ABOUT 3,000 members of minority groups, called lumad, marched to the University of the Philippines-Diliman in Quezon City on Friday to call for the protection of rights of indigenous people.
The “Lakbayan ng Pambansang Minorya” is the first of its kind to gather all minority groups in the country to collectively protest against the increased militarization and plunder of ancestral lands.
More than 150 indigenous communities were present at the protest caravan held during National Indigenous Peoples Month. These included the Moro, Dumagat, Lumad, Ifugao, Kalinga, Kakana-ey, and those from Apayao province, Cagayan Valley, Southern Tagalog, Caraga region, among others. Sandy Araneta
“This is a historic event for all of us, to see all marginalized and minoritized tribes to gather in Manila,” Kerlan Fanagel, spokesperson of Kalumaran and Southern Mindanao Lumad group Pasaka, said in a statement.
Members of various tribes from Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao raised their clenched fists in front of the Oblation at the UP-Diliman to participate in the Lakbayan, a solidarity gathering of Ips.
Around 2,000 of them marched around the UP Academic Oval to formally start the event.
“National Minorities suffer the burden of pre-industrial and backward agrarian economy. Adding to this burden is the oppression brought by government policies that seek to plunder resources within their ancestral domain and violate their right to self-determination,” Roberta Ryan of Anakbayan-USA said in a statement.
In 2015, around 700 Lumads went to UP-Diliman for a weeklong “Kampuhan sa Diliman” to lobby against the unjust killings of their fellowmen.
Emerito Samarca, head of Alternative Learning Center for Agriculture and Livelihood Development, Dionel Campos and Bello Sinzo were killed by the militia in Surigao del Norte in September last year.
UP professor and head secretariat of Save Our Schools Network Sarah Raymundo said Friday they want the government to be more open about their calls.
Members of the national minority group will stay at the UP Diliman campus from Oct. 12 to 28.
During this period, they will also visit various government agencies, such as the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples, Department of Justice, Department of Environment and National Resources, and the Department of Agrarian Reform to further bring to national attention their plight.
Several cultural presentations and educational discussions have also been lined up for the event.