DAVAO CITY – Cousins Jenky and Jomar Malibato are eager to finish school and become teachers to help their community. Both of them are Grade 5 students at the Mindanao Interfaith Services Foundation Inc. (Misfi) Academy.
The cousins both shared their dreams and fears with Davao Today as they hope that the school would continue to operate.
“Nagguol mi sa among eskwelahan nga dili i-open. Kay ang Alamara man gud nagpahunong sa pagsubida sa mga magtutudlo (We worry that our school will not be opened because the Alamara wants to stop our teachers from going to our school),” Jenky said.
Asked why their school should continue operation, the cousins answered “kay gusto mi makapadayon og eskwela (because we want to finish schooling).”
“Dili namo makab-ot ang among mga pangandoy sa kinabuhi (we cannot achieve our goals in life),” Jomar said when asked what the stoppage of their school’s operation would mean to them.
Jenky said the paramilitary group, Alamara wanted their school to stop operation because it is a school of the New People’s Army (NPA).
“Dili na tinuod mam. Maayo kung pusil among gigunitan nga bolpen ug papel ra man among gigunitan. Ballpen ug papel ra ang among armas (That’s not true. We are not armed, we only have ballpens and papers. We are only armed with ballpen and papers),” Jenky said.
Stalled recognition rites
Unlike other students who will be lining up inside their assigned classrooms as enrolment starts on Monday, Jenky and Jomar are still waiting for their recognition rites to happen.
On March 27, members of paramilitary group Alamara, headed by Ongging Masaloon, restricted Misfi to conduct its “moving-up” ceremony (recognition) in Sitio Patil, Barangay Gupitan, Kapalong.
Teachers and students on Thursday trooped to the Department of Education here for a dialogue between school administrators and Regional Director Atty. Arnold T. Escobarte.
During the dialogue, the Save our Schools Network with the school’s Board of Trustees complained to DepEd that their schools in Kapalong and Talaingod, Davao del Norte are being attacked by the armed forces and Alamara, or Cafgu (Citizens’ Armed Forces Geographical Unit Active Auxiliary) referred to by the local government unit.
In a letter handed to Escobarte, the delegation said they would want DepEd to conduct separate investigations for their complaint “and execute necessary steps to address these atrocities.”
Jenielito Atillo, in an interview with Davao Today, admitted that they can only work within their mandate which is the provision of government permits for the school’s operation.
Atillo said they will still be sending a validation team in the area.
Daily struggles
Jenky said, unlike other students, students in the community of Sitio Muling are poor.
“Wala gyud silay pagkaon (They don’t have food),” Jenky said. She said they would only have sweet potato (kamote) for the whole day.
“Kamote ang among kaonon sa adlaw, hangtod hapon. Buntag, udto, kamote gihapon (We only eat sweet potatoes in the morning and even on lunch time and until the afternoon),” Jenky said.
She said that even their teachers would also eat only sweet potatoes.
She said sometimes they would buy rice for their teachers in Sitio Patil, but the Alamara would think that the rice is meant for the NPA fighters.
Jenky recalled an incident in the morning of November 28, when members of the Alamara wanted to check their stuff as they go back to Sitio Muling from buying rice, papers, ballpens, and other necessities of their teachers.
“Moana ang Alamara nga tan-awon sa namo tanan ng mga gamit kung gamit ba na sa rebelde’ (The Alamara said they would like to check if what we were bringing are stuff of the rebels),” Jenky said.
She said they did not stop “kay taas na ang adlaw, kay layo pa among baktason (the sun is too hot and we have a long way to walk).
The Alamara, she said, got angry and fired at them.
Jenky said they would want the concerned government agencies to check on the operation of the Alamara in the area so they can go back to school.
Other schools
Meanwhile, Rius Valle, spokesperson of the SOS network, said these attacks are not only reported in Kapalong, Davao del Norte, but also in other parts of the region.
Between January to May 15 2015, the SOS Network documented 13 incidents of attacks on schools in the form of military encampment and threats, harassment and intimidation among teachers and students in Talaingod and Kapalong, Davao del Norte province and Compostela Valley province affecting about 1,686 students and 42 teachers both in NGO run schools and DepEd Schools.
“Recently we have received reports of soldiers bribing paramilitaries and even Lumad leaders to destroy IP schools, especially in Talaingod and Kapalong,” Valle said.
“If they are really after the NPAs they should hunt them in mountains and not stay in schools, harassing students and teachers,” he added. (davaotoday.com)
Read related story: Kapalong school uncertain to open classes by June
