Anti-mining protesters in South Cotabato cry harassment | Sun.Star.

By Bong S. Sarmiento
April 22, 2012

KORONADAL CITY — Hundreds of protesters in South Cotabato cried harassment Sunday after two pick-up vehicles blocked their way to the development site of the foreign-backed Sagittarius Mines Inc. (SMI) in Tampakan town.

Ryan Lariba, spokesman of Bagong Alyansang Makabayan in the Soccsksargen Region, tagged SMI and the military as behind the blockade of the solidarity mission caravan.

“This is plain harassment, we only want to peacefully air our support to the lumads (indigenous peoples) who are against the Tampakan mining project,” Lariba said.

But Lieutenant Colonel Alexis Noel Bravo, 27th Infantry Battalion commander, denied Lariba’s allegation, saying he strictly ordered his troops deployed in the mines development site to stay on their detachment.

“It’s the IP (indigenous peoples) supportive of the Tampakan project that blocked the road. We have no troops in the roads,” Bravo said.

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