Finally, a floating school for Badjaos

ZAMBOANGA CITY – After wandering for decades in the southern seas, the Badjaos now have a school that suit their culture and way of life – a floating school.

Funded by the Australian Agency for International Development (AUSAID), the school was inaugrated by Western Mindanao State University president Edilgario Gonzales.

The floating school initially caters to 25 Badjao children while anchored at the R.T. Lim Boulevard here.

The Badjaos are considered the most neglected and abandoned minorities in the country and most of them are seen begging in the streets.

Local officials estimate that there are about 200,000 Badjaos but only few live in boats now. Most of them live in crowded houses on stilts in the coastal areas in Zamboanga City, Basilan, Sulu and Tawi-Tawi. – Roel Pareño