The rally organized by the Kilusang Mayo Uno Southern Mindanao Region (KMU-SMR) to commemorate the Indigenous Peoples and Peasant month at the Freedom Park on Tuesday involved mostly minors and youth in their teens.
The group walked from the Sanguniang Panglungsod ng Davao all the way to Freedom Park and expressed their anger about the killings of Lumad and accused the government of atrocities brought about by Martial law in Mindanao.
According to Police Senior Supt. Alexander Tagum, city director of Davao City Police Office (DCPO), the rally was not covered by a permit.
He said his office will be filing cases of youth exploitation against rally leaders “because they used and exploited the youth in this activity.”
“Most of these participants are just brought to the city, and I pity those minors who got involved because as you can see majority of the participants were from the youth sector,” Tagum said in an interview on Tuesday.
One youth alias JJ said that he tagged along with his uncle for the chance to see the city. Other young participants were hesitant to be interviewed by the media.
Tagum said that rallyists came from Compostela Valley Province, Davao del Norte, Bukidnon and North Cotabato.
He said that they are monitoring the activity of this group and the participants of this rally are the previous recruits gathered in UCCCP Haran Center.
Approximately 500 people participated in the rally.
According to Col. Nolasco Mempin, some participants entered the city in small groups and were able to join the rally. But those who rode in vans and buses in groups were prevented from entering the city.
“We did not expect this number of participants but we are hoping that this rally will end peacefully and we respect their freedom to express their sentiments as long as it is peacefully done,” Memppin said.
According to Jay Apyag, secretary general of Karapatan SMR, it is the right of the children and the youth to participate in decision making.
“These children are the primary targets of the martial law. These are the lumad students from different lumad schools in the entire Mindanao which are being attacked by military operation and their implementation of their counter insurgency,” Apyag said.
He said that the right to participation of the children will never be exploitation.
“I think it is right for them to express their sentiments about their education because these youth strived hard to attain education,” Apyag said.
“Old and young are experiencing poverty and hunger well it’s a positive note that the youth nowadays should not be confined with facebook or tehnology like cellphone of tablet but they should also be aware on what is happening in the society,” Congressman Ariel Casilao, Anak Pawis Partylist representative said.
Casilao added that the problems present in the remote areas are inter-generation problem that should be face and conquered by the inter-generation.
