Militiamen threaten to kill 4, burn down Lumad school in Davao Norte

Talaingod, Davao del Norte (Google maps)

DAVAO CITY – Members of a paramilitary group have allegedly threatened to burn a Lumad school in Davao del Norte if they fail to find and kill the people they have been looking for.

The Save Our Schools Network said that four members of the paramilitary group Alamara threatened on Tuesday, to burn the Salugpungan community school in Sitio Dulyan, Barangay Palma Gil in Talaingod town.

The network said the paramilitary men were looking for student Lando Dalin and PTCA members Benancio Dalin, Benjo Bay-ao and Nonoy Dawsay.

“They threatened to burn the Salugpongan Community school if they are not able to kill at least one of the four people,” the network said.

Classes have been suspended in the school and the villagers have gathered in the school to defend it.

The same community has been the target of many attacks in the past, causing several deaths and evacuations of many families.

The alleged threat came a day after President Duterte, in a press conference after his State of the Nation Address on Monday, threatened to bomb lumad schools for allegedly operating illegally and for teaching subversion in support of the communist rebellion.

The schools denied the accusations and explained that they have been were working with the Department of Education’s Indigenous Peoples’ Education Program (IPED) that has been working to combat illiteracy in the indigenous communities.  SFM