LOOK: Lumad students stage protest as House hears DepEd’s budget

Lumad students protested outside the House of Representatives, calling for the re-opening of their schools while Education Secretary Leonor Briones presents DepEd’s budget for 2020. Briones ordered the closure of 55 Lumad schools in July, upon recommendations from security officials who claimed that students were being taught revolutionary ideas. Photo from Bayan Muna

MANILA, Philippines – Several Lumad leaders and students from the Save Our Schools (SOS) Network staged a protest outside the South Gate of the House of Representatives on Tuesday as the 2020 budget of the Department of Education (DepEd) was being discussed.

Photos sent to reporters by party-list group Bayan Muna showed Lumad students calling on DepEd to allow the schools for indigenous people in Mindanao to reopen, after the department ordered the closure of 55 schools last July.

“Kasabay ng Budget Hearing ng DepEd […] maglulunsad ang SOS Network kasama ang mga estudyante at guro ng mga paaralang Lumad upang singilin si Secretary Briones bilang aktibong kabahagi ng Whole of Nation Approach ng  rehimeng Duterte na nagbubunsod ng matinding pag-atake sa mga paaralang Lumad sa Mindanao,” a statement from Bayan Muna said.

“Bahagi rin sa kokondenahin ng grupo ang isyu ng korapsyon at iresponsableng paggamit ng pondo ng ahensya,” they added.

The schools were ordered closed based on recommendations from National Security Adviser Germogenes Esperon Jr., who claimed that the schools were being used to teach communist ideology and were encouraging the use of violence against government.  /muf

Photo from Bayan Muna

Photo from Bayan Muna

Photo from Bayan Muna

READ: DepEd shuts down 55 ‘lumad’ schools

READ: Lumad teacher refutes accusations of teaching rebel ideas to students