Gov. Yevgeny Vincente Emano meets with evacuees, who have been camping out at the capitol grounds for over a month, yesterday afternoon. (photo by shiela mae butlig)
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By SHIELA MAE BUTLIG
Correspondent .

MISAMIS Oriental Gov. Yevgeny Vincente Emano yesterday met and talked with leaders of a group of evacuees from Lagonglong town but he promised them nothing, except for a capitol fact-finding group.

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Some of the evacuees were in tears after Emano told them that they asked for something that was beyond his authority. The evacuees had asked the capitol: “Ipabungkag ang detachment” of the Army in their hinterland village in Lagonglong.

Emano said he was not in the position to tell the military what to do especially at this time when Mindanao is under martial law.

But he formed a fact-finding team headed by capitol legal officer Neil Pacana that would go to the tribal village in Lagonglong to look into the complaint of the indigenes who have been camping out the capitol grounds for over a month now. The team also include capitol disaster risk reduction and management office chief Fernando Dy, provincial social welfare officer Emilia Andea, Fr. Jong Abejo of the Iglesia Filipina Indepiendente, and activist-lawyer Czarina Musni.

The group would look into the complaint that the military set up two detachments in strategic areas that would endanger the lives of villagers in the event of armed encounters.

Officials said if the capitol validates the claim, it would then bring the matter to the attention of the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP).

Meanwhile, Emano offered to make Musni a capitol consultant for six months. If she accepts the offer, she would be tasked to start negotiations with the military on behalf of the capitol.

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