Lumad schools have been the targets of a military vilification campaign by the government, saying those were being used as training centers for New People’s Army (NPA) communist rebels.
On Monday, February 15, Central Visayas Police, with the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) and the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), entered the University of San Carlos-Talamban Campus (USC), and took at least 26 people, both Lumad students and teachers, into custody.
According to Save Our Schools Network, the police “raided” the Lumad school and denied it was a “rescue” operation.
In October 2019, at least 55 Lumad schools operated by Salugpongan Ta’Tanu Igkanogon Community Learning Center Incorporated (STTICLCI) faced closure order from the Department of Education (DepEd) for their supposed failure to meet requirements. They were allegedly being used as training centers for the communist New People’s Army.
On Tuesday, February 16, Rappler education reporter Bonz Magsambol sits down with University of the Philippines Diliman professor Mon Sy, also a Bakwit School teacher, to talk about the plight and challenges of the Lumad students during the Duterte administration.
Watch the interview on Rappler on Tuesday night. – Rappler.com
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