ILIGAN CITY (MindaNews/12 October) -- A civil society-led fact-finding mission was launched today to document human rights violations inflicted on civilians during the armed attacks and recent clashes in the provinces of  Lanao del Norte, Lanao del Sur, North Cotabato, Maguindanao and Shariff Kabunsuan.

The fact-finding mission, composed of 48 representatives from non-government and religious groups from Manila and Mindanao, has been organized by Task Force Civilian Protection of Salam Inc., Mindanao Peoples Peace Movement (MPPM) and the Alyansa ng Mamayan Para sa Karapatang Pantao. 

Elizabeth Padilla, executive director of Salam Inc. told reporters that the fact-finding mission is aimed at looking into the “veracity of data and validate reports gathered regarding human rights violations (HRVs) committed by both parties; expose actual events and HRVs committed by both parties through media conferences; to continuously monitor, document and expose unfolding events brought by this continuing armed conflict; to facilitate the filing of legal actions such HRV cases to proper bodies; and to lobby to the national and international bodies for indemnifications and reparation to the victims of HRVs.”

Padilla said that the FFM team will  also meet officials of the Armed Forces of the Philippines  and the Central Committee of the MILF.

Janel Peson, program officer of Lanao Alliance of Human Rights Advocates (LAHRA) said the investigations will also include alleged distributions of firearms to civilians and the attempts to engage civilians in warfare against the MILF rebels.

“The fact finding will ultimately lead to pinpoint who are accountable to the atrocities done to civilian communities (Moro and settlers alike),” said lawyer Virgie Pinak of the Citizens Peace Watch, a network of 23 non-government organizations based in Manila. 

Pinak said there is human rights violation when civilians are deprived of their dwellings, when residents are deprived of doing their  economic activities; when children are stopped from going to school.

“We wish to know how many are affected,” she said.

“It will also uncover what the government is doing to victimized communities,” Pinak said, adding that “we cannot allow civilians caught in the armed confrontations to be always considered as collateral damage.”  

The teams will go around the five conflict-affected  towns of Lanao del Norte on October 12 to 14 and will be in Cotabato on the 15-17^th. 

A press conference has been scheduled in Cotabato City on October 18. (Violeta M. Gloria/MindaNews)

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