Classes resume in 34 schools affected by military operations in Maguindanao

COTABATO CITY—After days of being disrupted, classes in the 34 schools in Maguindanao, which were directly affected by the massive military operation in the province, had resumed, officials said on Saturday.

Jamar Kulayan, secretary of the Department of Education in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, said among the schools where classes had resumed were the nine that served as evacuation centers.

“Classes in evacuation centers have resumed. Evacuees would vacate the buildings during daytime and return in the evening,” Kulayan said.

He said because of this, the closing and graduation ceremonies would push through as scheduled.

“Tentatively, commencement exercises are scheduled on March 25 to 28,” he told reporters here.

Adulatip Tandel, principal of the Timbangan Elementary School in Shariff Aguak town, said their pupils were also optimistic about their graduation rites that they have been practicing the drill.

Tandel spoke to reporters here as some 100 graduating pupils made use of the dilapidated covered multi-purpose hall as they rehearsed for the commencement exercise in the school.

The rehearsal was conducted as some 1,200 evacuees also watched.

“Our classes here continue with the evacuees vacating classrooms during the day and reoccupy them at night time,” Tandel said in Filipino.

Across the 11 towns affected by the all-out war, Kulayan said at least 19,000 pupils and students had been displaced as well.

Kulayan also said the National Achievement Test for graduating students went on smoothly on Thursday.

ARMM Gov. Mujiv Hataman said the resumption of classes would prevent education from being collateral damage to the all-out offensive against the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF), which started on Feb. 27.

He said despite reports of sporadic firefight in interior areas, the situation in most of the 11 towns included in the operation had normalized.

As this developed, the military said it suffered nine injuries on Friday as ground assault continued against the BIFF in separate areas of Datu Piang and Datu Saudi towns.

Capt. Jo-Ann Petinglay, spokesperson of the military’s 6th Infantry Division, however, said operating troops under the Joint Task Force Central captured four suspected BIFF members and recovered an area the gunmen had encamped.

Petinglay said the offensive started in the villages of Dabunayan and Liab in Datu Piang around 2:50 a.m., sparking sporadic fighting that lasted until late afternoon.

She said the wounded soldiers sustained injuries from the firefight and were immediately evacuated for proper medical attention.

A group of huts the BIFF occupied and transformed into a small encampment in the vicinity of Barangay Liab had been recovered and four suspected gunmen—identified as 22-year-old Aladin Panaydan; Daud Balogat, 23; Ebrahim Oraw, 40; and Abdul Madalidaw—had been taken into custody, Petinglay said.

She said soldiers also seized a .45-cal. pistol, a .45- cal. Thompson sub-machine gun, ammunition, improvised explosive device paraphernalia, four mobile phones and several documents from the suspects.

“The capture of the camps only proves that the BIFF is involved in the manufacture of IEDs and is establishing strongholds in the different areas within the vicinity of the Salibo, Pagatin, Mamasapano and Shariff Aguak (SPMS) box,” Petinglay said.

Maj. Gen. Edmundo Pangilinan, Task Force Central Commander, said that the rules of engagement were strictly observed by the ground forces during the entire operation to ensure that no civilians were harmed.

Pangilinan added that the soldiers were also “upholding the human rights of the captured rebels even if they are enemies of the state.”

Meanwhile, the arrested BIFF men were immediately given medical attention while coordination with the local police force was already established for the filing of cases against them. Edwin Fernandez, Jeoffrey Maitem, Karlos Manlupig and Charlie Señase