By Mike G. Kulat
The massacre that happened in Sitio Udsodan in Barangay Mudseng, Midsayap, North Cotabato on November 12, 2008 brings the total number into three attacks on innocent civilians aside from the victims of the ongoing military operation in different parts of Mindanao. It should be recalled that in early November a massacre in Magsayasay, Lanoa Del Norte happened that followed by another ambush in Pikit, Cotabato area.
In an interview conducted by the members of the Bangsamoro Center for Just Peace, a network organization of the Consortium of Bangsamoro Civil Society with the lone survivor, Noraisa Dimalulon, it was learned that they were on board a manually operated banca (boat) at around last November 12 at 10:00 a. m. towards their rice field. When they were nearing their farm, suddenly undetermined number of armed men wearing black masks opened fire at them using high caliber firearms. It was found out later that the culprits used M-14 and other high powered firearms as shown by the empty shells left in the crime scene.
Killed in the incident were Adtega Dimalulon 40, Ali Kansa 35 and Tungan Dimalulon 5. The bodies of the victims were only recovered the following day as their relatives were restricted by the military to go to the area pending their ascertaining the identity of the victims and assurance that they are not members of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).
Noraisa narrated that at the first burst of the gunfire, she jumped out of the boat and swam away until she found a floating wooden block where she hid her head and that prevented her from being hit by bullets. After the firing ended she swam to farther to the bank and ran towards far-flung Barangay Nabalawag and finally found her way home at around 11:00 a. m. She revealed farther that her hand bag containing her mobile phone, earrings, cash and other valuables left in the boat were taken by the armed men.
These series of mysterious killings of civilians in the different parts of Mindanao were not given proper course by the duly constituted authorities or any legal actions to give justice to the victims. The incidences are also taking place at a time when there is much talk about the resurgence of the “ILAGA” movements in different parts of Mindanao. The movements are obviously, deliberately or not, being backed by the government through distribution of firearms to civilians that is spearheaded by Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Ronaldo Puno.
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2 comments:
you were stating massacres of innocent moros in mindanao, i have a house near midsayap, i am a foreigner to your country having married a filipina and moved there in 2006, i have driven and moved in rural mindanao and talked to a few people there, it is my home now... you never state that one year ago the illaga was gone, no more... there were no armed civilians gangs doing these things... it was the milf that started massacre and killing innocent people in distant villages a few months ago... the moros claim the right of self determiniation, what about the cebuanos? what about the davaoinos? all the other 28 tribes of the philippines? sorry but there is one philippines, many many different tribes, languages, religions, political parties but one country, the moros want what they cant have, what they dont have and what they will never have, their own country within a county.. they get gangs and kill and the milf are gangsters, murderers and criminals...nothing more and nothing less...instead of working hard to build their lands... instead of their leadership getting grants, monies, funds to build damns, roads, bridges, help the poor plant their lands, build infrastructure for bringing out harvests and improving the lives of the people with schools, hospitals, monies for further education they buy guns and ammo and kill people... then they cry and whine like you when others around them push back.. this is the beginning and the push of the milf will end up with a big push back by armed militias until the milf, the mnlf give up their guns and do good things for their people... you get what you put out and the moros are going to get back what their armed gunman criminals do to others... mindanao is so diverse with christians amid muslims it would be much better for the 2 to get along and do business, get kids educated, build houses and towns and make money, rather than arming teenagers (milf) and killing innocents and then crying when it happens back at them
swainco@yahoo.com
NO DOUBT YOU SPEAK AS FOREIGNER. I mean you talk of things you are foreign with. Or should I say you are talking things which you have little knowledge of. There is a saying: "little knowledge is dangerous"
Who says "that one year ago the illaga was gone.."? My unsolicited advice is for you to open once in awhile an internet, TV news or read newspaper. For if you did these, you will see now in U-tubes the current activities of these Ilaga movements. You should have seen the revelation of Mayor Cabaya of Aleosan how they are being training the civilians and the old members "Ilaga" now in your area and other parts of Mindanao.
You should have seen in TV Interviews of ILAGA Commanders Mike Santiago, Felimon Cayang and other Old Members who proudly revealed that they have eaten several "cut-ears" of Moros they killed.
Or you are denying armed civilians in your areas when you have the CAFGUs. And what is CAFGU? CIVILIAN Armed Forces Geographical Unit. You have the CVO and what is CVO? CIVILIAN volunteers Organization. And the latest is CIVILIAN Police Auxilliary. These ar all civilian with firearms. And if you saw the latest documentary on these militia, you will see and they admitted they are members of "ILAGA" who covered under the guise of CAFGU, CVOs & police Auxilliaries. In onother doumentary Fr. PETER GERIMAIA said that some members of these ILAGA are now enlisted as CAFGUs or CVOs.
Then you said, “it was the milf that started massacre and killing innocent people in distant villages a few months ago..." If you are really in Midsayap, you should have learned the truth. That the encounters started in Sitio Tubak, a Moro Village in the boundary of Midsayap and Aleosan on June 25, 2008. This was followed by another encounter in the same Village June 28, 2008 and another in July 1, 2008. All these encounters are perpetrated by the CAFGUs/CVOs armed civilians who are also members of ILAGA. Several encounters followed in the periphery of sitio Tubak meaning the residents of Tubak were the one attacked by Ilaga.
Only on July 19, 2008 that members of the MILF who have relatives in the area were able to reinforce and this started the wider armed conflicts in the areas that displaced and killed some civilians. But this does not affect only the Christian but majority of those affected either of lives and burning of houses but many Moros were affected equally.
"the moros claim the right of self determiniation, what about the cebuanos?"
Well, we also encourage the Cebuanos to claim their right to self-determination and Ancestral Domain BUT NOT IN MINDANAO. The birthright of Cebuanos is in Cebu that is why they were called Cebuanos. So that if Cebu is already owned by Capitalists and Multi-National Companies owned by Foreigners like you, then the Cebuanos should redeem it before the hands of these Foreign Invaders.
Well if you believed that there is only one Philippines, then I AM SORRY TO TELL YOU TOO that there is already a "Moro Nation" hundreds of years before Philippine was conceived. And that Mindanao was never a part of the so-called Philipines ceded to the United States by Spain under the Treaty of Paris in 1898.
Ali Ashgar
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