DAVAO CITY – At least five lumad, including a tribal leader, were arrested in Tandag City while distributing leaflets on the recent attacks against tribal communities in Surigao del Sur on Tuesday.

Karapatan-Caraga secretary general Eliza Pangilinan said the five lumad – among those displaced by the recent violence that gripped their communities — were on the streets of Tandag and informing the public of their plight when they were arrested by a policeman, identified only as Salang.

Among the arrested individuals, who were brought to Tandag’s police station 7, was Datu Depensa, Pangilinan said.

“They were just distributing leaflets regarding the killings and the current situation of the evacuees when they were arrested,” Pangilinan said.

Some 2,786 indigenous peoples from the towns of Lianga, Marihatag, San Agustin, San Miguel and Tago had fled to Tandag following a reported rampage by paramilitary groups and the ongoing military operations in the said areas.

They currently occupy the Tandag City Sports Complex. JE

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