As Philippine military battalions closed in, shutting down schools, rounding up men and harassing women, Tungig Mansumuy had to make a tough decision: stay and protect their homes, or flee to save their lives and risk losing their land.
After discussions with other tribesmen, Mansumuy, the chief of a Lumad tribe in Mindanao Island, decided they had to leave and seek shelter until martial law was lifted and it was safe to return to their homes in Talaingod village.
A few men stayed behind to guard their homes, while the rest fled by foot in February, carrying few belongings as they made the two-day trek down the mountain, Mansumuy said.