DAVAO ORIENTAL – The Provincial Peace and Order Council is taking serious measures to save children, particularly Mandaya natives, from communist doctrines reported to be spread by anti-government schools established in some ancestral domains here.

Governor Nelson Dayanghirang enjoined key agencies to step up efforts amid the “silent plague” that is said to be “encroaching in the government’s educational system”.

“This has remained unsolved for the past five years since it was granted permit to operate in the year 2014. Time and again, we are receiving consistent information on the ground that these non-government schools were indoctrinating their indigenous and innocent students with anti-government ideologies,” said Governor Dayanghirang.

As an intervention, the Governor, through the Local School Board, committed to increase the wages of para teachers assigned in government schools in these areas. However, the Governor recognizes that for the problem to be resolved, long-term interventions are required such as the construction of decent roads, establishment of government schools, hiring of permanent teachers, and alternative livelihood for parents as well as delivery of basic social services in these hinterland communities.

Governor Dayanghirang also requested the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) to include a policy for 4 P’s beneficiaries that compels them to enroll their children only in schools operated by the Department of Education (DepEd).

DepEd Division Superintendent Lorenzo Mendoza expressed his department’s commitment to help resolve the issue.

Although, the number of these schools are gradually disappearing as parents are opting to transfer their children to government schools, the authorities admit that policies and interventions must be set to prevent the reemergence of these “left-leaning” schools.

Currently, there are nine schools here identified to be spreading communist propaganda, all of which, according to the Philippine Army are located in the province first district. These schools known as Salugpongan and MISFI, which purportedly are not even compliant to the DepEd curriculum, are considered to be perfect breeding ground for recruits and future leaders of the Communist New People’s Army and their legal fronts.

Attempts of removing these schools from the communities have been a long-time uphill battle for the Local Government Units, barangay officials and tribal chiefs who are deeply concerned about the children’s future. 

In response, the PPOC, last year, has passed a resolution that requested the DepEd to revoke the permit to operate of Salugpongan, MISFI and other similar schools in the province who failed to comply with the requirement of K-12 program of the DepEd.

Moreover, a resolution creating a Technical Working Group that would look deeper into these schools’ legality has also been recommended. The said TWG will be composed of the key offices and agencies that include the Philippine Army, Philippine National Police, legal offices of the DepEd and the Province, Public Attorney’s Office, and the Provincial and City Prosecutor.  

Governor Dayanghirang said it is high time to resolve the issue. But more importantly, he called on the local officials to stand up against the establishment of these schools. “We must prioritize the welfare of our youth,” he said.

Meanwhile, with the upcoming 2019 Midterm Election, Governor Dayanghirang, through the PPOC, has called on all government officials and candidates not to pay Permit to Campaign fees to the Communist New People’s Army. 

The Department of Interior and Local Government, through Memorandum Circular 2018-11, warned local government units (LGUs) and candidates not to pay to communist rebels and reminded them that “giving any form of support to communist rebels” is a violation. Photos by Eden Jhan Licayan and Shane Laureano