‘Lumad’ plea: Build, don’t bomb, our schools

“Lumad” tribesmen perform a protest dance during President Duterte’s State of the Nation Address on Monday. —EDWIN BACASMAS

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY—A tribal leader in Northern Mindanao urged President Duterte to build more, instead of bomb, schools for the children of lumad, Mindanao’s indigenous people.

Higaonon tribal leader Jomorito Goaynon, regional chair of the tribal group Kalumbay, made the appeal after

Mr. Duterte threatened to bomb “communist-controlled” tribal schools.

“What [Mr.] Duterte said was unjust. It will only embolden government agents to commit more violations against the lumad people, especially now that we are under martial law,” Goaynon said.

“Instead of destroying our schools, the government should help us build more classrooms in areas that have no schools yet,” he said, adding 50 tribal communities in the region still had no schools.

But Armed Forces spokesperson Brig. Gen. Restituto Padilla assured indigenous people that the military had no intention to bomb schools and asked people to reevaluate the President’s remarks.

The military, Padilla said, interpreted the President’s remarks as an appeal to communist rebels to stop using schools to brainwash children against the government.

“He wants to communicate a strong position against those behind these illegal learning institutions. Whatever steps the Armed Forces needs to [take], we [will take] but not in that way,” Padilla said.

Second take

Mr. Duterte also stepped back from his threat and said on Thursday that he only wanted to liberate children from the clutches of hatred.

“I didn’t say I’d kill the children. Far from it, actually. I’ll free the children from perdition,” the President said when asked to clarify the threat he made after his State of the Nation Address on July 24.

“You [communist rebels] are perpetuating the violence in this country and I have to stop it. I have every reason to stop it because you [communist rebels] are producing another generation of haters,” Mr. Duterte said.

“Don’t try to fool me. You teach nothing there but socialism and killings,” he added, saying he would bomb such schools but only at night when the children had already left.

‘War crime’

But Human Rights Watch researcher Carlos Conde said bombing even unoccupied school buildings was still a violation of international humanitarian law and constituted a war crime.

Mr. Duterte should instead sign the 2015 Safe Schools Declaration, which committed  governments to protect students, teachers and schools in times of armed conflict, Conde said.

Padilla, however, said people should reassess the President’s remarks.

“You need to understand how our beloved President speaks,” he said.

“He will not bomb schools because there are children there,” he added.

“That is how we understand  the President and that is how we see and appreciate his comments. [It is] not intended to really destroy the community but to extend a very strong message,” he said.

Sorry state of education

Nonetheless, Goaynon said the President’s remark was lamentable, especially since the government did not even spend for these schools, which were mostly put up by Rural Missionaries of the Philippines (RMP).

Harassment

He said there were only about 64 tribal schools in Northern Mindanao with more than 3,000 students from the Higaonon, Talaandig, Bukidnon, Manobo, Matigsalug, Tigwahanon and Umayamnon tribes.

Many of these schools, Goaynon said, have already experienced harassment from security forces, who accuse them of being supporters of the communist New People’s Army (NPA).

A nongovernment organization, Save Our Schools Network, claimed the military was supposedly involved in at least 68 incidents since last July, but Padilla denied the claim.

Citing data from the Department of Education (DepEd), Assistant Communications Secretary Marie Banaag said schools put up by the DepEd, religious groups and civic groups usually complied with government regulations.

Left-leaning groups

But there are left-leaning groups in Mindanao that do not comply with regulations or refuse to get permits to operate.

Banaag identified the groups as Alternative Learning Center for Agriculture and Livelihood Development Inc. (Alcadev), and Center for Lumad Advocacy and Services Inc. (CLANS).

Banaag said Alcadev had no permit to operate and refused to get one, while CLANS had been given three months to comply with DepEd requirements. —LEILA B. SALAVERRIA, JIGGER JERUSALEM, KARLOS MANLUPIG AND WILLIAMOR MAGBANUA