Schools closure deprives Lumads of a basic right — Kabataan party-list

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Education's closure of 55 Lumad schools in the Davao region deprives the indigenous peoples' communities of their right to education, Kabataan party-list said Tuesday as it called on DepEd officials to explain why they made the decision.

According to a report on CNN Philippines, DepEd Davao regional office spokesperson Jenielito Atillo made the announcement of the closure of the schools at a press briefing on Tuesday.

Kabataan paty-list said in Filipino that, through the closure, the government "has deprived [the Lumads] of a simple right and have red-tagged them without basis."

The party-list stressed that the right to education is a right that IPs also have.

The 1987 Constitution recognizes and promotes alternative learning systems in the country.

It states in Article XIV, Section 2 that the state shall "[e]stablish, maintain, and support a complete, adequate, and integrated system of education relevant to the needs of the people and society" and "[e]ncourage non-formal, informal, and indigenous learning systems, as well as self-learning, independent, and out-of-school study programs particularly those that respond to community needs."

The party-list also said in Filipino that it is calling on DepEd officials "to explain this decision, which is not pro-education, pro-masses and not pro-people."

The Department of Education suspended schools of the Salugpungan Ta’Tanu Igkanogon Community Learning Center in July based on a report by National Security Adviser Hermogenes Esperon that the schools were teaching students to rebel against the government, an allegation that President Rodrigo Duterte also made in 2017, when he threatened to bomb Lumad schools.

Education Secretary Leonor Briones said then that the schools' operations had been suspended because they do not have permits to operate.

She said only 11 of the schools applied for a new permit to operate for this year.

"Last year, none of the 55 were issued permits to operate because they could not comply with the requirements," she said. Among the requirements, she said, were having legally titled land for the school campus and having enough teachers.

"We have our own regulations, and we have been issuing permits for many private schools," she said, adding DepEd has already built schools in the areas that the Lumad schools serve, so students can instead go to those.