By LITO RULONA
Correspondent .
At least nine members of the Indigenous People’s organization, Pigyayungaan based in Cabanglasan, Bukidnon, allegedly face trumped-up charges of frustrated murder filed by the Army’s 8th Infantry Battalion in connection against the New People’s Army encounter early last year.
Datu Jomorito Goaynon, chairman of Kalumbay, a formation of lumad groups in Northern Mindanao condemned the charges yesterday.
“One of the accused is paralysed who is no longer even able to move fast,” Goaynon said.
He added Pigyayungaan is a tribal organization of the Higaonon people and a member organization of Kalumbay.
He said other facing charges are identified as one Joel Luis, the chairpman of Pigyayungaan -Cabanglasan Chapter, a respected leader in the community.
“Two of them and the seven others, however, are firm in their roots in our ancestral domain and will defend it no matter their age,” he added.
The charges were filed by 8IB Sgt. Ramie Valle, Pvt. Alfie Jauculan, and Civilian Active Auxilliary members Nilo Bongcahan, and Estelito Yawan.
They alleged that the accused were part of the NPA unit that ambushed the 8IB on March 30, 2017 in Sitio Saluringan, Barangay Canangaan in Cabanglasan. Valle and Jauculan were both wounded in that firefight.
The accused deny any involvement on the ambush and insisted that they are civilians.
They find it suspicious, as well, that the accusers executed their affidavits in September and October 2017, six months after their alleged involvement in the ambush, and well into the declaration of martial law.
Goaynon, a traditional leader of the Higaonon in the municipality, sees these trumped-up charges as part of the military’s efforts to intimidate and silence Pigyayungaan and other lumad human rights defenders.
According to Goaynon, there had been marked increase in judicial harassments against indigenes since martial law has been declared in Mindanao.
“This is in line with the government’s policy of opening up ancestral lands to big investors and using brute force and other dirty tricks against those who oppose (their) policy,” he added.
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