By Conrado de Quiros

Misyon has for a long time taken a stand for tribal people throughout the world. Now here’s something close to home to shock us ...

Ikit Landahay is a 10-year-old boy from the Umayammon-Manobo, a ‘lumad’ or tribe living in the fringes of Agusan del Sur and Davao del Norte. He has this story to tell:

When he was only one year old, his father was shot to death by armed men believes to be working for the logging company, Sta. Ines Milale Corporation (Simcor). His father was Datu Tuting Landahay, and he had earned the ire of the company by protesting its logging operations. Ikit’s mother deeply mourned her husband’s death, and finding no solace in life, hanged herself. Ikit and his four brothers and sisters fell under the care of their uncle.

Last year, Ikit himself came to experience firsthand the harshness and brutality of his world. He and some boys were in the fields helping their elders harvest their crop when armed men came, they are looking for Datu Wingul’s son Arikwas who they said was a troublemaker. They took a tribesman and interrogated him as to the whereabouts of Arikwas. The tribesman fearing for his life, pointed to a nearby hut. Without warning the armed men sprayed it with gunfire. From inside, Arikwas’ wife shouted, "Arikwas, they’re here! Run for your life!”

Arikwas flew out of the hut and the armed men gave chase. They sent a hail of bullets in his direction, but he managed to elude them. Hearing the shots, Datu Wingul who was also working in the fields ran toward his son’s hut. Seeing the armed men who were even then trying to murder his son, he flew into a rage and shouted them: Drop your guns! Let’s use the bolos and fight like men!” the armed men laugh and figuring they might as well settle for the father as for the son, shot Datu Wingul where he stood. He fell to the ground, dead.

Ikit was there and saw everything. So did two other boys, after shooting Datu Wingul. The armed men trussed him up like a pig and carried him along the mountain trail for everyone to see. They also took them with then the three boys who witnessed the murder and Ikit’s cousin, a 20-year-old girl. At their camp, the armed separated Ikit and the other boys from Ikit’s cousin. To this day, he does not know what happened to her.

For two weeks the armed men held them. After the first couple of days, their captors asked themto dig a grave for Datu Wingul. But being small boy, they could not dig deep enough. The shallow pit could not cover the man’s body, and they just shoved some dirt on top of him while asking for forgiveness.

For two weeks, their captors made them work. One time, one of them asked Ikit to fill up a big pail with water. Unable to carry the weight, Ikit took some water and handed the pail over half-full. This angered the armed man who struck the boy with the butt of his M14 rifle, the blow landed on Ikit’s chest and made him double up in pain. To this day, he says, the wound still hurts.

A visit by Ikit’s brother in law failed to appease their captors who greeted his plea for their release with a pistol shot, fired next to his ear. Only the repeated procession of the tribes folks and their tireless importuning, persuaded the armed men to release the children.

What happened to Ikit and the other Umayammon-Manobo boys is not unusual. Since Simcor came to cut trees there as far back as Marcos time, it’s armed men have been spreading terror all over the place. The mayhem has not been confirmed-only to those opposing its logging activities. Ten years ago, some of its men raped two Umayammon-Manobo girls ages, 13 and 15. Despite the word of the victims their attacker remained free. The two girls, shamed beyond words, later hanged themselves.

Like the Ata-Manobos, the Umayammon-Manobos have to deal with accompany that has turned from pure loggings to planting fast-growing commercial tress (wrongly labeled reforestation, as reforestation suggest biodiversity). Like the Ata-Manobos, the Umayammon –Manobos are also riven in those who have resigned themselves to work for the company and those who continue to fight for a land they believe is theirs. More than the Ata-Manobos, the Umayammon-Manobos, have lost much in this fight.

The end of Marcos did not end their misery. Since the new government took over, three of their datus have been murdered, Datu Lanao Tiklunay was taken by Simcor or security men, beaten up and short to death. Datu Sindanaw Tiklunay tried to send a petition to government against Simcor and turned up in the bushes without head. Datu Wingul was but the latest victim, and – ‘lumads’ fear – probably not the last.

Doubtless Simcor is armed not only with armed men but with all sorts of documents to show it is there to develop the place. But at the very least, surely all this must make us wonder about the kind of development that causes its presumed beneficiaries to suffer their fate? Indeed, surely all this must make us wonder about the kind of law that makes children feel the butt of inquiry on their skulls?

But all this we may leave for later. For now, we need only to ask: Surely murder is evil by any reckoning? So why have their authors remained unpunished? So why have their victims remained unappeased? So why have we remained unmoved?