IFPA calls on gov’t to amend Charter

SOUTH UPI, Maguindanao — The obscure Indigenous People’s Federal Army (IFPA) called on the national government the other day to amend the Charter to allow extensive involvement of the country’s tribal folk in exercising their "right to self-determination" and maximize the efforts of preserving their ancestral lands, culture and traditions.

For the first time ever, the IFPA, led by a core of educated Tirurays, Manobos, Tibolis and Bilaans, among them Roger Adamat, who was tagged as behind the bomb scare in Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao early this year to dramatize the group’s bid for a federal state for the country’s indigenous people, showed force before selected journalists in a jungle hideout here.

"We are calling on the national government to focus more attention on the plight of Southern Mindanao’s cultural communities and involve its leaders in the formulation of laws aimed at protecting their right to ancestral domain, cultures and tradition," said the group’s spokesman, who hid his identity by using Adrev as nom de guerre.

Adrev told reporters they now have "defense forces" ready to carry out a struggle for recognition of the rights of Mindanao’s indigenous folk to self-determination.

"There is now a social volcano in this part of the country that is ready to erupt if the government does not do anything and will continue to ignore the sentiments of its indigenous folk," Adrev said.

"We have decided to come out in the open now to let Malacañang know that the IFPA is existent and has a fighting force ready to defend the ancestral land of its people," Adrev said.

According to Adrev, the IFPA, which is "fighting for culture, race and ancestral lands," is urging President Arroyo to initiate amendments to the Constitution to legalize the setting up of separate federal governments for the indigenous people, the Muslims and the Christians. "And the government must have enough political will to do all of these," Adrev said.

The IFPA’s heavily armed fighters that appeared here before journalists were composed largely of ethnic Tirurays, mostly armed with M-14 and M-16 assault rifles and clad in black fatigues bearing the insignia of their organization.

In a written statement, the IFPA said one reason that drove its members to organize themselves into an armed faction is the continuing displacement of natives from their ancestral lands due to the continuing encroachment of outsiders.

"And there is nothing that protects the indigenous people from this problem," the IFPA said.

"We are continuously being driven beyond endurance to the mountains, we cannot allow these to happen anymore," the IFPA pointed.