Tribal school in Sibagat razed

By DAVE ACHONDO,
Desk Editor

A TEACHER’S cottage of the Alternative Learning Center for Agricultural and Livelihood Development, Inc. (Alcadev) in Padiay, Sibagat was torched by unidentified men at 2 am yesterday.

In a media advisory from the Alliance for the Advancement of People’s Rights-Northern Mindanao Region (Karapatan-NMR) claimed the Alcadev’s tribal school facility was burned to the ground by armed men allegedly under the orders of the 23rd Infantry Battalion.

“Burnt along with the cottage are school books/supplies, sewing machines, rice stok, generator, audio and visual equipment and kitchen utensils,” Karapatan-NMR’s media advisory reads.

However, in a phone interview yesterday afternoon, 4th Infantry Division spokesperson Capt. Patrick Matinez denied the allegations and alleged involvement of its soldiers, saying there were no troops stationed in the area.

“Sa Carmen Nasipit ug Buenavista lang may tropa, walang tropang naka deploy sa eastern part ng Agusan where Sibagat is,” Martinez said. Martinez also clarified that the troops that Kara-patan suspected to have burned Alcadev’s school facility were stationed at Car-men Nasipit and not at Sibagat, Agusan during the time of the incident.

“The Alpha company of the 23rd IB was intact and no troops were out during the said time of burning,” Martinez added.

According to Martinez, police authorities told them the burnt cottage is already an abandoned school and no students have been in it for some time now adding that the police are now investigating the matter.

Various groups’ has called out the government to control and stop the abuse that indigenes and especially their children are experiencing, allegedly, in the hands of its military forces stationed here in Mindanao with hashtags surfacing on Social Media: #SaveOur School, #StopLumad Killings and more trending every day.

It can be recalled that in July, the Save Our Schools (SOS) Network and administrators of tribal community schools in Mindanao held a dialogue with the Commission on Human Rights to call their attention on the continuing military attacks on tribal communities and schools.

The group also cited the neglect of CHR to look into the issue when the affected schools sought help from the latter in 2013 and 2014.

A research and media center solely focused on indigenous peoples’ issues was launched on November 11, at Balay Kalinaw, UP Diliman campus.