Dureza said retired Col. Allen Capuyan, a Manobo, had been eyed to head the new IP body that would allow lumad to raise and discuss problems in their communities. Dureza, citing military accounts, said members of IP communities had been joining the New People’s Army (NPA). It can be poverty; they cannot send their children to school,” he said, noting that the new task force would consolidate development priorities. Dureza said a panel formed last year, the Indigenous People’s Peace Panel headed by lawyer Reuben Lingating, gave lumad representatives a venue to discuss how living conditions of IPs could be improved. ADVERTISEMENTBut 1st Lt. Teresita Ingente, spokesperson for the Army’s 4th Infantry Division here, dared the lumad group to identify these soldiers so the military could subject them to disciplinary actions.

Source: Philippine Daily Inquirer March 08, 2018 22:18 UTC