Rescued Lumad youth debunks kidnapping, child-abuse raps against Talaingod 13
By DOMINIC GUTOMAN
Bulatlat.com
MANILA – “When our schools were closed in November 2018, the military threatened our lives. They said that if we don’t leave our school, they would kill a teacher or a student,” a Lumad youth said during the launch of Defend Talaingod 13, October 17.
Talaingod 13 refers to the members of a solidarity team of human rights defenders and Lumad school teachers who helped rescue Lumad students victimized by the forced closure of Salugpongan Ta’Tanu Igkanogon Community Learning Center Inc. (STTICLC) and the Community Technical College of Southeastern Mindanao (CTCSM). A local court in Tagum convicted the Talaingod 13 for kidnapping and child abuse.
Angelika Moral, who was among the rescued Lumad students, belied the charges filed against the human rights defenders.
“They helped us. We were not forced to join them. In fact, they are our second parents. They are the ones who took care of us, when our parents are not around,” Moral said in Filipino.
In tears, Moral narrated what happened that day. “Since the military forced us to leave, we had to walk for three hours just to reach the highway. The trail was dark, slippery, and steep. When we reached the highway, we saw the rescue team,” said Moral in Filipino.
NOW: Human rights defenders, indigenous rights advocates, and faith-based groups gather here at Maryhill School of Theology to launch “Defend Talaingod 13 Network.” pic.twitter.com/4ddAI6HjOB
— Bulatlat (@bulatlat) October 17, 2024
Among those who were part of the rescue team are former Bayan Muna Rep. Satur Ocampo, ACT Teachers Rep. France Castro, then school administrator Ma. Eugenia Victoria Nolasco and then Lumad teachers Jesus Madamo, Meriro Poquita, Maricel Andagkit, Marcial Rendon, Marianie Aga, Jenevive Paraba, Nerhaya Tallada, Ma. Concepcion Ibarra, Nerfa Awing, and Wingwing Daunsay.
According to the Save Our Schools (SOS) Network, there were 48 incidents of military occupation in the Lumad schools in Mindanao, and 19 schools destroyed. Before the end of the administration of President Rodrigo Duterte, there were more than 210 Lumads schools forcibly closed.
“Lumad schools are our primary source of inspiration and beacon of hope. Our dreams are formed in these schools. This is our weapon to assert our rights, to fight for our ancestral lands, and realize our right to free education,” Moral said, calling for the reopening of their Lumad schools.
These demands are among the major objectives of the launching of Defend Talaingod 13 Network. They called for the reversal of the decision of the Tagum Regional Trial Court Branch 2.
“The case faced by the Talaingod 13 is a clear example of how the law is being used to suppress the rights of Indigenous Peoples who only wish to live peacefully on their land. We have also witnessed how solidarity with others has been criminalized,” said the network in their statement.
The weaponization of the law against rights defenders and indigenous people has been the central theme of the messages of solidarity from former Senator Leila de Lima, Bishop Gerardo Alminaza, other human rights defenders, and even ACT Teachers’ Partylist Rep. France Castro.
“The government is using the law against the people like us who advocate for the defense of ancestral lands and for the rights of the indigenous people for self-determination. But this will not stop us from standing up for the Lumad people,” said Castro.
The Talaingod 13 has appealed the local court’s decision. As of this writing, there is no update and the case is yet to be raffled at the Court of Apppeals.
In an earlier story of Bulatlat, the RTC’s decision claimed that Castro, Ocampo, and the rest did not ask for the assistance of concerned local government agencies when they fetched the children.
However, Ocampo said that he coordinated with the governor’s office but to no avail. He also called Bong Go, who was the President’s Head of Presidential Management Staff prior to his senatorial post, to contest the police blockade during the rescue mission. However, the military intervened, seized the rescue team, and brought them to the municipality.
“The Defend Talaingod 13 Network will represent our collective desire to achieve justice for the Talaingod 13 and all victims of human rights violations. We will continue to condemn the unjust ruling against the Talaingod 13 while pushing for the dismissal of the fabricated charges against them,” said the Defend Talaingod 13. As of now, the Talaingod 13 remain clueless on the situation of the case. There is no update and the case is yet to be raffled. On July 22, Castro and Ocampo notified the Tagum RTC Branch 2 that they would appeal the decision before the Court of Appeals. (RTS, RVO)
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