The leader of a Lumad group expressed confidence that a Mindanaoan president would prioritize and address the issues hounding the region.
Kerlan Fanagel, chairperson of Pasaka-Southern Mindanao Region, a confederation of Lumad organizations, said President Rodrigo Duterte has always been in solidarity with the plight of Mindanaoans.
鈥淎lam namin na consistent siya, na naninindigan din siya at sumuporta sa mga pakikibaka at laban naming mga katutubo sa Mindanao,鈥� Fanagel said during the militant rally at Batasan Hills on Monday.
(We know that he is consistent, that he takes a stand and that he supports the fight of the indigenous people in Mindanao.)
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Fanagel, together with about 5,000 other Mindanao natives, traveled all the way to Quezon City to rally in support of President Rodrigo Duterte鈥檚 first State of the Nation Address (Sona).
The group of Mindanaoans is composed of youth, laborers, farmers, Moros and Lumads.
鈥淔irst time namin lumahok dito sa Sona ng pangulo at unang una, gusto namin mapaabot sa pangulo ang Mindanao People鈥檚 Agenda,鈥� he said.
(It鈥檚 our first time to take part in the President鈥檚 Sona, and, first of all, we want to let our President know of the Mindanao People鈥檚 Agenda.)
Fanagel called for the immediate pullout of the military from Lumad communities to halt militarization, which has displaced the indigenous groups.
鈥淢arami pa rin ang nasa [evacuation centers]. Yung mga nandoon sa [evacuation centers] na mula noong mga nakaraang taon hanggang ngayon, nandun pa rin sa evacuation centers,鈥� he said.
(A lot are still in the evacuation centers. They have been in the evacuation centers since last year.)
He said that these displaced Lumads should be able to return to their homes and given relief and rehabilitation in compensation.
鈥淧atuloy na target ang mga ancestral domains sa usapin ng pandarambong at pagnanakaw ng mga malalaking korporasyong pagmimina, logging at iba pa,鈥� he said, adding that the Mining Act of 1995 and the Indigenous People鈥檚 Rights Act should be junked.
(The ancestral domains continue to be targets of corruption and theft by big mining and logging corporations and many others.)
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The Mindanaoans have been staying at the Polytechnic University of the Philippines for two nights since their arrival. After the Sona, they will stay at the Department of Agrarian Reform until their departure on Thursday. Jaehwa Bernardo and Ma. Czarina Fernandez, 黑料社 trainees/CDG/rga
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