From theWebsite of MILF
Article links http://www.luwaran.com/news/article/3114/teduray-leader-ambushed-in-maguindanao-del-sur--south-upi-mayor-cries-for-justice-
SOUTH UPI, Maguindanao del Sur – A prominent Teduray leader was ambushed and killed on Friday, July 25, in Barangay Romongaob, South Upi, Maguindanao del Sur, sparking outrage and renewed calls for justice for the escalating violence against non-Moro indigenous peoples (NMIPs) in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).
Nickasio Tayas Mindo, a former councilman of Barangay Pilar in South Upi, succumbed to fatal injuries after still unidentified gunmen attacked him and his wife, Jenelyn Mutia Gunsi Mindo, a dedicated teacher, in broad daylight. Mrs. Mindo sustained serious wounds and is currently undergoing treatment in an undisclosed hospital.
South Upi Mayor Helen Benito, herself a Teduray who lost her brother, Vice Mayor Roldan Benito, to a similar ambush last year, vehemently condemned the killing.
“It is with great sorrow and outrage that we condemn in the strongest terms the brutal ambush that claimed the life of Mr. Nickasio Tayas Mindo, a respected farmer and former Barangay Kagawad of Pilar, and seriously wounded his wife, Mrs. Jenelyn Mutia Gunsi Mindo, a dedicated teacher at Saramuray Elementary School,” Mayor Benito said in a statement released on Saturday.
She described the attack as a "senseless act of violence" and "a direct affront to the peace and order that we tirelessly strive to uphold in our community here in South Upi and the Bangsamoro." Mindo was laid to rest on Saturday in Sitio Saramuray, Barangay Pilar.
Mayor Benito urged the South Upi police and other law enforcement agencies to exert all efforts to swiftly bring the perpetrators to justice, asserting that “Violence has no place in our municipality, and we will not allow fear and lawlessness to reign.”
The latest killing has amplified concerns among indigenous communities, who highlight a disturbing pattern of unsolved attacks. Timuay Labi Letecio Datuwata, Timuay Justice and Governance supreme chieftain, lamented that all cases of killings of Teduray-Lambangian leaders, local officials, and ordinary farmers since the BARMM's creation in 2019 have remained unresolved.
The Teduray Youth group echoed this sentiment, expressing outrage over what they describe as "seemingly endless violence against Non-Moro indigenous peoples in South Upi." The group reported that 29 IP leaders and farmers have been killed in South Upi alone since 2019. These victims are part of a larger statistic of 93 individuals slain in Maguindanao del Sur and Maguindanao del Norte since 2019.
“Despite this huge number, justice remains elusive and the perpetrators remain scot-free… Where is justice?” the Teduray Youth group's statement concluded, underscoring the deep frustration and plea for accountability from the indigenous communities.
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