“Thousands were reported to have searched for alternative evacuation sites or forced to settle in unsafe sites, as designated evacuation centers were overflowing. Some declared evacuation centers were actually disaster-prone areas, and initial reports reveal how an evacuation center was even destroyed by Ruby’s violent winds in Eastern Samar province.”
Three indigenous women who joined the Manilakbayan ng Mindanao 2014 are among the many who demand peace in their ancestral lands beleaguered by militarization and development aggression.
“The soldiers fired their guns inside the church looking for the alleged NPA. They used children as human shields. So we decided to flee from the village. We thought, if they could go berserk even without being in an actual encounter, what more if they find their enemies?” By ANNE MARXZE D. UMIL MANILA –…
“Sometimes, the fear creeps in. But I know that nothing will happen if I back out from our struggle. We have to fight so that we will have food on our table.” By ANNE MARXZE D. UMIL Bulatlat.com MANILA – “No one would fight for our rights but us,” said Eufemia Cullamat, 54, a Manobo…
“We told them that it is stated in the law and international law that soldiers are not allowed to camp within 100 meters from school. When we asserted this, they said ‘Ah, you are an NPA.’ And we would say, no, we are just fighting for what is right.” By ANNE MARXZE D. UMIL Bulatlat.com…
Vilma Yecyec has been a health worker and organizer for the past 30 years. She has also been targeted by the military for that long.