RIGHTS advocates accused the Commission on Human Rights of supposedly covering up the involvement of the Armed Forces of the Philippines in repeated incidents of violence against indigenous people in Mindanao, called lumad.
“The CHR is whitewashing the issue by painting a portrait of the lumad as simply being ‘used’ [by the military and NPA] in the ongoing civil war in the countryside,” said Kabataan Rep. Terry Ridon.
“What the CHR fails to show, however, is that the lumad themselves are being targeted by the military—with or without the presence of the NPA,” Ridon said of the CHR’s preliminary statement on its report on the investigation the agency conducted.
Bagong Alyansang Makabayan secretary-general Renato Reyes Jr. said the CHR appears to have been co-opted into shielding the AFP from the atrocities amid mounting local and international calls to stop militarizing lumad communities.
“The CHR report, wittingly or unwittingly, diminishes the impact of the government counterinsurgency program Oplan Bayanihan in the targeting of lumad communities,” Reyes said.
Ridon and Reyes were reacting to the statement of CHR chairman Chito Gascon who said the lumad were being used by both the AFP and NPA in a proxy fight against each other. With Maricel Cruz, John Paolo Bencito and Rio Araja
But Ridon said Gascon has failed “to put the issue in context” and “answer essential questions such as why the military and its paramilitary forces are attacking lumad schools, communities, educators, and children.”
“Instead of investigating the perpetrators of the killing of lumad leaders who fell victim to the Aquino administration’s Oplan Bayanihan, all it could do is shrug its proverbial shoulder and say, ‘well, both sides are at fault, anyway’,” he said.
But Malacañang said on Tuesday the administration is addressing the lumad issue by sending “peace caravans” to attend to the needs of the indigenous people in Mindanao.
“Basically, on the lumad issue, we are addressing their concerns. A number of the lumad are rebel returnees and in fact we have provided (them with their needs),” said Presidential Spokesperson Edwin Lacierda said during a press briefing in Malacanang.
“We have done a number of peace caravans. I think OPAPP is one of those lead agencies that do provide in conjunction with several agencies, like the DOH and the DSWD.,” said Lacierda.
At the same time, Lacierda denied that the AFP is involved in violations of the lumad rights.
“I think the record of the AFP speaks for itself,” he said. “It has become a professional organization through the years. It has been very cognizant of concerns on human rights,” said Lacierda. –