MANILA, Philippines — In July 2017, President Rodrigo Duterte accused “lumad” (indigenous) schools of “teaching children to rebel against the government” and threatened to bomb them using the Army and the Air Force. Lumad elders denied the accusation, but dozens of schools have been shuttered or destroyed. ADVERTISEMENTIn September 2017, at least 30 schools and 1,300 students were displaced in the military’s continuing assault on lumad schools. The group Center for Lumad Advocacy, Networking and Services Inc. (CLANS) organized what it called “kampuhan,” or camp out, to support the lumad demand that the DepEd give their schools permits to operate. As of March 2019, at least 73 of 228 lumad schools in Mindanao have closed, according to Save Our Schools (SOS), a network of nongovernmental organizations and Church groups.

Source: Philippine Daily Inquirer July 14, 2019 23:15 UTC