Indigenous people, including students, parents, and other supporters, call for justice for the deaths of two community and volunteer teachers, Chad Booc and Jurain Nguho II, volunteer health worker Elygyn Balonga and drivers Tirso Anar and Robert Aragon in Davao De Oro.
The protest was held at Commonwealth Avenue and University Avenue in Diliman, Quezon City.
On February 23, the group was on its way to Davao City after visiting Lumad communities in New Bataan, Davao De Oro, when they were suddenly arrested, tortured, and then killed by personnel of the 10th Infantry Division.
According to the Philippine Army report, the group died in an encounter.
According to Lumad student Katkat, the two became her teachers, and they do not believe there was an encounter between the soldiers and the teachers and health workers.
“Lumabas sa autopsy bali-bali ’yung mga buto nila. May paso, marami ’yung tama ng bala. Bali-bali po ’yung mga paa. Hindi ho kami naniniwala dahil alam namin na sila teacher Chad at Teacher Jurain ay pumunta lang sa komunidad para kumustahin ang mga komunidad namin,” she said.
Justice called for Lumad teacher killed in Davao De Oro
It is said that this incident had a significant impact on the education of the Lumads, so the Save Our Schools Network condemns the red-tagging of those who volunteer to teach and treat the natives who cannot go to town to study and receive treatment.
According to indigenous congressman Bayan Muna Representative Eufemia Cullamat, the volunteers are not rebels, so they should not be red-tagged.
Cullamat also said that even if they wanted to educate their youth in the town, they could not do so due to distance and possible outside influence.
It is also said that the needs of the indigenous people are different, so education is under their culture. Also, part of the earlier activity was displaying a picture of President Rodrigo Duterte full of dirt on his face, which is said to be a symbol of the dirt of his tenure.
They also tore up other symbols of violence under the Duterte administration.
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