October 10, 2016

National Oppression Continues With State Terrorism and Fascist Attacks

We cannot fully account for the violations and trauma caused by militarization since the
time Cordillera indigenous peoples were pushed to the margins as national minorities.
Soldiers, encamped within our communities, have been a common sight for decades.
Military combat operations within our ancestral domain have sown fear and division
among us, desecrated our sacred sites, plundered resources, caused food scarcity in our
villages, harmed even women and children, and endangered the lives of people. In
certain situations, people have been numbed to the violations. Though unjust,
militarization has already been considered as a given.
Under Aquinos Oplan Bayanihan alone, 10 civilians were extrajudicially killed by the
Armed Forces of the Philippines in the most brutal manner. Among the victims were the
3 Ligiw family members, human rights worker William Bugatti, Engineer Fidela
Salvador, and Noel Viste. A 16-year old high school student, in 2012, was raped by
Captain Danilo Lalin of the 86th IBPA.
Oplan Bayanihan continues to the present. Despite the ceasefire declarations made by the
government and the affirmation of the Comprehensive Agreement on Human Rights and
International Humanitarian Law (CARHIHL) with the peace talks, state terrorism and
fascist attacks persists against indigenous peoples.
In Ifugao, farmers of Tinoc and Asipulo towns said the military operations of Philippine
Army troops disrupted their lives and sowed fear in their communities. From JulySeptember, around 300 soldiers from the 54th IBPA and 77th IB CAFGU conducted
military operations in their communities setting up camp at the elementary school and
some of the farmers houses in sitio Cocoy, Barangay Tukucan.
In Abra, the 24th IB encamped in Sallapadan, and launched patrol operations against the
New Peoples Army (NPA). They told the people that the unilateral ceasefire
declaration has already lapsed to justify their presence in the community.
In Kalinga, the prolonged military encampment in Ag-agama, Western Uma in
Lubuagan, Kalinga resulted to numerous atrocities committed by elements of the 50th
IBPA against indigenous women and their community.

As we march with other national minorities across the nation joining the Pambansang
Lakbayan ng mga Pambansang Minorya para sa Sariling Pagpapasya at Makatarungang
Kapayapaan, we amplify our calls for justice to be delivered.
We call for the pull-out of the Armed Forces of the Philippines forces from our ancestral
domain and for the stop to Operation Plan Bayanihan.
We call for perpetrators to be brought to the bar of justice and an end to impunity.
We call for the freedom of political prisoners who are unjustly detained and welcome the
announcement that the second round in the peace talks between the Government of the
Republic of the Philippines and the National Democratic Front of the Philippines has
yielded to the resolution to free all political prisoners. In the Cordillera region, we are
hopeful for 9 political prisoners to step free from detention including the two elderly
civilians, Eduardo Esteban and Marcos Aggalao.
We call for peace and for the roots of the civil war to be sincerely addressed.
In the Comprehensive Agreement on Socio-Economic Reforms (CASER), we call for our
our right to self-determination and right to our ancestral domain to be reflected clearly in
order to address national oppression that has scourged us for so long.#
For reference:
Imelda Tabiando
Secretary General
mobile number: 09189199007