Militant groups, IPs shut down Koronadal-Gen Santos highway
Local News • 23:34 PM Mon Jul 23, 2018
825
By:
Edwin O. Fernandez and Karl Mike Tabingo
KORONADAL CITY – Protesters belonging to Indigenous Peoples (IPS) who have been camping
in front of the regional office of the Department of Education (DepEd-12) here
has blocked the Koronadal City-Gen. Santos City highway from 11 to 12 noon
today in protest to Duterte administration failure to address their concern.
We shut down
the highway to protest government inaction on our demands, Timothy Romero,
speaking for the Lumads from South Cotabato and Sultan Kudarat, said.
Carrying
placards and streamers, the IPs including their children, shut down the highway
for about 45 minutes and torched a streamer bearing images of President
Duterte.
They also
chanted Duterte demonyo, Duterte pasista, Duterte berdugo, among others. Their
streamers call for an end to Martial Law in Mindanao and resumption of peace
talks between Manila and the Communist Party of the Philippines.
The protesters
were accompanied by militant group Karapatan-Soccsksargen demanding that DepEd
opened two IP schools in South Cotabato and Sultan Kudarat.
They have been
camping in front of DepEd regional office located at the entrance of Soccsksargen
Government Regional Center in Barangay Carpenter Hill, Koronadal City since
July 1.One of the IP
protesters, Pakingan A. Gantangan, 54 of Barangay Hinalaan, Kalamansig, Sultan
Kudarat, died of cardiac arrest Sunday while in the protest site. His coffin
was displayed at DepEd Regional Office building entrance. Image may contain 1 person standing and sitting sand//scontent.fcgy1-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/37643374_1744783278961807_5633575346507874304_n.jpg?_nc_cat=0andampoh=92249814ee0487b478e193e71e9e5ed5andampoe=5BCE5210