CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY – A 42-year-old woman and a farmer organizer were injured when unidentified gunmen opened fire at a group of indigenous people (IP) during a visit by presidential aspirant Leody de Guzman Tuesday in the Bukidnon town of Quezon.
Major Noel Cano, chief of the Quezon Municipal Police Station (QMPS), identified the victim as Charita del Socorro of Barangay Butong, Quezon.
De Guzman, in an earlier Twitter post, identified the other injured victim as Nanie Abella, a farmer organizer in Mindanao.
De Guzman was with fellow party mates, senatorial candidates Roy Cabonegro and David D’ Angelo, when the incident occurred.
They joined a group of Manobo-Pulangihon IPs who confided with De Guzman about the land-grabbing issues of their ancestral domains.
Initial investigation by the QMPS said the IP groups involved were tribal petitioners who entered the premises of the Kiantig Pineapple Company, and were there with De Guzman and his partymates when the shooting occurred.
D’Angelo posted a 33-minute video on social media showing their interactions with the IP groups, including the instance when they heard a series of gunshots. People were seen scampering for safety in the video.
According to De Guzman, the ancestral land is being claimed by a politician. He did not elaborate.
“We don’t understand why can’t the (local) government implement the law (that gives the IPs the right to claim the land) when it’s clear they have all the documents,” the presidential aspirant said. (PNA)
Source: Philippines News Agency
