Erratum: The author of the article is Zea Io Ming C. Capistrano, not Mart D. Sambalud as previously posted.
DAVAO CITY – As public and private schools gear up for enrollment next week for the formal opening of classes, a private community school in an interior town of Davao del Norte is not sure if they will be open for students come June 1.
The school in Sitio Muling, Barangay Gupitan, Kapalong, the Mindanao Interfaith Services Foundation Academy, has not yet hold their moving up ceremony for preschool and Grade 6 students in the previous school year.
Teachers and students of the school on Thursday went to the Department of Education Region 11 to seek its help on the issue of military encampment in their school and the harassment committed by members of paramilitary group, Alamara.
In a letter addressed to Atty. Alberto T. Escobarte, regional director of DepEd Region 11, the Save Our Schools Network said MisfiAcademy’s moving up ceremony was cancelled on March 27 this year “due to constant threat and harassment perpetrated by the military-supported paramilitary group Alamara or Cafgu as what the LGU prefer to call them”.
The recognition rites was supposedly to take place at Sitio Patil in Barangay Gupitan.
The SOS Network expressed worry that teachers will not be able to continue teaching in Sitio Muling since Alamara “have been constantly barring the teachers from entering”.
The school was alleged by the armed forces as an “NPA school” (New Peoples Army school).
Grade 3 teacher Jan Rey Tingzon, told Davao Today in an interview, that they were barred by the Alamara from going back to the school to resume classes on January 5, as they were told that a “pangayaw” (traditional warfare) was being waged by the tribal community against the NPAs.
Tingzon said that was the time he felt fear as they were told they would be “likened to carabaos” if they will continue to go to the school.
Asked what that statement meant to them, Tingzon said “hiktan siguro (maybe they will tie us up).”
They were only able to resume classes after a dialogue was held between Regional Peace and Order Council chairperson and Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte, the Kapalong local government, armed forces and the paramilitay group on January 20.
Read related story: IP school teachers allowed to resume classes but…
After they resumed classes, Tingzon said the paramilitary forces resumed their operation in the Sitio on February 8, forcing students to keep out of school.
“But we resumed classes on February 10,” Tingzon said. He said he himself is afraid of the situation in the area.
Tingzon said out of their 160 enrollees only 140 continued schooling as students from Sitios Pandakdakan and Sitio Kamunoan stopped going to school after the military operations.
Rius Valle, spokesperson of SOS, said they were told by Escobarte during their dialogue on Thursday that DepEd will review their case.
In a separate interview, Jenielito Atillo, spokesperson of DepEd Region 11 said they will send a validation team in the area. Atillo however admitted that the Department could only work within their mandate which is the provision of government permits.
“Now if there is an issue outside of that, we cannot dip our fingers, because that will be within the province of other government agencies,” Atillo said.
“DepEd is only limited to the provision of permits which will give them authority to operate. All issues outside of our province will be respectfully communicated to the appropriate agencies,” he said adding that they will review the school’s documents and papers.
Valle said Misfi Academy’s permit was always complete since its establishment in Kapalong in 2007.
Tingzon said it would be a waste if the school will not be able to operate because of the threats against it by paramilitary groups and the armed forces.
He said they would want to see the Ata-Manobo students finish their education.
“It’s a waste because the students will not be able to finish their schooling. They are Grade 5 students but they are 17, and 16 years old, which is not age-appropriate and then they will be stopped again for another year,” Tingzon said. (davaotoday.com)
