Ang hindi ko maintindihan, bakit pinag-iinitan ng military ang eskwelahan ng mga lumad? Nagpapatunay ba ito na wala talagang ibang hangad ang estadong ito kundi panalitihing mangmang ang mga lumad para madali silang lokohin upang maibenta lang sa mga dayuhan ang mga minerales at iba pang likas-yaman sa kanilang ancestral domain?
Bakit tatawaging mga rebelde ang mga teachers na piniling maglingkod sa mga katutubong matagal ng pinagkaitan ng gobyerno ng serbisyong sosyal? Dahil ba sila ay komokontra sa agos ng burgis na kulturang ang gustong palaganapin ay indibidwalismo? Hindi ba dapat pa ngang purihin ang mga teachers na ito dahil sa kanilang sakripisyo para sa mga lumad?
Bakit ganito ang gobyerno ni Aquino?
Nagtatanong,
Che
Education woes
By Ma. Cecilia BadianMay 26, 2015
Mindanao Times
Del Norte lumads ‘move up’ in city
LIFE has become a constant battle for the Ata-Manobo children of Gupitan, Kapalong, Davao del Norte.
Through sounds of war nearby, the quiet community has become a witness to skirmishes between soldiers and NPA rebels, with explosions easily mistaken for bombs that threatened their homes.
For people so used to silence, the sound of firepower raining down from helicopters to ground targets scar not only ground but also memory.
In April last year, hundreds of lumads from Davao del Norte escaped to the city and demanded the pullout of military troops stationed to fend off an insurgency, dating back decades, at the hinterlands.
A year later, the lumads would once again seek the sanctuary of the nearby city, as the battlegrounds have encroached their school grounds.
“Ang akong damgo sa kinabuhi kay mahimong maestro para makatabang sa mga laing lumad (I dream of being a teacher to my fellow IPs),” Alvin said. “Pa-unsa nalang nako pagkab-ot sa akong damgo kung ila ming gina-babagan? (But how do I get there when they stop us from doing so?)”
According to Alvin, paramilitary group Alamara has been on the hunt for NPA sympathizers in the area, tagging even children who were on their way to school.
The pupils from the school have been reportedly blocked by elements of the AFP from attending their moving up ceremony because of being suspected as NPA members.
And so they sought the comfort of another city.
Alvin is one of around 200 pupils from Kapalong town participating in the Moving Up Ceremony held at Almendras Gym yesterday afternoon.
The students decided to hold the ceremony here, prevented on their own turf from shifting from one school grade to another.
No answers
Save Our Schools (SOS) network said that the Department of Education in Davao Region has not answered their complaint against the AFP in connection to the alleged series of attacks on schools in Davao del Norte.
Rius Valle, spokesperson of SOS, earlier said they filed a complaint since the military has violated Republic Act 7610 or the “The Special Protection of Children Against Child Abuse, Exploitation and Discrimination Act.”
He cited that “public infrastructure such as schools, hospitals and rural health units shall not be utilized for military purpose such as command post, barracks, detachments, and supply depots.”
On the defensive
However, Lt. Vergel Lacambra, information officer of 10th infantry Division, dismissed the allegations of the SOS.
“There is no truth in allegations of the Save Our Schools (SOS) against our soldiers,” said Lacambra, adding that “The Municipal Tribal Council of Elders memorandums for the closure of Salugpongan Ta’Tanu Igkanogon Community Learning Center (STTICLC) in Talaingod dated 25 April 2015 and 04 May 2015 have affirmed the perilous teachings of the school to the pupils.”
“It is sad to note that the former students who become victims of deceptions and witnesses of the school revealed that they were being indoctrinated to revolt against the government by joining the rebels,” Lacambra said.
Lacambra cited that on April 23, Dr. Josephine L Fadul, the School Division Superintendent of the Department of Education of Davao del Norte recommended implementing the closure of the STTICLC and the creation of a public high school in Butay, Talaingod as agreed during the Regional Intelligence Committee meeting.
“The right of education is the primary concern of our youth today. This is our common demand which we have to work into, giving the “right” education for our children: our soldiers are actively participating in the alternative learning system (ALS) of the government, Brigada Eskwela, project shoebox, and mini-library programs for children. We are your legitimate Army and we are not capable of harming our children,” Lacambra said.
Schoolground access, but…
Department of Education regional director Alberto Escobarte said Monday that the complaint of the schools in Talaingod had not yet reached his office.
The regional director admitted, however, that military personnel were allowed to hold meetings within school facilities.
He requested the personnel to leave their firearms outside the property so that the pupils would not be scared off by their presence.
This was not the first time that residents from Talaingod have complained about alleged military abuses in their own hometown.
In April last year, hundreds of Manobos evacuated from Talaingod to Davao City, fearing they would get caught in the crossfire between the AFP and the NPA.
The Manobos camped out at the UCCP Haran property, at Fr. Selga street, and demanded the military pullout from several hamlets in the area.
MindaNews reported that these were 10 sitios, namely Bayabas, Sazo, Pong-pong, Nasilaban, Dulyan, Nalubas, Bagang, Lasakan, Sambolongan and Bogni.
AFP troops reportedly camped out at several schools in the area, allegedly disrupting classes and scaring away teachers and students alike from holding classes.
The local governments of both Davao City and Davao del Norte eventually stepped in, with Davao City Mayor Rodrigo R. Duterte speaking with representatives from the schools as well as members of the military.
Duterte warned military personnel to stay away from the schools and guaranteed he would personally intervene if he hears another report of troopers using the schools as encampments.
Duterte and Davao del Norte governor Rodolfo del Rosario, meanwhile, coordinated the return of the bakwits to their homes, weeks later and after much convincing from the government here.
During their brief campout in the city, the City Health Office and City Social Services and Development Office here reported there were instances of sickness during the encampment as hundreds of families, their pets and farm animals included, huddled inside tight tents awaiting help from those who would give it.
“The indigenous people have been neglected,” Gabriela Partylist representative Luz Ilagan said at yesterday’s Kapehan sa SM. “Save our Schools is really a campaign to draw attention to the deprived indigenous children.”
According to teacher Ricky Balilid, they were sent to Gupitan to teach the children in Sitio Muling. However, they were accused by the AFP personnel that they were teachers of the rebels, too.
“We have been harrased and threatened,”Balilid said.
At least 50 students dropped out from last year’s head count by the end of the academic year after reports of harassment from military troops.
From 188 enrollees at one of the schools, at the end of the year, the number would drop to 131.
The lumads have started trickling into the city seeking shelter since April this year. Along the way, some of them have held concerts lamenting the situation in the uplands.
According to Alvin, this, too, was a more welcome alternative. What better sound indeed was there to hear than the symphonies of music instead of the noises of war?
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