MANILA – About 1,200 people, mostly members of the Manobo tribal group, have been displaced by the continuing armed conflict in Surigao del Sur province in Mindanao, according to a report reaching the Commission on Human Rights (CHR).
But based on the report, the CHR said that this time, the war is not between government forces and the separatist Moro Islamic Liberation Front or the Abu Sayyaf militant group but with the New People’s Army (NPA), the armed component of the Communist Party of the Philippines.
As a result, lawyer Leila de Lima, the CHR commissioner, said she decided to fly to the province to investigate the forced evacuation of the Manobos who fled their homes to avoid being caught in the crossfire.
De Lima disclosed she received an urgent appeal from provincial officials and non-government organizations, for the CHR to step in and help end the shooting war which has resulted in untold miseries of the Manobos and the other affected residents.
Involved in the ongoing war, officials said, are two Philippine Army battalions and the NPA in the wake of the government renewed campaign against communist rebels.
De Lima said that based on initial reports by the CHR regional office, many of the evacuees, officially known as internally displaced persons (IDPs), are crammed inside a relief center run by the Catholic diocese in Tandag, Surigao del Sur.
The CHR chief also admitted receiving reports that members of the military have been allegedly forcing residents to join civilian auxiliary units helping the government combat the insurgents in the town of Llanga.
She assured she would conduct an “impartial†investigation regarding reported abuses committed by the military and the NPA.
Another complaint against the military was the imposition of a food blockade in the affected communities, De Lima said.
On the other hand, she said residents in the town of Carrascal have complained they were forced to leave their homes due to continued harassment from NPA insurgents.
“These allegations are serious and require further investigation because they violate the UN Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement (UNGPID) as well local and international humanitarian laws,†De Lima emphasized.
In particular, De Lima said the UNGPID enjoins officials to provide displaced people with basic needs and ensure that they have safe and easy access to these supplies.
She noted the alarming ordeal of the evacuees emphasizes the urgent need to limit the adverse impact of the armed conflict in Mindanao on civilians, especially the indigenous people.
De Lima stressed that while there is need to put an end to insurgency, this must not be done at the expense of people caught in the crossfire.
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