DATU ODIN SINSUAT, Maguindanao – School children, particularly the boys were lining up a barber shop, arranged from the shortest to the tallest, each waiting for their turn for a haircut.
It was already 10:00 o’clock in the morning. The invited guests at the Brigada Eskwela in Sibuto Elementary School in this town, after winding up their respective speeches, had already turned their attention to the cups of hot coffee served with ‘pandesal’ and sangker’t (sliced bananas cooked with coconut milk).
The school children of Sibuto Elementary School in the town of Datu Odin Sinsuat, Maguindanao one of the identified areas where Camp Bader of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) is situated, assembled for the start of the Brigada Eskwela last June 5, 2015, that was jointly participated by the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (OPAPP); the Sajahatra Bangsamoro; Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP); MILF; the Department of Education (DepEd) in Maguindanao; and the Department of Health (DOH) in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM). (Alexander D. Lopez)
The day, June 5 was a special one – the first time the school had a Brigada Eskwela.
Barangay Sibuto hosts Camp Bader, one of the identified camps of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) engaged in peace talks with the government.
As a manifestation of the group’s sincerity to achieve lasting peace, the MILF actively participated in the slated Brigada Eskwela activities in schools inside their camps, together with the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (OPAPP); the Sajahatra Bangsamoro; the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP); local government units (LGUs); and government line agencies that include the Department of Education (DepED) and the Department of Health (DOH).
Omar Pedtucasan, the TIC of Sibuto Elementary School said he is satisfied with the current negotiations between the government and the MILF and wished that peace will reign in communities for the sake of the education of school children. (Alexander D. Lopez)
The activity forms part of the normalization process where MILF camps will be transformed into peaceful and sustainably-developed communities.
And so the boys, one after another, had their heads shaved to look fresh for the start of the school year.
Unlike the haircuts that they had been through in regular barbershops, where they overhear interesting conversations, sometimes out-of-this-world stories of clienteles, that day’s hair-trimming session was a peculiar one.
The haircuts were done by an MILF fighter and their own teacher-in-charge (TIC).
Dencio Langalan is a regular member of the Bangsamoro Islamic Armed Forces (BIAF), the armed wing of the MILF for more than five years now.
Dencio Langalan, a regular member of the Bangsamoro Islamic Armed Forces (BIAF) of the MILF for more than 5 years now dreams of reaching of reaching more opportunities in life but the absence of peace prevented him of achieving such goal. (Alexander D. Lopez)
“Nagsasaka ako pero mula nang matuto akong maggupit ay ito na rin ang isang pinagkukunan ko para sa aking pamilya (I am into farming but when I learned how to cut hair, this has become my own source of income,” he said, adding that he also renders haircut to the regular members of the MILF in the area.
Dencio said he also dreamed of reaching more opportunities in life, among which is “to be able to land a job in urban areas such as in Cotabato City, General Santos or Davao City”.
And he also wanted to go abroad. “Malaki daw ang kita ng barbero sa abroad (they say that a barber earns much abroad)”.
It’s the absence of permanent peace that forced him to abandon his desire to find a better living far from his family in Sibuto.
“Mahirap iwanan ang pamilya lalo na ang mga bata. Paano na lang kung may kaguluhan at wala ako? (It’s difficult to leave your family. How would it be if there’s trouble and I am not there?)” he lamented.
His only aspiration now is for the peace negotiations to push through so that he could transform himself from being a fighter to a nurturing father of his children.
“Lumalaki na sila. Mahirap din kasi may mga panahon na hindi ko sila natututokan dahil sa mga gawain ko sa organisasyon namin. Kung matuloy itong usapan at magkaroon ng kapayapaan ay maalagaan ko na sila. (They are grown up now. It was then difficult that i was not able to take care of them because of my work with my organization.. If the talks would go on and there would be peace, then i could have the time to care of them)” he said.
He has three children attending school in Sibuto.
Upon hearing of the upcoming Brigada Eskwela as announced by their leader he immediately volunteered to participate.
“Sabi ng lider namin na magserbisyo kami sa eskwelahan kasama ang mga sundalo. Para sa akin ay bago ito kasi sundalo ang makasama ko. Dati sa giyera kami nagkakatagpo. Ngayon ay iba na (Our commander asked us to serve the school with the soldiers. For me, this is new because i would have government soldiers as companion. Before, we face each other in war. Now it’s different)”
Aside from the excitement he felt of working with the soldiers Dencio said he was also eager to clean the school children by trimming their hair.
“Naisip ko habang gumugupit: maulit pa kaya ito? (I was pondering if this would happen again)”
Marabiya Datukan (left) and Arbaya Langalan (right), volunteer teachers of Sibuto Elementary School asserted their wishes for peace to reign for unhampered education of school children. (Alexander D. Lopez)
Dencio expressed of happiness in joining the activity, shaking hands with the soldiers, conversed with them while sharing food in a “boodle fight”.
Another barber, Omar Pedtucasan, the TIC of Sibuto, has been teaching in the place for more than 10 years, first as a Grade 3 teacher for four years, then in Grade 6 until he was appointed to his current position when the former head was transferred to other school.
“I am a native of Datu Odin town,” Omar proudly asserted with the expression of pride at the opportunity of serving one of the far-lung villages in the municipality.
During school days, Omar has to wake up early, prepare things and travel on a motorcycle to Sibuto, some 10 kilometers from his residence.
“I do this every day, morning and back home in the afternoon, come rain or shine.”
Omar was talking of acquiring the skills of haircutting by experience.
“Sometimes I trim the hair of my pupils, especially those whose parents could not afford the charges of regular barber shops in town. I do this during weekends.”
He said he was satisfied with the current negotiations between the government and the MILF, Omar voiced out. He said that when the situation in Maguindanao province is unstable due to armed confrontations their school is also affected.
“Parents do not send their children to school for fear of the escalation of wars from other areas to our village”, he uttered.
He wished of permanent and lasting peace to save the future of children by nurturing their knowledge and skills through schooling.
“Peace in communities translates to unimpaired school days that are conducive to the learning process of children,” Omar explained.
He said the “Brigada Eskwela” recently done in their school was the first. “I was emotional seeing the soldiers and MILF fighters work hand-in-hand in making our school beneficial to the learning of the children. I am looking forward for peace to reign permanently, from our respective homes up to the communities.”
A total of 150 pupils from kindergarten to grade 6 are now enrolled in Sibuto Elementary School with 6 teachers, two are regular, including Omar while 4 are volunteers. The place has a total population of 1,194 as per May 2010 data the National Statistics Office (NSO) and 90 percent inhabited by Moro residents with only 10 percent Teduray and Christian settlers.
Among the school’s volunteer teachers are Arbaya Langalan and Marabiya Datukan.
“Medyo mahirap din ang sitwasyon pero tinitiis lang namin kasi dito na kami lumaki at nagtapos ng elementarya, (It’s somewhat dificult but we just have to bear with it because it’s here where we are raised and grow.”
She has been a volunteer teacher in the place for two years, and Marabiya for seven years. They are receiving regular allowances from the LGU of Datu Odin.
Both showed no remorse for not being elevated to higher status of teaching – for them, seeing the children learning in schools and freely frolic in the playing ground are treasures and accomplishments they merit to their chosen profession.
“Mapanatili sana ang katahimikan upang hindi magambala ang pag-aaral ng mga bata, (I hope that peace would be maintained so that children would not be affected)” Arbaya wished, emphasizing the difficulties when schools are turned into evacuation centers when people abandon their abodes during wars.
Around 35 children had their heads shaved during the Brigada Eskwela in Sibuto.
Thanks to their active barbers.
