COTABATO CITY – The Department of Education in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (DepEd-ARMM) will not allow any sortie of Rodolfo Noel Lozada Jr., Senate’s star witness on the aborted national broadband network project, in local school campuses.
ARMM Education Secretary Udtog Kawit said they will not permit Lozada to disrupt classes in any part of the region.
Lozada has been going on campus tours, discussing the alleged anomalies in the cancelled $329-million NBN deal with China’s ZTE Corp.
“If the rallies are to be held outside school campuses, then there’s no problem with us. We cannot allow such rallies inside school campuses in the ARMM, especially on weekdays,” Kawit said, in reaction to Lozada’s reported plans to visit Mindanao schools.
Amirah Ali Lidasan, head of the local Muslim human rights group Suara Bangsamoro, said they are working out a Mindanao tour for Lozada.
The ARMM, which covers the cities of Lamitan and Marawi and the geographically scattered provinces of Shariff Kabunsuan, Maguindanao, Lanao del Sur, Basilan, Sulu and Tawi-Tawi, is a known political stronghold of President Arroyo.
Education Secretary Jesli Lapus earlier said students should be “insulated” from politics and even called on schools not to allow the holding of partisan events in campuses.
Lapus also reminded private schools which have cut classes for mass protests and which have invited Lozada to speak in their institutions to ensure that they comply with the required number of school days.
In addition to this, DepEd even released Order No. 13, which prescribes guidelines for the conduct of graduation rites in private and public schools.
The order bars discussion of political issues during commencement ceremonies.
Several teachers’ groups expressed disgust over the directive, including the Alliance of Classroom Teachers in Bacolod.
ACT-Bacolod president Gualberto Dajao said Lapus should respect academic freedom and freedom of expression as he urged public schools in the city to make the “search for truth” the graduation theme this year.
Lozada is set to arrive in Bacolod on March 14 as part of his nationwide tour. – With Antonieta Lopez