Closure of lumad school in SoCot sought

From the Philippine News Agency (Sep 25): Closure of lumad school in SoCot sought

An Army official has called for the immediate closure of a lumad or tribal school in a remote village in Banga town in South Cotabato that is allegedly run by New People’s Army (NPA) rebels.

Lt. Col. Benjamin Leander, commander of the Army’s 27th Infantry Battalion, said Monday the school has reportedly been operating for several months at sitio Lamno, Barangay Lam-afus in Banga.

Citing information from concerned residents, he said teachers at the tribal school were allegedly teaching students with “revolutionary ideas” as well as anti-government propaganda.

Its students were from various indigenous peoples or IP communities in Banga town and the neighboring areas, he said.

Leander said some of the students are reportedly from Malita town in Davao del Sur, and in Bagumbayan, Lebak and Kalamansig towns in Sultan Kudarat.

“It is clearly a revolutionary school set up to influence our IPs to take up arms against the government,” he said.

The official said the school was put up by rebels under its Front 73 during the two quarters of unilateral ceasefire declared by the national government to give way to the peace negotiations with the communist–led National Democratic Front.

President Rodrigo R. Duterte scrapped the peace process last July following a series of attacks staged by the NPA.

During the period, Leander said the rebels intensified its recruitment activities in the province, especially among IPs in Banga town, and with their extortion activities.

Proof of the organized activities were the recovery these past months of improvised explosives in several areas in Banga town, he said.

Owing to this, Leander asked the Department of Education and concerned agencies like the Department of Social Welfare and Development to verify whether the school holds proper permits and licenses to operate.

He said they should also check whether the students, who are all minors, have consents from their parents to enrol at the school.

“If not, then it is only proper for the government to close down this school,” he said.

He urged the local government unit of Banga and the provincial government of South Cotabato to look into the matter and not allow any “revolutionary school” to operate in the area.

http://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1010640