Marialou J. Lambo, coordinator of Salugpongan Ta ‘Tanu Igkanugon Community Learning Center, Incorporated (Medel V. Hernani/davaotoday.com)
DAVAO CITY, Philippines – A teacher of the Lumad school Salugpongan Ta ‘Tanu Igkanugon Community Learning Center, Incorporated decried the alleged harassment against her by two unidentified men on Monday, September 26.
Marialou J. Lambo, coordinator of STTICLCI said she noticed the two unidentified men at the bus terminal in Tagum city.
“When I rode the bus, they followed me all the way until I dropped off in Maa, Davao City. Then I went to Calinan and they were still tailing me all the way to Sitio Kahusayan while they were on board a motorcycle,” Lambo said.
“When I arrived at our cottage, one of the men proceeded and said that he was selling powerbank (portable, rechargeable batteries). He was blocked by one of our teachers because we were having a meeting. The man left shortly after,” Lambo added.
Lambo said that she recognized the man’s face, and that the man had frequently changed his clothes to disguise his appearance all throughout their journey.
“While I was waiting for my ride, one of the men kept going near me, and kept looking at me on and on for three times. I thought it was normal, perhaps he lived in nearby and recognized me, but when I saw him in the school at Kahusayan, I was sure that he was following me,” Lambo said.
Lambo also said that her husband overheard one of the men saying, “so this is where they were heading to” in the local dialect.
However, Lambo, 28, who has been serving the school for about nine years, said she is unfazed by the threats. She said she will continue serving her students despite threats to her life.
“Of course there is fear, but I will continue serving despite that. It will not stop me from serving the children. We will continue because it has become part of the risks of our job. Just like our executive coordinator, who has repeatedly subjected to surveillance. but we have nothing to feat because we have done nothing wrong,” Lambo said.
The school’s executive director, Ronnie Garcia earlier said he was followed by armed men while he was at the Davao Regional Hospital in Barangay Apokon, Tagum City, morning of July 24.
Founded in 2004, the STTICLCI will celebrate its 12th founding anniversary on September 30.
“This year’s celebration aims to highlight and commemorate the painstaking struggle on our right to education,” said Sabil R. Laquina, Basic Education Program coordinator of the STTICLCI said in a press release.
Laquina also called for the release of their colleagues Dominiciano Muya and Amelia Pond.
Dominiciano Muya, the school’s agriculturist was charged with murder and has been detained in Malaybalay City Jail since 2014.
Meanwhile, Pond, the regional coordinator of the Rural Missionaries of the Philippines, as well as a researcher and teacher of the said school was arrested in Cebu City on August 19.
Both were accused of being high ranking members of the New People’s Army. (davaotoday.com)
