Tribal leaders from Mindanao call on President Benigno Aquino to stop the killings of indigenous people in Mindanao during a protest march on Nov. 13. (Photo by Vincent Go)
Another tribal leader fell victim to gunmen in the southern Philippine region of Mindanao earlier this week as Philippine President Benigno Aquino met with leaders of indigenous peoples' groups to discuss their pressing concerns.
Ulas Salanganie, a Manobo tribal leader and an official of the local Parents, Teachers and Community Association, was shot dead in Talaingod, in Davao del Norte province on Nov. 23, according to police.
No motive has been established for the killing, which prompted several local teachers and other tribal leaders to flee the area, said Neri Colmenares, a human rights lawyer and senior minority leader in the Philippines’ House of Representatives.
Classes in tribal schools were also suspended, he said.
A day after the killing, the presidential palace announced that Aquino had met with representatives of indigenous people to discuss their "concerns."
The president issued directives "to come up with concrete action plans to address" tribal issues, presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda said, without giving any details.
Church officials welcomed news of the meeting.
"It's good that the president finally paid attention to the plight of the lumad," said Father Jerome Secillano, executive secretary of the public affairs office of the bishops' conference.
Mindanao's tribal people are collectively known as lumad.
Secillano expressed hope the president's order was not meant to wash over the issues of indigenous people.
"If there is a directive to address the concerns of this group, those tasked to do this are morally obligated to execute the order," the priest said.
Colmenares said the meeting between Aquino and the tribal people should have discussed killings and other human rights violations being committed against indigenous people in Mindanao.
He said he hoped the reported meeting would result in the pull-out of the military in affected communities, the disbandment of paramilitary groups and the arrest of those responsible for extrajudicial killings.
The reported meeting between Aquino and the tribal leaders came after hundreds of lumad arrived in Manila last month to protest against the killings of indigenous people in Mindanao.
Many tribal communities have been trapped in the long-running conflict between the government and communist rebels, with government-backed paramilitary groups often labeling civilian villagers as combatants. In September, the killings of two tribal leaders and a school principal forced thousands of indigenous villagers to flee their homes.
Mindanao's archbishop has called the conflict a "protracted war," while Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle of Manila has urged the government to withdraw troops from indigenous communities.
