The story of a young woman indigenous peoples (IP) chieftain from Caraga in Davao Oriental who was interrupted in her speech in the United States by a Filipino-American woman who said she was spreading lies is a story that should touch a cord.
Bae Christine Banugan, daughter of Manaya IP leader Copertino Banugan who was slain by communist rebels, was disrespected before a forum of Filipinos with eight indigenous peoples (IP) leaders at the Philippine Consulate General in San Francisco on July 10. The woman shouted at her to stop spreading lies as she began to speak. Such utter disrespect.
From someone who is so detached from what is happening in the Philippines, it is a mockery to Filipinos for ‘outsiders’ to force upon their misguided and interest-driven beliefs. The kind of disrespect the country gets from countries pushing for a probe of human rights violations in the country based solely on their assumptions. The kind of disrespect from bodies like Amnesty International who insists that press freedom is dead in the country and that Rappler’s Maria Ressa was violated of her freedom of the press.
Such arrogant, disrespectful and ignorant behavior must not prevail over our very own right to run our own affairs and to express our opinions.
The insult to Banugan in a foreign soil where she was invited to speak is also an insult to our indigenous peoples and in general, an insult to the Filipino people.
Banugan said people outside the country must not judge them unless they have personally experienced how it is to live under the threats of communist rebels. The young tribal chieftain echoes what the country is getting from the bigger intruders out there masquerading as sympathetic nations and advocates of human rights.
The real violation of human rights is actually that where an outsider intrudes upon the independence and internal affairs of a state and its people.
