Members of the Manobo tribe during the press conference with PRO-7 officials at Camp Sergio Osmeña last February 15. The tribe members were among those who sought police assistance in having their children back. | CDN Digital File Photo
CEBU CITY, Philippines – Organizations behind the ‘bakwit school’ program held in Brgy. Talamban, Cebu City maintained they have secured the necessary permits from Lumad parents in Mindanao to allow their children to travel here to study.
The Save Our Schools (SOS) Network – Cebu and the Society of Divine Word (SVD) Philippines Southern Province denied allegations from the government that the 26 Lumads escorted out of the University of San Carlos’s Talamban campus (USC-Talamban) last February 15 were used or trained for leftist activities.
University of the Philippines Cebu (UP Cebu) Professor Regletto Imbong, convenor of SOS Network – Cebu, told reporters in a press conference on Tuesday, February 16 they are ready to show documentary evidence to disprove accusations hurled against them.
Imbong said these included legal documents such as affidavits, and permits from authorities to allow indigenous minors to travel to Cebu City, which is more than 500 kilometers north of Davao Del Norte.
“Their travel to Cebu City had consent from their parents. And their decision to join the bakwit school program is voluntary, and we have documents to prove that,” said Imbong in Cebuano.
Fr. Rogelio Bag-ao Jr., provincial superior of SVD Philippines Southern Province, also refuted claims by the Philippine National Police (PNP) that the 42 Lumad minors housed during the entire duration of the bakwit school program in their retreat house in USC-Talamban were being trained as ‘child warriors’.
Bag-ao, in the same press conference, attested to this by sharing his experience during one of the lectures he personally attended.
“Mukuyog ko sa pamaagi sa pagtudlo (sa mga Lumads). Unique nga pagtudlo gigamit nila (teachers). Ang DepEd (Department of Education) nga curriculum gigamit pero lain ang pagtudlo (kay) emphasis on environment and farming… Wala sa among huna-huna ang NPA (New People’s Army) so on and so forth. All we did was the love for this people… isip usa ka Christian,” he explained.
(I joined in one of their lectures. They used unique ways of teaching. DepEd curriculum was used but the way they teach them is different, and places emphasis on environment and farming. We have no intentions of bringing up NPA so on and so forth. All we did was the love for these people… as a Christian.)
On February 15, police led a ‘rescue’ operation inside USC-Talamban’s property in which 26 individuals, including Lumads, were escorted out of the retreat house.
Of these, seven were arrested and currently detained at Camp Sergio Osmeña, headquarters of Police Regional Office in Central Visayas (PRO-7) while the rest, all of whom happened to be minors, were reportedly transferred to the custody of Cebu City’s social workers.
Among those arrested was Chad Booc, an activist and a graduate of UP Diliman. Booc, based on reports, was a teacher for the Lumads housed in USC-Talamban.
Executives from USC and priests from SVD Philippines Southern Province, who ran and manage the university, were surprised by the incident.
RELATED STORY: Police ‘rescue’ Lumad minors in Cebu; university officials surprised with operation
Over 40 displaced Lumads arrived in Cebu in 2018, statements both from the groups behind the bakwit school and PRO-7 stated, to continue studies here due to armed conflicts arising in their ancestral lands in Mindanao.
They were housed and spent their education in at least four different schools and universities here, including USC.
The lockdown last March 2020, however, prompted organizers behind this initiative to support their extended stay due to travel restrictions.
Bound for Davao City?
But some Lumad parents sought the assistance of the police in Davao Del Norte for the whereabouts of their children which they claimed have been missing for two years.
Police earlier said parents were only informed that the minors were bound for Davao City, and not Cebu City.
“Matod pa sa mga istorya sa ilang mama, diha lang sya mu skwela sa Davao nya nganong nakaabot man na sila diri,” a female Manobo tribe leader told reporters in a separate interview hours after the operation was carried out last February 15.
(Based on the accounts from some mothers, they were told that their children will study in Davao City and they wondered why they were already here in Cebu City.)
The source, however, requested not to disclose her full identity for security purposes.
Around three months earlier, some of the Lumad minors who reached Cebu had already returned to their respective hometowns in Davao Del Norte.
“Nalipay ko, ug nalipay pud ang mga ginikanan na nakuha na ilang mga anak. Ang ilang mga anak kinahanglan gyud nga matabangan kay ang gusto nila,mang eswkela ilang mga anak, ug makatabang pud sa ila kay ngano man nga nakaabot sila diri ,” added the tribe leader.
(I am glad and the parents are happy that they have reunited with their children. Their children need to be assisted because the parents wanted them to continue their education and help their family. And why they were even here in the first place?)
But SOS-Network Cebu stood by with their claims that permits and other documentary requirements were secured before the minors were flown to Cebu.
Soft copies of the travel documents will be furnished as proof but as of this posting, members of the media are yet to receive them.
Furthermore, both Imbong and Bag-ao agreed that the police operation last February 15 was ‘overkill’, and disagreed it was a rescue mission.
Imbong also said they suspected the police has their own agenda behind the incident.
“In our observation, this is part of a larger attack against institutions advocating progressive ideas, and the red-tagging campaign by the government against educational institutions promoting the welfare of the Lumads,” he noted.
In the meantime, SOS-Network Cebu and SVD Philippines Southern Province are planning to seek assistance from the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) for an independent investigation.
They also welcomed the decision of the Senate to conduct an inquiry into the incident. /rcg