COTABATO City—Now that most of the displaced civilians in Maguindanao have returned to their homes and with the resumption of classes in schools the military has shifted its attention to education.
Last week, soldiers and local officials have joined hands in helping damaged schools get repaired and rehabilitated in the town of Datu Unsay where the Army and Moro bandits started fighting in February.
That incident displaced more than 120,000 individuals but most have gone back home.
Datu Unsay town is located in the second district of Maguindanao where the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) dominate and even ran a shadow government and mulcting on civilians, the military said.
“Now that they were driven out of civilian communities, your military will help in the education of young Moro as they are seen as the future of the province,” Major Gen. Edmundo Pangilinan, 6th Infantry Division chief, said.
The school building project in Barangay Meta, Datu Unsay was launched by Major Gen. Pangilinan, Gov. Mujiv Hataman of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao and town Mayor Monawara Ampatuan.
Also present to help ensure the construction of school building was Lt. Col. Noman Alcovindas and his subordinates in the 6th Civil Military Operations (CMO) Battalion.
The CMO battalion will lead the reconstruction and rehabilitation of Datu Unsay Elementary School (Duces) in Barangay Meta. “The local government unit of Datu Unsay will do its best to help hasten the completion of this school building project and protect the soldiers constructing the building,” Mayor Ampatuan said.
Alcovinda’s men earlier refurbished the dilapidated classrooms in the same campus that were damaged when attacked by BIFF guerillas. They also torched one building with four classrooms. The repair works cost the ARMM government about P700,000 taken from the special purpose funds.
Aside from repair of classrooms and school buildings, the Army and local government of Maguindanao also distributed school bags and othe school materials for public school pupils. PNA
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