MINDANAO-WIDE Association of Community Educators (ACE) condemns the 535 cases of alleged attacks by the military against lumad schools since the martial law declaration of President Rodrigo Duterte.
"We condemn such...as these puts our community educators in grave danger," Nerhaya Talledo, Spokesperson of ACE, said during the 2nd General Assembly of Liga ng mga Iskolar ng Bayan (LIB) on Monday, October 22.
She further said from the latest data of Save our Schools Network since May 23, 2017, there have been 535 Lumad schools attacks; 58 schools shutdown; ten schools displaced; 30 schools were used by the military as camps; and 19 schools that were destroyed and divested.
She further said there have been a total of 2,460 students, teachers, and parents were victims of forced or fake surrender; 111 cases of trumped up charges and illegal arrest and detention; and two lumad students were killed.
"The Mindanao Interfaith Services Foundation Inc. (MISFI) Academy and other lumad schools suffer atrocities," Talledo said.
Meanwhile, MISFI Community Education Program Head, Milagros Tan, said even if they had complied with all the requirements that the government has been asking to operate schools for the Lumad and Moros, some schools are still being forced to close.
Tan said they have 300 community educators and have been serving more than 1,000 children.
"We believe that the right to education is a basic right that facilitates access to all other rights including rights to land, life, and liberty," Talledo said.