Farmers, indigenous and Moro peoples trooped to Camp Aguinaldo on Friday to condemn the killing of another lumad peasant-activist in Compostela Valley.
The groups also protested against the Armed Forces of the Philippines’ Oplan Kapayapaan that is in full-swing, and “attacking farmers in peasant communities nationwide.”
Federico “Pande” Plaza of Maragusan, Compostela Valley was shot and killed by assailants believed to be military elements last May 3, the protesters said.
Tanggol Magsasaka, a watchdog monitoring human rights violations against rural sectors, said Plaza is the 35th victim of political killing in Mindanao, bringing the documented number of victims of politically-motivated extra judicial killings under the Duterte administration to 51.
The Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas repeated the call of peasants and fisher folks to pull out troops from Mindanao, particularly the 71st (Kaibigan) and 46th Infantry Battalions under the 10th Division (Agila) of the Philippine Army.
“These military units are specifically targeting farmers and indigenous people struggling against land grabbing, destructive mining and militarization. These military elements have virtually made Compostela Valley their killing fields,” said peasant leader Pedro Arnado of KMP-Southern Mindanao Region.
