Manila, July 16 -- Even as militant groups on Wednesday reiterated calls for the reversal of the court ruling that found the "Talaingod 13" guilty of child abuse under Republic Act (RA) 7610, a ranking National Task Force Against Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) executive said the court decision is a "victory" not only for Lumad communities in Mindanao but for all Indigenous Peoples (IPs) in the country.

"For more than three decades, many Lumad communities have been treated as pawns by the Communist Party of the Philippines - New People's Army - National Democratic Front (CPP-NPA-NDF) and its legal machinery, drawn into an ideological and political agenda that did not serve their long-term welfare," NTF-ELCAC executive director Unde...