Displaced Philippine children appeal to Pope Francis

MINDANAO -Indigenous children and teachers on the Philippine island of Mindanao are bearing the brunt of conflict and rights abuses, advocates said in a letter addressed to Pope Francis.The letter, signed by children and teachers at indigenous schools in Mindanao, appealed to Pope Francis to hear and give attention to the plight of marginalized indigenous people. Help us protect the indigenous schools, communities and people in Mindanao. Impart us your apostolic blessing, read the letter, which was delivered to the Apostolic Nunciature to the Philippines in Manila on Sept. 22.Advocates say villages and schools in remote areas of Mindanao have been caught up in the long-running conflict between paramilitary groups and the New People's Army, a leftist guerrilla group. The nongovernmental group, Children's Rehabilitation Center, has documented at least 41 instances of attacks on schools and indigenous community learning centers in Mindanao since 2011.In their letter to the pope, the children and their teachers said that the more than 150 schools indigenous communities built are now being bastardized by the military. Schools are being turned into military camps and barracks or worse, being burned down, read the letter. Teachers and indigenous learners of these schools are being tagged as rebel supporters or rebels themselves, which [make them] targets for grave threats, harassment and other human rights violations. On Sept. 1, gunmen linked to a paramilitary group shot and killed Emerito Samarca, head of an indigenous school in Surigao del Sur province, as well as Manobo tribal leaders Dionel Camps and Aurelio Sinzo.The killings forced thousands of people to flee the area. At the moment, more than 3,000 people are living in temporary shelters at a sports complex in Tandag City, the provincial capital. The provincial governor has declared a state of emergency, saying and//www.ucanews.com/news/state-of-calamity-declared-in-philippine-province/7... authorities are running out of supplies for the refugees. pIndigenous Manobo children and their teachers deliver a letter of appeal addressed to Pope Francis at the Apostolic Nunciature to the Philippines in Manila on Sept 22 Photo by Roy Lagardep and//www.ucanews.com/uploads/2015/09/1442987615.jpg Indigenous Manobo children and their teachers deliver a letter of appeal addressed to Pope Francis at the Apostolic Nunciature to the Philippines in Manila on Sept. 22. (Photo by Roy Lagarde)Military occupationMichelle Campos, Dionel’s 17-year-old daughter, delivered the children's letter to a representative of the papal nuncio in Manila on Sept. 22. I cannot understand why they killed my father, who only wanted to help our tribe and develop our ancestral land, she told ucanews.com in an interview.Kharlo Manano, secretary general of the child rights group Salinlahi, which helped organize the letter, said he hoped the pope will hear the children's appeal. We are confident that Pope Francis values children, especially the frail and marginalized, such as our Lumad brothers and sisters in Mindanao, Manano said.Indigenous people in Mindanao are collectively knownas Lumad.On Sept. 12, the country's Catholic bishops denounced the Philippine government's reported employment of paramilitary groups. In a strongly worded statement, the country's bishops noted that the government has used paramilitary groups for counterinsurgency operations.In a meeting with Auxiliary Bishop Broderick Pabillo of Manila on Sept. 22, Manobo leaders called on the country's Catholic bishops to go beyond issuing a statement. The leaders urged the bishops to broker peace among the insurgents, the military and other stakeholders.They also appealed for support and visibility of Church people at evacuation centers in Mindanao.The international community has also weighed in on the issue. On Sept. 22, United Nations-appointed special rapporteurs for indigenous people and human rights defenders called on the Philippine government to launch a full and independent investigation into the Surigao del Sur killings. Military occupation of civilian institutions and killing of civilians, particularly in places such as schools, which should remain safe havens for children from this type of violence, are unacceptable, deplorable and contrary to international human rights and international humanitarian standards, the special rapporteurs said in a statement.