QUEZON City, Philippines (Eagle News) — Alliance of Concerned Teachers party-list Representative France Castro asked Education Secretary Leonor Briones to expedite the giving of permits to Lumad schools, adding that many permits for application were still pending with the Department of Education.
Castro dared DepEd Secretary Briones to act on their applications.
“Hinahamon ko si DepEd Secretary Liling [Briones] na magsalita. Ilang araw na ang nakalipas pero hindi siya nagsasalita kaugnay ng mga permit,” Castro said during a press conference at the House of Representatives.
“Tambak-tambak ang aplikasyon ng mga PTO (permit to operate) dito sa Department of Education ng ating mga lumad schools,” she added.
Castro also criticized President Rodrigo Duterte who had earlier described the “lumad” schools run by miltant groups as instilling the wrong ideology in indigenous youth.
She claimed the President received the wrong information about the Lumad schools, saying that one school, in fact, the Alternative Learning Center for Agricultural and Livelihood Development, received many awards from the DepEd in 2004 and 2015.
“May mga ilang schools [din] dito na nag-apply din ng permit pero hanggang ngayon ay naka-pending pa sa Department of Education. Kaya mukhang ill-advised at hindi alam ni President Duterte yung impormasyon tungkol dito,” she said.
“In fact, itong mga schools na ito katulad ng ALCADEV (Alternative Learning Center for Agricultural and Livelihood Development) ay nagkaroon pa ng mga awards, literacy and numeracy awards sa Department of Education noong 2004 and 2015,” she added.
The statement was made after Duterte, during his second State of the Nation Address (SONA), said that the Lumad schools were illegally operating and teaching the children to rebel against the government.
“Sabihin ko diyan sa mga Lumad ngayon, umalis kayo diyan. Bobombahan ko ‘yan, isali ko ‘yang mga istruktura ninyo,” the President said.
“I will use the Armed Forces, the Philippine Air Force. Talagang bobombahan ko ‘yung mga… lahat ng ano ninyo (I will really bomb… all your) because you are operating illegally and you are teaching the children to rebel against government,” Duterte warned.
The President on Thursday in Guihulngan City, Negros Oriental made a clarification on the statement, saying that he would not bomb the Lumad schools if students were still inside them.
Duterte says “lumad” schools used as venue to teach rebellion, socialism among youth
“Wala akong sinabi na bombahan ko ‘yang may tao kaya sinabi ko umalis kayo diyan. Ibig sabihin, sisirain ko ‘yan because you are using a school without a license from the Department of Education,” Duterte said.
“Hindi ko sinabi patayin ko ‘yung mga bata. Far from it actually. Librehin ko ang bata sa perdition ninyo because they will learn to be pareho sa inyo,” he added.
The President explained that he aims only to destroy the school, and not kill the children, to stop it from producing another generations of haters.
“Sisirain ko ‘yan kasi ginagamit ninyong eskwelahan para… to destroy the mental attitude, the mental health of the children. They grow up there hating government and going to war pagka malaki na,” Duterte said.
“You are perpetuating the violence in this country and I have to stop it. I have every reason to stop it because you are producing another generation of haters. Huwag mo akong bolahin. Wala kayong tinuturo diyan kung ‘di ‘yang socialism pati patayan,” he added.
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