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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider 'No coordination': USC says police did not coordinate controversial Lumad 'rescue op'

'No coordination': USC says police did not coordinate controversial Lumad 'rescue op'

Published Feb 16, 2021 06:11 pm

For the University of San Carlos (USC) and the Societas Verbi Divini (SVD) Philippines Southern Province, there was no justification for the “unauthorized entry” of police forces inside their campus.

USC President Narciso Cellan, Jr. in an interview over DZBB on Tuesday, Feb. 16, said that there was “no coordination” that took place and they were surprised when the policemen barged at the Talamban campus in Cebu on Monday, Feb. 15.

“There was no coordination - in any form - because I did not receive anything in my office,” Cellan said in Filipino. “They did not inform us so when the police came in, fully armed, our guards and personnel could not do anything anymore,” he added.

Along with some parents, officers from the Police Regional Office in Central Visayas (PRO-7) conducted an operation to “rescue” Lumads who were staying in a retreat house under USC SVD. Cellan said that if only the police forces coordinated with them, then the “children could have been spared from such a traumatic experience.”

Cellan explained that the children were already there since April. They were supposedly preparing to go back to their respective homes when the lockdowns were enforced in the province.

“When the restrictions were eased, we started to send them home by batches,” Cella said. In fact, he noted that there was already a first batch of students who were sent home.

“What’s surprising for us is that when the police showed up, they were with the parents,” Cellan said. “How did the police find out that the parents were coming here, if we were informed, we would allow the parents to see their children even without the presence of the police,” he added.

Based on the reports, the supposed “rescue operations” was held because the Lumads were allegedly held captive by militant groups and are being brainwashed to be combative.

This was denied by Cellan. “That would be the last thing that we, USC and SVD, would want to happen to these children because we don’t believe in armed struggle, we don’t believe in violence,” he added.

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