PRIVILEGE SPEECH
Hon. RACHEL ZOZOBRADO
City Councilor
May 6, 2008

Honorable Vice Mayor Sara Z. Duterte, my Esteemed Colleagues in the 15th Council of the City of Davao, Department Heads, Barangay Officials, Sanggunian Employees, our friends in the media, Maayong Adlaw sa inyong tanan.

Just like the Honorable Kaloy Bello, I wish to speak up on a matter that has been out in the open since last week but has in fact been a lingering problem since time immemorial. I am rising on personal privilege and on behalf of a marginalized sector in our society---the IP's or the Indigenous People.

44-year old Dominador Diarog used to be the tribal chieftain of the Bagobo-Klata tribe until unidentified armed men took his life away at 9:15 in the evening of April 29, 2008. As per reports from Tugbok Precinct Commander Ireneo Dalugdog, Diarog and his family were inside their home in Manuel Guianga when their house was strafed by unknown gunmen, resulting to multiple gunshot wounds in the different parts of his body. During the same incident, his wife Emily as well as two of his ten children, an 8-year old and a 4-year, were also hit and had gunshot wounds in their body. Diarog and his family were immediately brought to the hospital but he did not survive.

Several Accusations and speculations have cropped out blaming different groups of suspects.

Neighbors and other witnesses allegedly told the police that one of the suspects in Diarog's murder, has offered to pay P50,000 for a 2-hectare lot owned by Diarog's family sometime in August 2007

Allegedly, Diarog refused saying "dili ko kay wala na man mi kapuy'an...." The same group allegedly followed up the offer in December 2007 and got the same negative response. In January this year, the suspect came back, this time with three armed men in tow and told Diarog that the P50,000 for the 2-hectare lot is ready. Allegedly, Diarog declined the offer once again. Thereafter, there were several attempts to burn down Diarog’s farmhouse; until their house was finally gutted by fire on April 20, 2008.

Then there is the statement that the Diarogs were allegedly members one supporters of the military and this could have angered the NPA’s, thus leading to the tragic April 29, 2008 incident.

Different angles, different speculation. One thing is certain, a total of 17 empty M-14 bullets were recovered from the area where the Diarog family was strafed. And a man, Datu Dominador Diarog, is dead.

Dominador Diarog belongs to an indigenous tribe that make up the tri-people of Davao and Mindanao. It is thus our responsibility not only as Dabawenyos but as a people to seek the truth behind the murder of Diarog and the wounding of his family. However, let us also be careful that while we seek justice for what happened to the Diarog family, we must not speculate. Thus, just like Councilor Bello did a few minutes ago, we call on a proper and impartial investigation so as not to put blame on the innocent.

In the meantime, let this incident be an eye opener on the plight of our lumads, on what they have to go through to protect their land. Let us all endeavor to adopt policies for the protection of the ancestral domain. For only then will justice be truly achieved, and then, perhaps, Datu Dominador Diarog shall not have died in vain.

Zozobrado calls for impartial investigation on Diarog murder

An impartial investigation on the murder of Bagobo-Klata chieftain Dominador Diarog should not be launched to make sure the perpetrators pay for the crime and keep innocent people’s name from being dragged into the controversy.

“We call on a proper and impartial investigation so as not to put blame on the innocent,” councillor Rachel Zozobrado said during a privilege speech delivered at the City Council.

Zozobrado said different angles of the story have come out in the media and even in the streets that it is time to finally ascertain the truth through an impartial investigation.

“Different angles, different speculation. One thing is certain---a total of 17 empty M-14 bullets were recovered from the area where the Diarog family was strafed,” she said. It is our responsibility to seek the truth behind the murder of Diarog, she added.

However, she said, “let us also be careful that while we seek justice for what happened to the Diarog family, we must not speculate.” Zozobrado said that the incident should be an eye opener on the plight of the lumads and what they have to go through to protect their ancestral land.

She has urged concerned government agencies to adopt policies for the protection of the ancestral domain.

Diarog was murdered last April 29 after their house was strafed by still unknown gunmen who also managed to wound his family including his wife Emily and two children ages 8 years old and 4 years old. Before that, unidentified people tried to burn his farm house three times and finally succeeded in burning down the farm house in the fourth attempt.

An influential person was allegedly forcing Diarog to sell his 2-hectare land for P50,000. Diarog’s land is located adjacent to the Jesus is Lord Prayer Mountain, the base of a religious group headed by Pastor Quiboloy.

Beef up protection for lumads-Zozobrado

Concerned government agencies should review their policies and programs to make sure that the indigenous peoples of Davao City are being provided the protection they need from unscrupulous people.

This was the call made by councilor Rachel Zozobrado as a result of the murder of Dato Dominador Diarog, tribal chieftain of the Bagobo-Klata tribe last April 29 after his family was strafed by unknown gunmen in their abode in Sitio Kahusayan, Barangay Manuel Guianga, Tugbok District.

“I am sure that the government is doing everything it can to protect all its citizens, including the lumads. However, considering what happened to Dato Diarog, the government can do more to beef up such protection,” Zozobrado said.

She said there is a government agency specifically mandated by law to formulate and implement policies related to the recognition, promotion and protection of the rights of the indigenous people. There are also laws regulating the purchase of properties classified as ancestral domains but it all boils down to proper implementation.

Initial investigation of the Tugbok Police District shows that the murder of Diarog may be related to a land issue specifically the farmland of Diarog which is near the compound of “Jesus Christ the Name Above Every Name”, a religious group headed by pastor Quiboloy.

Before his death, Diarog himself reported to the Tugbok Police about the three attempts to burn his house after he declined an offer for the purchase of his 2-hectare lot for a measly P50,000. The three attempts were foiled but the fourth once succeeded and managed to burn down his property.

Despite the “warnings”, Diarog did not budge and still refused to sell his land. The police are eyeing this angle as a possible motive for his murder and for the wounding of his wife Emily and two children ages 8 and 4.