Group reports threat vs Davao del Norte Lumad school
July 26, 2017 | 9:55am
Members of the Alamara paramilitary group allegedly threatened to burn down a Lumad school in Talaingod, Davao del Norte. File photo
MANILA, Philippines — Members of a paramilitary group threatened to burn down a Lumad school in Talaingod, Davao del Norte on Tuesday night, Save Our Schools Network said Wednesday.
In an alert sent to media on Wednesday afternoon, SOS Network claimed four members of the Alamara paramilitary group came to the Lumad school in Sitio Dulyan in Barangay Palma Gil.
"They were looking for Lando Dalin, a student, [and] Benancio Dalin, Benjo Bay-ao and Nonoy Dawsay all of whom are [Parents, Teachers and Community Association] members of the school," SOS Network said.
"They threatened to burn Salugpongan Community school if they could not kill at least one of the four identified," the alert said.
Alamara, an armed group that SOS and activist groups link to the Armed Forces of the Philippines, has also been tagged in the deaths of farmers in Northern Mindanao.
In June, the group was also accused of threatening to shoot teachers and students of the Mindanao Interfaith Services Foundation Inc. Academy in Kapalong, Davao del Norte.
MISFI teacher Ricky Balilid said in a MindaNews report that they could not hold classes out of fear of being killed. They had been staying in Davao City waiting for the Alamara and the military to leave the area.
The alleged threat by Alamara came on the heels of President Rodrigo Duterte's threat to bomb Lumad schools — those organized and run by indigeneous people's groups to educate the children of their community.
Lumad schools operate with permits from the Department of Education, which might not be able to provide school services in isolated areas.
President Duterte accused the Lumad schools earlier this week of "teaching communism, subversion, lahat na." He said the schools were "teaching the children to rebel against government."
In 2015, Emerito Samarca, executive director of the Alternative Learning Center for Agriculture and Livelihood Development (Alcadev) school and community leaders Dionel Campos and Aurelio Sinzo were killed in Lianga, Surigao del Sur. Their deaths were allegedly at the hands of the Bagani paramilitary group.
The killing led to the displacement of around 2,000 members of the IP community in Lianga, who did not return to the area for around a year.
“We call for the disbandment of the Bagani to ensure the safety of the people,” Commission on Human Rights Chito Gascon, who also appealed to the government to address the displacement of the community, said then.
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