The 3 Lumad families were just picking abaca from the farm when they were shot by soldiers from the Third Special Forces Batallion in Lianga town, Surigao del Sur.
The incident happened Tuesday afternoon in Sitio Panukmoan, Barangay Diatagon.
The victims, Willy Rodriguez, Lenie Rivas, and her 12 -year -old brother, died immediately.
The youngest victim was a student in grade 6 of the Tribal Filipino Program of Surigao del Sur, while the 2 oldest victims were members of a group.
The three even asked the permission of the military before taking abaca.
According to the Karapatan Caraga report, the remains of the three were taken to the military headquarters and said they were members of the New People’s Army.
The group has denied this, especially since the 2 victims are children.
The Kilusang Mayo Uno group and the Union of Agricultural Workers condemned the incident.
They should investigate and hold the culprit accountable.
ABS-CBN News has already contacted the Third Special Forces Batallion civil-military officer, and they said they would issue a statement in this regard.
3 Lumads dead after being shot by military in Surigao del Sur
The 3rd SFB had not yet issued a statement when this article was posted.
In a press release by the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC), they said the minor was being used as a child warrior, which is prohibited by International Humanitarian Law.
But the groups have denied this based on the statement of the victim’s relatives.
There is a long history of killing and harassing Lumads by the military.
In September 2015, the datu and chairperson of the Alcadev Lumad School in Surigao del Sur were also killed.
An indignation rally will be held Thursday afternoon at the Commission on Human Rights for continuing to condemn them.
“Lumad” is a Cebuano term that means “native.” It was first adopted by members of the Lumad Mindanao Peoples Federation (LMPF) on June 26, 1986, during its First Congress held in Kidapawan, Cotabato. From then on, it has been used to refer to ICCs and IPs.
Visit our Facebook page for more news updates.