Dreaming of My Homeland

Mindanao, the southernmost island in the Philippines, has long faced armed conflicts from various rebel factions. Violent encounters between the government troops and rebels have recently intensified, and this led to the declaration of military rule in the region. Thousands of Lumads, the indigenous peoples in the region, have evacuated their ancestral lands. Soldiers have occupied schools and used them as camps, forcing students and children out of the area. To flee from the violence, some of them evacuated to Manila, the capital city of the Philippines.