Shots were reported fired on Tuesday, April 19, during a visit of presidential candidate Leody de Guzman to a tribal community in the province of Bukidnon.
The Manila Times reported that authorities were already investigating the incident in the village of Butong in the town of Quezon.
“We need to know first the motive, the reason behind it. Who are behind them and the personalities involved so far there are no suspects,” said Police BGen. Roderick Alba of the police public information office.
De Guzman’s party said the presidential candidate was in the province to help the Indigenous Peoples Manobo-Pulangiyon reclaim their ancestral lands.
The political party said at least two people, including a tribal leader, were hurt in the incident.
In a statement, human rights group Karapatan condemned the incident, saying that the act of violence “is not merely a flagrant violation of election gun bans” but “a shameless attack which clearly aims to intimidate” the Indigenous People.
“That this attack was committed in broad daylight speaks of the brazenness and impunity enjoyed by its perpetrators as well as of other cases of land-grabbing against indigenous communities in Mindanao,” read the group’s statement.
Karapatan called on the Commission on Elections “to immediately investigate” the incident. “The perpetrators of this incident should be held accountable,” said the group.
“We also call on all candidates in the upcoming elections and all freedom-loving Filipinos to condemn this attack and to stand in solidarity with our indigenous brethren in their struggle for their rights to their ancestral domains and self-determination, and in asserting the call for free, safe, and fair elections,” it added.
De Guzman, a Filipino socialist labor rights activist, is running for president in the coming election. He was the former president and currently the chairperson of the labor group Bukluran ng Manggagawang Pilipino.
