AFP: Rebels drove lumads away from home

MANILA, Philippines - The more than 700 lumads sheltered in a church compound in Davao City were forced to leave their homes after the New People’s Army (NPA) implemented an anti-military campaign called “bakwet,” the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) said over the weekend.

The anti-military campaign launched several months ago was aimed at humiliating government security forces involved in internal security operations.

The communist “bakwet” campaign failed in several hinterlands of South Cotabato, but succeeded in other areas, the AFP said.

“The more than 700 indigenous people (IP) at the compound of the United Church of Christ in the Philippines (UCCP) Haran left homes not because of alleged military abuses,” AFP public affairs office chief Col. Noel Detoyato said.

Detoyato said the rebels raided the villages, prompting the military to initiate actions to protect the residents and the community.

He said the insurgents exploited the military action and brainwashed the lumads into believing that government security forces regarded them all as enemies.

“We cannot just stand idly by as the IPs are exploited, radicalized and recruited to fight the government. We will do our best to secure their communities so they can return home safe and with dignity,” Detoyato said.

United Nation special rapporteur Chaloka Beyani recently visited the lumads at the UCCP Haran compound.

Beyani’s statement over the issue was misinterpreted by the military, prompting an official of the Eastern Mindanao Command to apologize.

“We urge everyone to look past this incident and work together with us and the government to resolve the situation and return the IPs back to their homes,” Detoyato said.

He said the military action on the issue is within the mandate of the AFP as the protector of the people and state.