AFP assures it won’t bomb unregistered lumad schools

July 28, 2017

The Armed Forces of the Philippines assured on Friday that it would not bomb unregistered lumad schools, which allegedly teach children communism and subversion. In the "Mindanao Hour" briefing in Malacanang, AFP spokesman Brig. Gen. Restituto Padilla said when President Rodrigo Duterte mentioned in a media interview after his second State of the Nation Address that he would order bombardment of lumad schools, he was just making a strong statement against the New People's Army. "It was just a matter of strongly communicating a strong position on behalf of government to warn these illegal educational centers who are not complying with government regulation," Padilla said. "That is how we understood the President and that is how we see and appreciate his comments regarding this. Not intended to really destroy the community but to extend a message, a very strong message, to the people behind the organization of this illegal learning institutions to comply with government regulation," Padilla explained. Presidential Communications Operations Office Assistant Secretary Anna Marie Banaag said based from the report of the Department of Education, there are three main groups of left-oriented indigenous people schools. These are the Alternative Learning Center for Agriculture and Livelihood Development, Inc. or the Alcadev; the Center for Lumad Advocacy and Services, Inc. or the Clans; and the Salugpungan Community Learning Center. She said Alcadev of Surigao has no permit to operate and refuses to get a permit from the DepEd, while the Clans have been given three months to comply with requirements. "Aside from left-leaning lumad schools, we have schools established by the DepEd itself which are complying with our curriculum and other requirements of the Department of Education," she said. Banaag said there are lumad schools established by religious groups and civic organizations, which are legitimate and there are three indigenous people schools that have been built by the Department of Social Welfare and Development. "It is the illegal lumad schools which drew the President’s adverse reaction," she said. Padilla said it is not bad to teach communism per se because "we in college learned about it. We read books about Marxism, Leninism, Socialism, and the like. And it’s part of liberal education." But, Padilla said what is wrong is targeting "very young minds, vulnerable minds and try to sway them to a certain kind of thinking, that is like brainwashing." The children should instead be taught of what is right, like "fear of God, love of country, love of family, the appreciation of the correct values that you want your citizens to have." Padilla said unregistered lumad schools were not teaching those things. "This is an issue that has been going on since before the election. And you know that, I’m sure of it. It was an issue that was escalated and it was exaggerated by many cause-oriented groups whose minds and line of thinking we cannot fathom because it’s so evil," Padilla said. "Why would you want to brainwash a child just because you want them to perpetuate what you want them to do? It is not good from the perspective of pedagogical approaches," he added. Some groups, particularly militants, have criticized Duterte for threatening to bombard lumad schools. (Celerina Monte/DMS)