Article by: Madison Wuu
Visual by: Chiara Valenzuela
Since October 2018, dozens of indigenous youth from Mindanao (known as “Lumad”) have been forced to take refuge within the confines of Metro Manila’s University of the Philippines (UP). This is mainly due to intensified abuse perpetrated by the military after the imposition of Martial Law in Mindanao back in May 2017. The start of the Duterte administration commenced in the year 2016. Shortly after he was elected, Martial Law was declared on May 23, 2017.
The Save Our Schools NGO, a national network of child rights advocates, has recorded a total of 43 total cases of soldiers using schools as encampments. However, education is a main priority. The launch of Lumad schools has promoted cultural preservation and mentored students in the Philippines. Derived from the community’s core values and culture, Lumad schools in Mindanao are generally established by NGOs in far-flung, inaccessible communities with no means of receiving traditional educational resources and learning materials. The concept behind establishing these schools is aimed at providing an alternative learning system for the indigenous youth. However, President Rodrigo Duterte has claimed, “The schools were being used as training centers for the New People’s Army”.
The word, Lumad, has been used since 1986 to embody a group of indigenous people originating from the Mindanao island group in the Southern Philippines. Over time, the Lumad people have respected their traditional ancestral lands and celebrated their pre-colonial cultures with great honor, and pass this on to their children and grandchildren. They pass on their rich and diverse culture by teaching a myriad of languages, chants, rituals, dances, and other indigenous traditions in their Lumad schools. Lumad schools have embodied the preservation and teaching of such cultural aspects, which have allowed the youth to pass them on and be proud of their heritage.
Martial Law caused the Lumad to be driven out of their communities, and even before this, they were prevented from pursuing alternative teaching methods and enhancing the educational abilities of their disenfranchised youth. In the year 2017, President Rodrigo Duterte said he would not hesitate to drop explosives and bomb the Lumad community schools if they continued to operate in the provinces. According to CNN writer Amanda Lingao, “The President warned Lumads or indigenous people to steer clear of community schools without permits from the Department of Education”. He quoted, “I’m telling those in the Lumad schools now, get out. I’ll bomb you. I’ll include your structures.” The Department of Education (DepEd) is the main agency, responsible for providing a standard level of basic education to all Filipino students, as well as promoting equity in the Philippines. In 2019, the closure of 55 Lumad schools was ordered by the Department of Education, affecting nearly 1,500 students. This closure was mainly due to the accusation of Lumad schools being used as communist fronts, teaching children false propaganda, subversion, and communism, and instructing them with “ideologies that advocate against the government,” quoted by General Hermogenes Esperon.
The closure of those 55 Lumad schools in Mindanao is a controversial issue that needs our attention. Although there are many factors and different viewpoints, it is imperative to understand that every child has and deserves the right to a proper education. According to the UN, Sustainable Development Goal 4 clearly exhibits the ambitions for education which aims to, “Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all by 2030”.
We must ask ourselves: what is the likelihood of attaining SDG 4 in light of the government’s closure of Filipino Lumad schools? To what extent does the Department of Education bear the responsibility for approving permits to operate and establish 55 DepEd-accredited schools in Mindanao in order to meet this SGD 4 goal?
Work Cited:
Beltran, Michael. “Amid Crackdown, a Lumad School Opens in Manila.” – The Diplomat, For The Diplomat, 24 Sept. 2019, thediplomat.com/2019/09/amid-crackdown-a-lumad-school-opens-in-manila/.
Lingao, Amanda. “Duterte Threatens to Bomb Lumad Schools.” Cnn, cnnphilippines.com/news/2017/07/25/Duterte-threatens-to-bomb-Lumad-schools.html.
Reganit, Jose Cielito. “NPA Uses Alternative Schools as 'Training Ground' for Rebels: IPs.” Philippine News Agency RSS, Philippine News Agency, 29 Jan. 2019, www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1060427.
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