Mindanao rights group to file case vs police official after violent dispersal

DAVAO CITY Contingents of a human rights caravan from Mindanao to Manila, Manilakbayan, is now preparing their legal documents to file a case against the Philippine National Police-Quezon City Police District (PNP-QCPD) officerPolice Superintendent Col. Pedro Sanchez and his subordinates, following a violent dispersal last November 29 that left fifteen injured including two media practitioners.

Over 300 people representing Mindanaos different sectors and mostly indigenous people participated in theManilakbayan ng Mindanao. The Manilakbayan (Journey to Metro Manila) started last November 12 passing by Visayas, and the Bicol and Tagalog regions where their counterparts met and joined them.

In a press statement sent to Davao Today, Wednesday, Jomorito Goaynon, spokesperson of Manilakbayan said that around 20 policemen of Police Station 2, Masambong Police Station under PNP-QCPD led by Sanchez harassed and violently dispersed more than 200 lumads and farmers at the protest action in front of President Benigno Aquinos house in Times Street.

Jomorito Goaynon, spokesperson of Manilakbayan ng Mindanao said that instead of addressing the demands of the Mindanaoans who traveled afar to register the human rights situation of hinterland Mindanao to the president and to the broadest Filipino people, we were met with a violent dispersal from the police.

Goaynon said they were expecting that the president would take actions on their urgent demands, among which are the pull-out of army battalions in Mindanao, the cessation of destructive agro-foreign projects, the stop of military attacks on community schools, the dismissal of trumped-up charges, and the stop of extrajudicial killings in Mindanao.

According to a fact sheet prepared by human rights group Karapatan, there were 15 individuals from the ranks of the protesters who were injured including two media men. Sevenwere from Southern Tagalog, seven from Southern Mindanao Region, two from CARAGA Region and one from the National Capital Region.

Jay Apiag, spokesperson of Karapatan North Cotabato was hit on the neck that caused him to faint. Apiag was then rushed to the East Avenue Medical Center.

While, Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP) Secretary-General Antonio Tonying Flores, one of the leaders who negotiated with Sanchez, was arbitrarily arrested during the protest. He was detained in Camp Karingal, the headquarters of QCPD, for four days.

Karapatan said that at approximately9:30in the morning, they started to march from the Bureau of Internal Revenue office in Quezon City. We were prevented to pass through when a police patrol car and five policemen blocked the road.

The program started at around9:55 amand additional 10 police men positioned in front of the gate while a negotiation was going on between the two parties. P/Supt. Sanchez arrived in the area around10:05 amand commanded his men to disperse the protest, the group said.

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Mindanao rights group to file case vs police official after violent dispersal