Counterinsurgency program to deprive 3,000 lumads of education

Bakit wala pa ring statement si Secretary Luistro tungkol dito? Tila wala siyang malasakit sa mga lumad. 3,000 students?! Hindi na dapat itong pinag-iisipan pa. Dapat walang school closure na magaganap. May kakulangan na nga sa eskwelahan kahit sa kalunsuran. Paano na sa mga kabundukan kung saan naninirahan ang mga lumad? Hindi acceptable ang itatayong eskwelahan na military ang may hawak. Bakit military? Andami na ngang education graduate ang walang trabaho. Anong klaseng pagtuturo ang gagawin ng mga sundalo? Eh puro pananakot at pandarahas na nga ang nararanasan ng mga lumad sa kamay ng mga sundalo tapos sila pa ang maghahandle ng eskwelahan? Mas masahol pa sa Martial Law itong Oplan Bayanihan ni Aquino! Secretary Luistro, magsalita ka na!

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3,000 to be affected by shut down of Lumad schools

By Dennis Carcamo
June 1, 2015
The Philippine Star

MANILA, Philippines — Almost 3,000 Lumad students would be adversely affected after Lumad community schools in Davao del Norte are now at risk of being closed down, a group claimed.

During a rally in front of the Department of Education (DepEd) main office in Pasig City, members of the Save Our Schools Network (SOS Net) and rights group Karapatan claimed that education officials have colluded with the military threatened to shut down Salugpongan Ta'Tanu Igkanugon Community Learning Center and MISFI Academy schools.

The militants claimed that DepEd Davao del Norte Superintendent Josephine Fadul in a letter dated May 12 to DepEd Region XI Director Alberto Escobarte, endorsed the closure of lumad schools and requested for permission to install a public school which will have military personnel as para-teachers.

Prior to this, schools and communities have been harassed by soldiers under the 60th and 68th Infantry Battalion of the Philippine Army have been documented and reported to the SOS network since 2011, the protesters said.

Thirteen new violations have transpired since January up to May of this year alone, affecting 4,309 students and 41 teachers, the groups added.

Kharlo Manano, SOS lead convenor and secretary-general of Salinlahi Alliance for Children's Concerns said that since 2011, numerous dialogues with different level officials have been pursued by students, teachers and the school administration after cases of military attacks derailed the operation of their learning institutions.
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Manano also said that while Education Secretary Armin Luistro and President Benigno Aquino III are bent on implementing the K-12 program, they continue to turn a blind eye to the clamor of Lumad children for access to education.

"They are not K-12 ready. Instead, what they are truly ready for is the further disenfranchisement of Lumad children's right to education," he added.

SOS reiterated its call to immediately pull out military and para-military elements in all Lumad schools.

"These schools should continue to operate and provide much-needed educational services to indigenous peoples communities, without any threat of military occupation or closure," he said.

A simultaneous protest was also held at the Region XI office in Davao City.

The military earlier denied such allegations, saying that the local leaders wanted the MISFI teachers out of the communities.