200 lumads stage rally at Crame, Aguinaldo

MANILA, Philippines - At least 200 tribal folk staged rallies in front of Camp Crame and Camp Aguinaldo yesterday.

The lumads called the Philippine National Police, whose headquarters are at Camp Crame, “inutile” for being unable to solve the killings of their leaders two months ago.

They also assembled in front of Camp Aguinaldo and called on the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) to stop the militarization of their ancestral lands in Mindanao.

Jomorito Goaynon, chief of the Higaonon tribe, said in a statement that they hold President Aquino and the AFP accountable for the killing of lumad leaders and the militarization of tribal land.

Soldiers tried to distribute snacks and bottled water to the protesters, but rally organizers warned the lumads that the food and drink were poisoned.

The lumads later dispersed and returned to the Liwasang Bonifacio in Manila, where they camped out after leaving the University of the Philippines campus in Diliman, Quezon City.