We are reposting the declaration of “Persona Non Grata” status to Nancy Catamco by the 700 Manobo evacuees led by the lumad leaders of the Salugpungan Ta Tanu Igkanugon (Unity in Defense of the Ancestral Land).
We, leaders of the Salugpungan Ta Tanu Igkanugon, do hereby declare a persona non grata status to Rep. Nancy Catamco, for her:
1) Deception of over 700 lumad evacuees in UCCP Haran last July 16, where she brought B/Gen. Alexander Balutan of the 10th ID and Col. Harold Cabreros of the 1003rd Bde, PA, and their intelligence cohorts into the evacuation area without the prior knowledge of the evacuees and their support groups. This illegal entry of the military forces posed significant danger to the refugees;
2) Disrespect for the lumad leaders from Talaingod and Kapalong, Davao del Norte,and from San Fernando, Bukidnon, by questioning the legitimacy of their status as leaders;
3) Siding with the military, as manifested in her refusal to heed and understand the calls of the evacuees for the pull-out of military forces in their communities, thus becoming an AFP spokesperson;
4) Twisting of facts during and after the dialogue, which obscured the reality of intense militarization in the countryside and the genuine struggle of us lumads for our rights;
5) Insensitivity to our current situation, when she called our children “stinky”, and the lumad population “ignorant”;
6) Surrender of her lumad status by her clear collaboration with state elements who threaten the lives and cultures of lumads.
We hereby close all avenues of interaction with Catamco. She also cannot enter the grounds of our evacuation site here in UCCP Haran, or in our communities in Talaingod
Many times in the past we have taken part in dialogues mediated by Mayor Rodrigo Duterte, and many times we have been treated with respect and understanding, our side heard and articulated fairly by Mayor himself. Such are the kind of dialogues that we will willingly enter, not the ones where Nancy Catamco presides and steps on our human rights and dignities.
Here we also reaffirm that we are the true leaders of the people in Talaingod, not the IPMR leaders under the NCIP, which have become the current puppies of the reactionary government of the US-Aquino regime.
Given this day July 22, 2015,
Datu Doloman Dawsay
Datu Ginom Andel
Benito Bay-ao
Kailo Bontulan
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