How Indigenous education is militarised in southern Philippines
Elizabeth Ruth Deyro
The armed conflict between the Philippine military and the five-decade old communist insurgency has long affected the islands of Mindanao, leaving far-flung communities mostly devastated. Such is the case of the lands occupied by the Lumad, which are often heavily militarised as a result of the conflict. Upon Philippine’s President Rodrigo Duterte’s proclamation of a region-wide martial law in May 2017 in a frail attempt to contain alleged communist efforts in the area, this militarisation intensified. Even as the martial law was lifted, the debris remained and military harassment of Indigenous lands are at an all-time high.
The Lumad alongside the Save Our Schools Network calling for the end of the Martial Law in Mindanao last August 2019. In the banner: "Stop all attacks against Lumad communities and schools!". Photograph: ALCADEV, Inc./Facebook
The Lumad collectively refers to the 13 non-Muslim Indigenous tribes living in southern Philippines — Blaan, Bukidnon, Higaonon, Mamanwa, Mandaya, Manobo, Mansaka, Sangir, Subanen, Tagabawa, Tagakaulo, Tasaday, and T’boli. Reuters reports that the Lumad are among the poorest of minority groups, receiving limited access to basic social services and rights such as education and healthcare.
To aid in the poor quality of education received by Lumad communities, independent schools such as the Alternative Learning Center for Agricultural and Livelihood Development (ALCADEV) were established to exclusively help the Lumad become “self-sufficient” and “self-reliant”. Founded in July 2004 as an alternative learning system for the Lumad, ALCADEV has successfully produced several educators, agriculturists, health workers, and community development workers from different tribal communities in Mindanao.
the Lumad youth learns to defend their civil and political rights, and most especially their ancestral lands.
Agriculture does more than serve as the Lumad's livelihood. As a people of the forests, it has become their way of life, the foundation of their culture. It only makes sense that agriculture also is the core subject of a Lumad-centric curriculum, which schools like ALCADEV stands for. To equip Lumad students with a well-rounded set of skills, teachers also provide lectures in other subjects such as History, Science, Technology and Livelihood Education (TLE), Health, Values, Filipino, Math and English — with all subjects taught in connection to the other so as to emphasise on the importance of every class. ALCADEV also imparts human rights education, where “the Lumad youth learns to defend their civil and political rights, and most especially their ancestral lands,” says Chad Booc, a volunteer teacher and spokesperson of the school.
At an early age, Lumad children have borne witness to the social injustices that their communities endure.
Seen in the photograph are three Lumad children from Caraga who took part in a mobilisation at the University of the Philippines Diliman for the 30th anniversary of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child last May.
Photograph: ALCADEV, Inc./Facebook
Booc further explains that this is the reason for the government’s persistence in shutting down the operations of Lumad schools. In 2019, at least 55 schools were forced to shut down upon the Department of Education’s orders, with the operations still taking place to date. “The community-run schools strengthen the resistance against land grabbing by mining, logging, and agro-industrial companies assisted by the military and the government itself," notes Booc.
This is not an isolated case for ALCADEV. Organisations that espouse views that can be interpreted as anti-capitalist and antifascist, even labor groups and workers' unions asserting their rights to fair wage, endure the widespread 'red-tagging', or being labeled as fronts for communist rebel groups, throughout the country.
The 2019 graduates of ALCADEV in triangular formation. "Bakahin ang tatsulok," (destroy the triangle) the Lumad school reminds students, referring to the social stratification that marginalises Indigenous identities. Photograph: ALCADEV, Inc./Facebook
Even before the regime of Duterte began, the initiative to suppress insurgency has long been a priority of the Philippine government. In 2015, Lumad students witnessed brutal killings of an ALCADEV executive director and two of their community leaders. The Duterte administration, however, sees this matter as that of utmost priority, a presumed threat to national security that has warranted a two-year martial law and continued militarisation. The creation and implementation of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF ELCAC) is a fruit of this state-supported cause and currently serves as one of the top oppressors of community organised projects such as ALCADEV.
According to Booc, the NTF ELCAC recently deployed a Technical Working Group in their community to pressure them into permanently closing the school. Leaders and teachers have also been facing trumped-up criminal charges, harassment, and death threats. In spite of the pandemic and the ceasefire called by the Armed Forces of the Philippines, the military continues to maintain their presence on civilian grounds.
Booc believes that it is important to put human rights and activism at the core of the curriculum, particularly for Lumad students. Recalling the experiences of Lumad in Surigao del Sur as a microcosm of the Lumad plight, Booc describes how "they had to fight back and risk their lives just so their rights [would] be respected."
The Lumad participating in a mobilisation to express their stand against mining in the Philippines. Mining has been one of the biggest issues in Indigenous lands. Photographs: ALCADEV, Inc./Facebook
"The Lianga Bay Logging Corporation grabbed and denuded [the Lumad's] lands in the '70s until the '80s, and they were being treated like animals," he says. "Lumad people had to unite and fight for their rights that time. Even until now, none of their rights are given voluntarily by the state. Their right to education, right to self-determination — all of that, they achieved on their own. Without activism, without the unity of the Lumad people and the different sectors, they wouldn't be enjoying the things they have now."
Other than financial support from donors, collective effort is what keeps Lumad schools intact. The community itself sustains the daily consumption of both students and teachers through produce harvested from their communal farms, hence its nature as a “community-run” institution.
Lumad students share their craft and culture in a musical performance during a protest event in 2019. Photograph: ALCADEV, Inc./Facebook
Human rights violations and harassments entail the frequent, heavy militarisation in Lumad communities, adding to the issues endured by the tribes. In such a desperate situation, Booc acknowledges his responsibility as a teacher to help his students foster a stronger connection to their ancestral roots and create a “culture of hope” among the youth. He does this by reminding the students of their elders’ accomplishments throughout past decades, and how the “strong unity among the different communities” served greatly in their struggle.
Booc emphasises that, in order to achieve more, this unity must be strengthened, not only among Indigenous communities, but also to the “broader masses who are likewise oppressed” such as the labourers, farmers, and the urban poor, among others. “We have to draw inspiration from how our ancestors were able to rise up from grave exploitation. It is through struggle — and from there, hope arises.”