MANILA, Philippines — Days after the arrest of some human rights workers in Palawan province, representatives of several nongovernment organizations (NGOs) on Monday “sounded the alarm” over reports that their offices would be raided by the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) for harboring “lumad” (indigenous) children and training them to become activists. Karapatan secretary general Cristina Palabay said they had received information that the NCRPO operatives were securing “illegal” arrest warrants for officials of the Kalikasan People’s Network for the Environment, Center for Environmental Concerns and Save Our Schools Network. For hosting lumad children? Sought for comment, Police Maj. Gen. Guillermo Eleazar, the NCRPO chief, denied the allegations. As far as the NCRPO is concerned, I do not know such operations or case buildup we are conducting against them,” he told the Inquirer.

Source: Philippine Daily Inquirer October 07, 2019 19:52 UTC