Suspension of Lumad schools in Davao
Sen. Leila De Lima is seeking Senate hearings on the government's suspension of the operations of 55 Lumad schools to ensure that the Lumad children are not deprived of their right to education because of the ongoing efforts of the government against the New People's Army."
De Lima, in a release through her office, said that the schools serve as avenues for the education in indigenous people's communities that are in remote areas.
"These places have also become alternatives to mainstream institutions that tend to downgrade IP culture," she says.
"There is [a] need to ensure that the right of the Lumads, as a recognized IP group in the Philippines, to protect their ancestral lands, as well as their right to preserve their culture and way of life, are duly considered in determining the appropriate education for their children," she says in Senate Resolution No. 34.
The Commission on Human Rights raises its concern over the Department of Education's suspension order against 55 Lumad schools in Davao, saying the move affects children who are also indigenous peoples, recognized as among the country's most vulnerable sectors.
"While we recognise the need to address security issues, the allegation that the said Lumad schools are training ground for 'rebels' still require substantial pieces of evidence and due process," CHR spokesperson Jacqueline Ann de Guia says in a statement.
"We reiterate our reminder against using blanket labels, which can endanger the safety of the communities and make them vulnerable to attacks and harassment. In the face of conflict, children should be seen as zones of peace, consistent with the passage of Republic Act No. 11188, also known as the Special Protection of Children in Situations of Armed Conflict law, which protects children from all forms of abuse and violence."
EXPLAINER: A look at the new law on protecting children during armed conflict
Samahan ng Progresibong Kabataan condemns the order of the Department of Education in the Davao region suspending operations of 55 Lumad schools for allegedly being used for the recruitment of communist rebels, saying the move was based on unfounded allegations.
The Lumad schools were originally set up to serve indigenous peoples' communities in Geographically Isolated and Disadvantaged Areas—places that may be beyond the reach of government services.
"Instead of treating Salugpungan Ta’ Tanu Igkanogon Community Learning Centers as partners in the noble deed of educating the marginalized youth in far-flung communities, it is the DepEd that is easing them out when they have no personnel and facilities in these communities –miserably failing in their mandate despite the increase of allocation from the national budget," the group also says.
"The closure of Lumad schools also contradicts Duterte’s whole-of-nation approach in addressing the decades-long insurgency issue. Dont they know that it is precisely the lack of social services that incites the poor to bear arms against an elitist, corrupt and incompetent government?"
The regional office of the Department of Education in Davao has ordered the suspension of operations of 55 Lumad schols of the Salugpongan Ta’Tanu Igkanogon Community Learning Center Inc. for supposedly teaching "left-leaning" ideologies.
Education Secretary Leonor Briones, in an interview on ANC, says the schools' operations have been suspended because the schools do not have permits to operate. She says only 11 of the schools have applied for a new permit to operate for this year.
"Last year, none of the 55 were issued permits to operate because they could not comply with the requirements," she says.
"We have our own regulations, and we have been issuing permits for many private schools," she also says.
She adds the DepEd has also build schools in the areas where the Lumad schools are.
"We have been receiving complaints from various groups, even from the local government and the peace and order council of Davao City asking us to close the school," she says.
- Latest
- Trending
