SurSur IP leaders: We won the fight on quality education for IPs

From the Philippine Information Agency (Sep 23, 2020): SurSur IP leaders: We won the fight on quality education for IPs

LIANGA, Surigao del Sur, Sept. 23 -- “We won the fight on having [access to] quality education.”

Lianga Indigenous People Mandatory Representative (IPMR) Hawudon Jumar Bucales and Lianga tribal chieftain Datu Constancio Duhac both said during the inauguration ceremony of the two Department of Education (DepEd) Schools of Living Traditions (SLT) on September 16, 2020.

The schools, located at Sitio Simowao, Diatagon village in Lianga town and Sitio Lucnodon, Brgy. Mahaba in Marihatag town, will replace the now-closed non-DepEd accredited schools Tribal Filipino Program in Surigao del Sur (TRIFPSS) and Alternative Learning Center for Agricultural and Livelihood Development, Inc. (ALCADEV), which are allegedly linked with the communist-terrorist group, National Peoples’ Army (NPA).

Lianga town native and Makabayan bloc Bayan Muna representative Eufemia Cullamat has opposed the establishment of DepEd accredited IP schools, accusing the government, particularly the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC), of depriving the education of the IPs upon the closure of both schools. Rep. Cullamat has also discredited the military’s Community Support Program (CSP) in the IP communities during the budget hearing in Congress.

Surigao Sur IP leaders, however, have been vocal in their support to the NTF-ELCAC, and have lambasted Cullamat and her cohorts and identified them as coddlers of NPAs.

“When the government addresses the root causes of insurgency and confronts the NPAs through combat operations, they oppose. But when it comes to NPA’s killings of innocent IP leaders and members, they have remained quiet. Cullamat and the Makabayan bloc simply [wants to] cover up the NPAs and discredit the government that is enforcing the laws against NPAs,” Datu Rico Maca, IPMR of San Miguel town said.

Surigao Sur IP leaders have sought the help of the Caraga Regional Task Force-ELCAC to abolish the said schools and replace them with DepEd IP schools, citing the TRIFPSS and ALCADEV train cadres of IP and non-IP residents in the area to become new members of the group.

Documents have also been recovered from previous encounters with the NPA, substantiating the links between the schools and the terrorist group in the province.

During the ceremony, BGen. Allan Hambala of the 401st Infantry Brigade said that the closure of the non-DepEd schools were in response to the resolutions of IP leaders, local government units (LGUs), and even the former rebels (FRs) who attended the said schools.

“The focus of our community support program in the communities is to identify the primary and secondary issues of the IPs so that the government will know how to help them. One of these is access to quality IP education, which is now being addressed by the RTF-ELCAC.”

Meanwhile, 3rd Special Forces “Arrowhead” Battalion Commander Lt. Col. Joey Baybayan on his message emphasized how to counter terrorism through education.

“The best weapon we can use to counter terrorism is to teach the children the genuine essence of peace. These DepEd IP schools will not only provide quality education but also the right values that can preserve and even develop the culture and tradition of our indigenous peoples,” said the army official.

The establishment of IP schools, spearheaded by DepEd Caraga, is a joint effort of the RTF-ELCAC, the Regional Peace and Order Council (RPOC), and the Regional Development Council (RDC), with the provincial government of Surigao del Sur. (Lt. Krisjuper Andreo Punsalan/PIA-Surigao del Sur)

https://pia.gov.ph/news/articles/1054003