea ring out in Lumad ‘Unity March’
Thomasians marched alongside the Lumad around the University of Santo Tomas (UST) last Friday, Sept. 15, calling for the end of increased militarization and attacks in the indigenous people’s community in Mindanao.
The Thomasian community carried banners and chanted pleas with the students and volunteer instructors of the Lumad from Mindanao as they marched around the campus urging people to help them “save their schools” from rising military operations around the latter’s communities.
Ethnic minorities have camped inside UST as part of this year’s Kampuhan, seeking for the government’s immediate resolution to their grievances.
Thousands of Lumad students have fled their schools and homes after President Rodrigo “Digong” Duterte’s administration started a counter-insurgency plan named ‘Oplan Kapayapaan’ resulting in increased presence of military men in their communities.
This happened right after the minorities came back to their homes after the end of the past administration’s similar counter-insurgency program called ‘Oplan Bayanihan’. It resulted in the deaths of alternative school director Emerito Samarca, as well as two other leaders, on September 1, 2015, at the hands of a paramilitary group called “Magahat-Bagani” in Hanayan, Lianga, Surigao del Sur, causing the massive displacement of the Lumad.
“Mayroon din kaming mga pangarap sa buhay na maging engineer, nurse, magtuturo, pero inaatake at pinapatay kami ng mga paramilitary groups (We also have our dreams in life-to be an engineer, nurse, teacher, but we were attacked and killed by the paramilitary groups),” said Secretary General of Pasaka Jong Monzon.
Monzon said that the military has continued providing arms to the militia with the latest attack that ended in the death of a Lumad student named Obello Bay-ao in Talaingod, Davao del Norte on September 5.
Monzon added that most of the militia men are “goons” hired by mining corporations to force them out of their homes to take their rich, resource-filled land after they refused to let the said corporations to operate in their community.
According to then-Governor of Surigao del Sur Johnny Pimentel in an Inquirer interview in 2015, the militia ‘Magahat-Bagani’ was a creation of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) in order to counter insurgents but has then lost control of them.
Community Development Director of UST Simbahayan Prof. Mark Anthony Abenir who marched along the Lumad, called for stopping of militarization and illegal mining activities in Lumad communities.
“If you take the land away, you take away their life,” said Prof. Abenir.
“They are the safe-keepers and guardians. Indigenous peoples are very close to the earth, they know how to take care of it, and we should not allow other people to destroy them for our needs or other countries’ needs. Mas marami tayong makukuhang benefits kapag napreserve natin ang environment natin and the number one preservers are the indigenous people (We will get more benefits if we will preserve our environment and the number one preservers are the indigenous people),” he added.
Prof. Abenir said that he condemns the killing of Lumad and of how the military has branded them as New People’s Army (NPA) sympathizers to justify the “eradication” and the displacing of the minorities from their homes for the mining companies to operate.
Abenir encouraged Thomasians to go to the UST Seminary Gym to strike a conversation and hear the stories of the Lumad and see where they have come from.
He said that the UST supports the establishment of Lumad schools where indigenous curriculum is integrated in mainstream education.
The “Unity March” marked the 7 days of the Lumad camping inside the university for this year’s Kampuhan.
