PH Catholic leader asks military to stop meddling in indigenous communities

The leader of the Catholic Church in the Philippines appealed to the military to leave the persecuted Lumad or indigenous communities in the southern island of Mindanao, and at the same time urged paramilitary groups to lay down their arms to ensure peace in these communities. It was one of the strongest statements made by Manila Archbishop Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle as church leader. His presence in Liwasang Bonifacio in Manila – where the indigenous people are camping out – is striking in itself because he does not usually attend protest movements, much less speak in these events. Earlier, the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) also dared the Aquino administration to investigate the Lumad killings in Mindanao despite the alleged culprits’ links with the government.

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