She did not face them, but she saw them. She did not speak with them, but she heard them.
Finally?
In a “Truth, Trust and Democracy in the Age of Selfies, Trolls and Bots,” forum at a hotel in Makati City by a social news network where Department of Education (DepEd) Secretary Leonor Briones gave the speech “Teaching the Truth”, a Lumad volunteer teacher was able to ask Briones questions in the open forum.
“What is your reaction to misinformation and disinformation about schools serving Lumads? They have been called rather baselessly as NPA [New People’s Army] schools as pretext for shutting or burning them down. Is it not the responsibility of DepEd to protect and promote education, especially for national minorities?” said RJ Perez, who introduced himself as volunteer professional educator of a Lumad school.
This was the first time that any of the more than 200 Lumad teachers and students that have camped out in Manila since July has been able to directly ask Briones a question. They have forcibly evacuated to Manila, leaving their schools and communities following intensified militarization and aerial bombings after Martial Law was declared in Mindanao in May.
Briones said that her agency is not responsible for the bombing of schools and the killings of Lumad and she does not have the power to stop what is happening in the schools.
“Huwag ninyo kaming sisihin sa mga bagay na hindi naman ginawa ng Department of Education. Siguro sa ibang opisina ninyo dalhin ang inyong mga hinaing,” said Briones, after explaining that the department had already declared schools as ‘zones of peace’ and would be signing an agreement that would disallow military from sleeping in schools.
[Do not blame us for what the Department of Education did not do. Maybe you should bring your complaints to other offices.]
Some members of the group went to the front and held up bond paper-size placards saying “Sec. Briones sinungaling” [liar] and “Save Lumad Schools.” After a few exchanges, the mic was taken away from Lumad group in the audience and they were ushered out of the venue. The group reacted to Briones, “bakit ayaw niyo harapin ang mga Lumad” [why don’t you face the Lumad], “sinungaling ka”[you are a liar], “what did you do when Obello was killed”, “ang gusto lang namin ay makapag-aral” [we only wanted to be able to study] and also chanted “save our schools” and “stop Lumad killings” on their way out.
Save Our Schools (SOS) Network Mindanao spokesperson Rius Valle also said Briones kept on touting the military propaganda when the secretary said that the students in the Lumad schools sing a different national anthem and that the schools do not have permits.
Valle also belied Briones’ claim that she had been to any of the Lumad schools. Education Undersecretary Alberto Muyot also only recently went to see the Lumad schools when they have been conducting their protests in Manila, said Valle.
Valle relayed that they apologized to the organizers and said that they did not have a platform to be able to be answered by Briones herself, since their request for a dialogue have been unanswered for five months and they have been ignored even if they have been camping outside her office for 13 days.
Ignored
Since July, the Lumad children and their teachers have picketed and sought dialogue with the DepEd and its officials, especially Briones, on their ever-present concern of military encampment of their schools, to no avail. The SOS Network sent the secretary letters. Valle said that Briones replied to them in July that she is still waiting for the report of the military before she decides to speak with them.
They have also asked the DepEd to grant permits for the Lumad learning centers that have yet to obtain them. Briones and Muyot said that they are working on this and would provide technical assistance so that the Lumad schools could comply with the requirements.
The Lumad students and teachers camped outside the DepEd National Office in Pasig on November 15 upon receiving updates that various government offices including the military are conspiring to close their schools on the pretext of its non-operation since the students and the teachers have evacuated.
They have also yet to return to their schools and communities, should they deem it safe for the children to return, and with the commitment of various national agencies to assure their safety. In the meantime, they conduct their lessons wherever they have camped out.
Valle, in a statement by SOS Network released after their encounter with Briones, expressed dismay over Briones having to speak on the topic “Teaching the Truth” when she has ‘blatantly lied to save herself from humiliation’ about the situation of the Lumad.
“Sec. Briones said in her recent interview that Obello Bay-ao, slain Lumad pupil was not killed by state forces during her term. Obello was shot dead on Sept. 5, 2017, just past a month after Duterte threatened to bomb Lumad schools while Briones took her office last year, June 2016. Is it just a mistake or a lie, if it’s just a mistake, then she still lied when she said that they know the situation of Lumad children and that they are working hard to for its betterment,” shared Valle, which the group said is an example of Briones’ blatantly lying to save herself from humiliation.
“We can also consider it a lie when Briones said that they are doing their job to protect the rights of Lumad children to education. Sec. Briones continued the implementation of DepEd Memo 221 series of 2013 despite its provisions which allow state forces to use Lumad schools during military operations, thus the intensified human rights violations against Lumad children, which in effect, hindered their studies” said Eule Rico Bonganay, Salinlahi Alliance for Children’s Concerns Secretary-General and SOS Network National lead convener.
DepEd Department Order (DO) 221 was issued and signed by then-DepEd Secretary Bro. Armin Luistro in 2013 under the presidency of Benigno Aquino III. The order effectively allowed and legitimized the conduct of activities of the military in schools and hospitals by appending guidelines for the conduct of these activities. The position of the SOS Network is that this contravened Article X, Sec. 22 of Republic Act 7610 or The Special Protection of Children against Abuse, Exploitation, and Discrimination that states military use of schools, hospitals and rural health units for military purposes such as command posts, barracks, detachments, and supply depots is prohibited.
Briones announced in a press briefing on November 22 that she has signed DepEd Department Order Number 57, series of 2017, which “supersedes” DO 221. The document was signed on November 21.
The SOS Network ended their 13-day campout outside the DepEd National Office without getting a dialogue with Briones, but they said they had at least one go at coming face-to-face with the secretary. The Lumad students and their children endured difficult conditions in their cramped campout beside a busy highway and business area. That however, they say, could not compare to intensified military attacks they had to endure in their communities.
