With biggest slice of 2020

budget pie, DepEd hiring

10,000 new teachers
By: Krissy Aguilar - Reporter / @KAguilarINQ
INQUIRER.net / 04:18 PM September 02, 2019

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Education (DepEd) plans to hire

10,000 public school teachers and 5,000 non-teaching personnel under its 2020
proposed budget.

“Some of the good news, 10,000 new positions for our teachers. Next, 5,000 non-
teaching positions,” said Education Undersecretary Annalyn Sevilla at a press
conference ob Monday (Sept 2).
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“This will go to the field, the division offices and the schools,” Sevilla said.

“This is just initial,” she said. “We hope that in the succeeding years, if we will get
additional teachers, we hope to get more non-teaching positions,” Sevilla said in a
mix of Filipino and English.

Education Secretary Leonor Briones said this would further improve the teacher-
to-student ratio and the quality of education teachers can give their students.

“More than being part of our 10-point agenda, we want to stay true to our word
that the department is relentless in finding ways to enhance personnel welfare,
while at the same time improving delivery of quality education,” Briones said.

In 2016, DepEd lowered the teacher-to-student ratio to 1:35 for elementary and
1:43 for secondary schools which means fewer students per teacher that would
allow teachers to deliver better quality education.
DepEd also said it will allocate P1.28 billion for the new 5,000 non-teaching
positions and P1.27 billion for the recruitment of 10,000 more teachers next year.

In the 2020 National Expenditure Program (NEP) recently submitted by the

Department of Budget and Management (DMB) to the House of Representatives,
the education sector received the biggest chunk of the funding with a proposed
P673 billion budget.

READ: DBM submits P4.1-T 2020 budget plan to House, bares spending priorities
https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1155380/dbm-submits-p4-1-t-2020-budget-plan-
to-house-bares-spending-priorities#ixzz5yLd4QF1X

Out of the P673 billion proposed fund for the education sector, DepEd is allocated
with P550.89 billion, 3.90 percent higher than its P530.23 billion budget under the
2019 General Appropriations Act or budget law./TSB

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pie-deped-hiring-10000-new-teachers#ixzz5ybmeeZK2
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'No-homework' policy bill filed in Senate
4.5KSHARES242
(Philstar.com) - August 28, 2019 - 5:21pm
MANILA, Philippines — Sen. Grace Poe filed a Senate bill banning teachers
to give homework or assignments to students on weekends.

The senator authored Senate Bill 966 or the proposed "No Homework Law."

"All primary and secondary schools in the country shall not allow teachers to
give any network or assignments to students from Kinder to Grade 12 on
weekends," the bill read.

Under the proposed measure, teachers may only assign homework to

students on weekends provided that it be minimal and will not require more
than four hours to be completed.

Poe stressed that the "no homework" policy on weekends will be applied to
both public and private schools.

RELATED: DepEd pabor sa panukalang pagbabawal ng 'homework' tuwing

Sabado, Linggo
In the Senate bill, Poe pointed out that the state is mandated to safeguard the
welfare of teachers and school children.

Citing a study from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and

Development's Program for International Student Assessment, the senator
noted that additional time spent on homework has a negligible impact on the
performance of students. This is after around four hours of homework in a
week.

"Further, it looked at homework hours around the world and found that there
wasn't much of a connection between how much homework students of a
particular country do and how well their students score on tests," the bill read.

Similar proposals have been filed at the House of Representatives earlier this
week.

Rep. Evelina Escudero (Sorsogon) and Rep. Alfred Vargas (Quezon City)
have filed separate measures banning the giving of homework to students on
weekends.

The DepEd welcomed this no-homework policy proposal from lawmakers.

"We want all formal studying, assignment, project, whatever, to be done inside
the school," Education Secretary Leonor Briones said in a radio interview
Tuesday. — Patricia Lourdes Viray

Read more at https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2019/08/28/1947149/no-homework-

policy-bill-filed-senate#x1RtDMMlftVXW6tC.99

Cayetano wants thorough

study of no-homework
policy
By: Neil Arwin Mercado - Reporter / @NAMercadoINQ
INQUIRER.net / 06:34 AM September 03, 2019

MANILA, Philippines — “It cannot be homework or no homework only.”

This was the pronouncement of Senator Pia Cayetano on Monday as she called for
a thorough study of the no-homework proposal for students.
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“I repeat that I am all for studying the effect of homework. But I would like to ask
this body to approach this not in isolation. Let us look into what we need to do to
provide our children with a holistic learning environment,” Cayetano said in her
privilege speech.

Cayetano’s stand came after several measures proposing a no-homework policy

were filed at the House of Representatives and the Senate.

‘Homework reinforces inequalities’

Citing studies, Cayetano said that “homework reinforces inequalities in socio-

economic classes in some countries.”
The senator said that in several countries, those in the upper socio-economic class
are enrolled in private schools have a heavier homework load compared to those
in public schools.

Cayetano said that those in private schools who have more homework end up
doing better.

“So if you look at that study in isolation, you will conclude that more homework is
better. I am not prepared to make that conclusion. I’m just pointing out studies
that show in a country, there are these inequities that are brought about [by] the
different kinds of education that children can avail of,” Cayetano clarified.

The senator then explained that those enrolled in private schools have access to
after-school academic or non-academic programs in and outside of school.

“That is not so in many public schools,” Cayetano said.

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“Many children coming from an upper class would be able to go home and either
quietly study in their dining table or quietly study in their own bedroom, or some
would even have a study room,” Cayetano said.

“Most people who send their children to public schools do not have that. Salo-salo
na ho yung dining table, yung living room, nanonood ng kung anuman pinapanood,
wala hong opportunity to concentrate. And that has been identified as a major
problem in making homework effective,” she added.

Lastly, Cayetano also pointed out the availability of a private tutor or a member of
the family who can assist a student at home with their studies.

“Those who come from a lower economic bracket have more difficulty because
probably the working mom and dad cannot afford to get a tutor. Baka wala rin
naman tita o lola na magtuturo. So wala na ngang magandang environment, wala
rin hong support na naibibigay,” Cayetano explained.

Situations of teachers
Likewise, Cayetano also pointed out the situation of teachers in the country, saying
that the government could do better in “trying to pull the best and the brightest
into the teaching profession.”

“Now, why is it so important to have a good teacher? Well, a good teacher will not
just go by the books. A good teacher will identify the strengths and weaknesses of
their students,” Cayetano said.

“And this is where the correlation to homework comes in. To dictate upon a
teacher a blanket prohibition against assignments or a mandate of exactly how
much time to give a student in terms of homework would restrain his or her ability
to provide for the needs of his or her students,” she added.

Cayetano underscored that she is not necessarily against homework, but providing
the best environment for students should be given attention. /gsg

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[OPINION] Homework can

be pointless
'Homework and learning are not the same thing,' says educator Ronald del Castillo

Homework and learning are not the same thing. When students leave the classroom
without homework, the potential for learning continues. Vocabulary, grammar, and ideas
grow when parents and caregivers have conversations with their children. Cooking
reinforces science, math, and reading skills. Eating or playing together cultivates
socioemotional resilience. Homework is a poor substitute for these.

The heat around the no-homework policy will probably cool, like most reactive policies
in the country. But it should be seriously considered.
Finland sets a promising example. Students in the Nordic country have little to no
homework, spend shorter hours in the classroom, and have lengthy school breaks.
Young Finns in the Lapland will have watched the sun not set for 6 weeks by the time
their English or Welsh peers get out of school for summer break. Probably driven by the
long and cold winters, Finns celebrate their summers so passionately.

And they still beat the competition. Finn students consistently rank high in science,
math, and reading, according to the Program for International Student Assessment.
PISA looks at student performance among rich member OECD countries and their not-
so rich neighbors willing to be scrutinized. Finn students also report higher levels of life
satisfaction and lower levels of school-related stress.

Those students who spend 60 or more hours on schoolwork score lower in science,
math, and reading compared to those who do the same work in 40 hours, according to
PISA. These include hours in and out of school.

Of course, we are no Finns. Time spent on schoolwork is a poor benchmark of overall

quality of education. But a no-homework, or an alternative “less-homework” policy,
could be part of a comprehensive overhaul of how we cultivate the growth and
development of our kids.

Finn students do well because their environment enables doing more with less. For one,
forward-looking governance means education policies are tested with time. Evidenced-
based plans are stable and have a shelf life beyond electoral cycles. Finn students are
doing well not only because their educational system values their future but also
because it nurtures everyone else’s future.

Here in the Philippines, policies change as soon as people in positions of power

change. We think writing the policy is the same as giving it a chance to work.

Another is trust in teachers. Whereas our teachers are overburdened with dubious
performance checklists, robotic outcomes-based testing, and other asinine
“accountability” measures, Finn teachers have greater academic freedom. This trust
translates to a high-paying, high-status profession.

The low wages, limited school supplies, and poor classroom conditions for Filipino
teachers mirror how little we value them. Teachers here in the country struggle, but we
do not care because suffering is partly our expectation of what it means to be Filipino.
We believe suffering is virtuous. And our students suffer for it – and we probably do not
care about this, too.

The no-homework position is not perfect. Singapore, Japan, and Taiwan – where
homework and after-school instruction, or “cram school,” are a blood sport – also rank
high in the PISA proficiency tests. And as it turns out, they outrank Finland.
However, the higher ranking of our 3 Asian neighbors probably has less to do with time
spent on homework. Like Finland, a supportive environment – familial, social, and
structural – as well as cultural values attached to the meaning of learning are linked
to why homework and after-school activities are expected – and not how muchis
required.

But we are no Singaporeans, Japanese, or Taiwanese, either.

Compulsory basic education here in the country means that many of our kids do attend
school. But as any stressed, sleep-deprived college student would tell you, being
physically present in the classroom is not the same as learning in it. Despite our young
population – nearly half of us are under 25 years old – we fail to maximize this potential.
Fewer and fewer Filipinos end up in college and much fewer in postgraduate training.
Many are unemployed or underemployed.

Rankings are also an alluring substitute for student experience but belie the reality. The
overwhelming number of students are not admitted into the so-called selective
universities nor are they accepted into the "top performing" in exams-obsessed
programs. For every student that engineers a space probe or discovers a cancer
treatment in snails, millions more are just trying to make it to a classroom with a decent
desk. These rankings are drawn to competitive elitism, not student learning.

New industries require new types of jobs. New competitive jobs require interdisciplinary
solutions, which are natural outgrowths of innovation-capable workers – and the
innovation-enabling teachers and mentors who guide them.

But our educational system is not preparing students for the future. It is shaping the next
generation according to the country’s present – bureaucratic, inequitable, and stifling.

No amount of homework will remedy this skill-demand mismatch. It seems that the
potential of the no-homework policy has nothing to do with homework after all. –
Rappler.com

Dr Ronald Del Castillo is professor of psychology, public health, and public policy at the
University of the Philippines-Manila. The views here are his own.
LOOK: Lumad students
stage protest as House
hears DepEd’s budget
By: Gabriel Pabico Lalu - Reporter / @GabrielLaluINQ
INQUIRER.net / 12:14 PM September 03, 2019

Lumad students protested outside the House of Representatives, calling for the re-
opening of their schools while Education Secretary Leonor Briones presents
DepEd’s budget for 2020. Briones ordered the closure of 55 Lumad schools in July,
upon recommendations from security officials who claimed that students were
being taught revolutionary ideas. Photo from Bayan Muna
MANILA, Philippines – Several Lumad leaders and students from the Save Our
Schools (SOS) Network staged a protest outside the South Gate of the House of
Representatives on Tuesday as the 2020 budget of the Department of Education
(DepEd) was being discussed.

Photos sent to reporters by party-list group Bayan Muna showed Lumad students
calling on DepEd to allow the schools for indigenous people in Mindanao to
reopen, after the department ordered the closure of 55 schools last July.
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“Kasabay ng Budget Hearing ng DepEd […] maglulunsad ang SOS Network kasama
ang mga estudyante at guro ng mga paaralang Lumad upang singilin si Secretary
Briones bilang aktibong kabahagi ng Whole of Nation Approach ng rehimeng
Duterte na nagbubunsod ng matinding pag-atake sa mga paaralang Lumad sa
Mindanao,” a statement from Bayan Muna said.

“Bahagi rin sa kokondenahin ng grupo ang isyu ng korapsyon at iresponsableng

paggamit ng pondo ng ahensya,” they added.

The schools were ordered closed based on recommendations from National

Security Adviser Germogenes Esperon Jr., who claimed that the schools were being
used to teach communist ideology and were encouraging the use of violence
against government. /muf
Photo from Bayan Muna
Photo from Bayan Muna

Photo from Bayan Muna

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as-house-hears-depeds-budget#ixzz5ybvBeQeE
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DepEd shuts down 55

‘lumad’ schools
By: Matthew Reysio-Cruz - @inquirerdotnet
Philippine Daily Inquirer / 07:27 AM July 15, 2019

RIGHT TO EDUCATION “Lumad” students and their teachers assert their right to
education during a street protest in Quezon City in this photo taken last
year.National Security Adviser Hermogenes Esperon Jr. has charged that
indigenous schools deviate from the Department of Education curriculum, use
children in protests, and teach them “ideologies that advocate against the
government.” —INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines — Progressive groups on Sunday condemned the

Department of Education (DepEd) order suspending the permit to operate of 55
schools for indigenous children in the Davao region allegedly for teaching “left-
leaning ideologies.”

Bayan Muna Rep. Eufemia Cullamat denounced the decision taken by Education
Secretary Leonor Briones and DepEd-Davao regional officer in charge Evelyn
Fetalvero, who signed the order, calling it unjust and a denial of “lumad”
(indigenous) children’s right to education.
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The nonprofit Salugpongan Ta’ Tanu Igkanogon Community Learning Center Inc.,
the operator of the schools, said it would appeal the order.

Esperon’s allegations

Issued on Wednesday and addressed to Salugpongan executive director Maria

Eugenia Nolasco, the order said the schools were being temporarily shut down
because of accusations by National Security Adviser Hermogenes Esperon Jr., a
former military chief of staff, that were “serious enough to warrant immediate
action.”

It cited a report by Esperon alleging that the schools deviated from the DepEd
curriculum, used children in protests and taught them “ideologies that advocate
against the government.”

The order said Esperon, vice chair of a government task force working to end the
communist insurgency at the local level, also submitted a statement from Melvin
Loyod, a former teacher at a Salugpongan school in Talaingod, Davao, who claimed
teaching materials included the anthem of the communist New People’s Army
(NPA), firearm instruction, and ambushing military troops.

“Those acts violate no less than the Constitution,” the order said.

In April, George Mandahay, a tribal leader from Sitio Kahusayan in Calinan, Davao
City, asked the DepEd to shutter the Salugpongan school in his jurisdiction,
echoing long-standing allegations by the government that Salugpongan schools
were linked to the communist insurgency.

Loyod, in his testimony submitted to Esperon, alleged that lumad students in Sitio
Pongpong were being taught to commit actions aimed at “destroying the
government.”

Private schools covered

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The DepEd order covered private schools owned and operated by Salugpongan.
The processing of the nonprofit’s applications for renewal of other permits was
also stopped.

The DepEd gave Salugpongan five days to explain why its permit to operate
schools should not be revoked.

In a statement, Salugpongan said it would fight the “fabricated accusations and

Red-tagging to justify the closure of lumad schools.”

“We are saddened that the government’s mandate to recognize and uphold the
right of the lumad to education and self-determination is suppressed by a
militaristic approach that further marginalize the lumad,” it said.

Bayan Muna’s Cullamat said the DepEd, by issuing the order, would deprive lumad
children their right to education.

“[The] DepEd wants the lumad not to wake up to realities and to keep them fooled,
victimized and deprived of their rights so it will be easier to rob them of their
ancestral land, which is their life,” said Cullamat, herself a lumad and a leader of
the Manobo.

Commercial intrusion

The lawmaker said it was only right that indigenous people were taught to resist
intrusion by mining and logging companies on their ancestral land that caused
environmental destruction.

“The lumad have the right to form and govern their own system of education and
language based on their own culture. This is in accordance [with] the United
Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People,” Cullamat said.
“[The] DepEd must immediately rescind its suspension order,” she said.

Cullamat urged the United Nations to investigate the plight of indigenous

communities under the Duterte administration.
Save Our Schools (SOS), a network of children’s rights advocates, called the DepEd
a rubber stamp for the military, which has been accused of myriad rights
violations in indigenous communities.

SOS pilloried the DepEd for anchoring its decision on a report that was “full of
lies.”

“By ordering the closure of schools without even verifying the wild, baseless
claims of Esperon that the Salugpongan schools are teaching students to rebel,
they have neglected their duty to uphold the protection of schools,” SOS said in a
statement on Sunday.

Threats against lumad schools

Threats against lumad schools have escalated since the failure of peace talks
between the government and the communist rebels in 2017, with some of the
gravest threats coming from President Duterte himself.

“Get out of there. I’ll have those bombed, including your structures,” Mr. Duterte
said in 2017. “I will use the Armed Forces, the Philippine Air Force. I’ll really have
those bombed because you are operating illegally and you are teaching the
children to rebel against [the] government.”

Malacañang later issued a tamer warning, but SOS alleged that military and
paramilitary groups had since taken brutal measures to force the closure of lumad
schools, including making lumad destroy schoolbuildings in Davao and
Compostela Valley at gunpoint.

The Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT), which counts the Salugpongan group
Alliance of Community Educators as member, accused the DepEd of failing to
safeguard lumad children from “harassment and school closures.”
“We challenge [the] DepEd to stand by its duty to civilians and resist the creeping
takeover of military command over the bureaucracy,” ACT secretary general
Raymond Basilio said. —WITH A REPORT FROM DJ YA
Read more: https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1141670/deped-shuts-down-55-lumad-
schools#ixzz5ybvX0Ln1
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Lumad teacher refutes

accusations of teaching
rebel ideas to students
By: Gabriel Pabico Lalu - Reporter / @GabrielLaluINQ
INQUIRER.net / 09:50 PM July 19, 2019

Salugpungan teacher Jeany Rose Hayahay shows their school permits granted by
the Department of Education (DepEd) during a press conference in Quezon City on
Friday, July 19, 2019. These permits were not renewed by DepEd due to
allegations that the schools were teaching revolutionary ideologies to Lumad
children. (Photo by Gabriel Pabico Lalu/ INQUIRER.net)

MANILA, Philippines — A teacher from one of the closed Lumad schools in

Compostela Valley has refuted claims that they are teaching children revolutionary
ideologies like using weapons and attacking government forces.
According to Jeany Rose Hayahay, it is ironic that they would incorporate building
and dismantling guns in their curriculum, while the reason why they were forced
to “bakwit” – a colloquial term for moving out or evacuating – was due to violence.
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“May mga sinasabi na, ‘yong nare-red tag kami, na nagtuturo ng paano raw po
mang-ambush, paano raw po magdismantle ng baril, sa katunayan po nga kaya
kami nag-bakwit ayaw po namin makakita ng baril,” Hayahay
told INQUIRER.net on the sidelines of a press conference on child rights on Friday.
“In the first place, kaya po kami nag(punta sa) Maynila kasi gusto po namin ilapit,
dito sa lungsod, ‘yong complaint namin na may mga documented cases ng military
encampment, may mga presence ng military sa school namin,” she added.

Hayahay also insisted that the curriculum they are using was approved by the
Department of Education (DepEd), and it is a program oriented to the culture of
minorities in the area.

During the press conference, she also showed certificates given by the government
– due to expire this year but were not renewed based on recommendations by
National Security Adviser and former Armed Forces of the Philippine (AFP) Chief
Hermogenes Esperon Jr.
“Ang tinuturo po namin, naka-base sa IPED (Indigenous People Education)
curriculum, at certified po ‘yon. Framework po, under po siya ng DepEd Memo 62
series of 2011, na nakasaad po do’n, ‘yong curriculum po na itituro namin naka-
base po siya sa kultura,” Hayahay explained.
“Meron po kaming permit, recognized po kami ng DepEd. At sa sinasabi naman po
na qualification ng aming mga guro, DepEd Order 21 series of 2014 na nakasaad
do’n, as long as may knowledge ka about sa mother tongue ng community, you are
allowed to teach kahit hindi ka degree holder or LET passer,” she added.
Last Sunday, DepEd confirmed the closure of 55 Salugpungan schools for Lumad
children over allegations that they are teaching left-leaning and revolutionary
ideologies.
Esperon said the schools were not operating in accordance with DepEd rules. The
report also banked on an affidavit claiming that teaching modules in Salugpungan
schools encouraged students to join anti-government rallies and side with the New
People’s Army (NPA).
READ: DepEd heeds Esperon report, suspends 55 ‘lumad’ schools
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READ: DepEd shuts down 55 ‘lumad’ schools

Children’s fate
Hayahay revealed that DepEd’s suggestion that Salugpungan students should be
enrolled in existing public schools might not work, because it is too far from their
houses.
“‘Yung susunod na school, aabutin po ng isa’t kalahating oras na lakad, (mula) sa
school campus ko lang po ‘yon. How much more po do’n sa school na mas
malayo?” she asked.

“How much more po do’n po sa iba naming campus na talagang, Grade 1 hanggang
Grade 6, tatlong oras po silang naglalakad papunta po sa Salugpungan school na
pinaka-malapit? Maliban po d’yan, syempre free education, wala pong
binabayaran kapag sa amin,” she added.
READ: DepEd admitting students from shuttered ‘lumad’ schools
She also countered claims they encourage students to rally, claiming they
protested on their own because they have personally seen and experienced
violence.
“Bakit po ba nag-ra-rally ang mga bata? Mayroon po silang karapatan sapagkat
sila po ay direct victim ng militarization, ando’n po sila nang nangyari ang
indiscriminate firing sa aming school campus,” she noted.
“Nakita po nila kung paano pinagtangkaan ang isang volunteer teacher,
pinagbabaril sa loob ng aming school campus. Nakita po nila, nandoon po sila
no’ng nangyari ang mga military encampment,” she added.

Hayahay then expressed hope that DepEd officials could come and visit their
schools or even meet with her during her stay in Manila. She said no DepEd
official has talked with her since she arrived here.

“Wala pa po. We are looking forward na sana, kasi kami cooperative naman kami,
sana makipag-cooperate at mag-engage sila sa amin. Magtulungan na lang imbis
na ipa-sara ‘yong mga school,” she said. /kga

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DepEd explains suspension of 55

Lumad schools
41
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Published July 18, 2019, 11:35 PM

By Merlina Hernando-Malipot

The Department of Education (DepEd) on Thursday clarified that decision regarding the suspended
permits to operate of 55 Lumad schools in Davao Region is “not yet final” should they are able to
comply with the show cause order and other requirements based on the guidelines set by the
agency.
Education Secretary Leonor Briones
(DEPED / MANILA BULLETIN)

Education Secretary Leonor Briones, in a press conference, explained that the main reason for
suspending the permits to operate of the schools owned by Salugpungan Ta’Tanu Igkanogon
Community Learning Centers is that they failed to comply with the requirements set by the DepEd.

“This has been going on for quite some time now,” Briones said – noting that every year, the DepEd
and the concerned schools go through dialogue and negotiation when it comes to the issuance of
permits to operate. “Every year, we tell them to comply and they fail to do so,” she added. In fact, she
revealed that some of these schools were given “conditional permits” which allowed them to operate
before the suspension order was finally issued last week.

Undersecretary Nepomuceno Malaluan explained that while the suspension order was issued to 55
schools, only about 22 schools are affected. “Some of these schools have been closed even before
the suspension order was issued due to lack of students, among others,” he said.

Earlier, the DepEd Region XI issued the suspension order to the affected Lumad schools based on the
recommendation of National Security Adviser (NSA) Hermogenes Esperon, Jr. who alleged that these
schools are teaching left-leaning ideologies.
Initially, five days were given to the school system to refute allegations that they have links to the
communist rebel movement. Malaluan noted that the DepEd Region XI has extended the deadline
given to the Salugpungan to comply with the show cause order.

“We believe that we should wait first before we fully discuss the matter,” Malaluan said. “As I said, it
is not a final decision because the final determination would rest on the weighing of all the facts that
would be recorded once they comply with the show cause order,” he added.

No Disruption

Meanwhile, Briones assured that the education of the affected learners in these schools will not be
disrupted. Thus, nearby schools have been instructed to absorb or accept learners that might have
been displaced due to the suspension order.

“We have public schools nearby and we asked them to accept these learners and waive documentary
requirements to ensure that their education will continue,” Briones said. Data from DepEd Region XI
showed that at least 1, 142 learners are affected in the 55 schools. However, Malaluan clarified that
this number might be reduced since some of the schools have been closed down long ago due to
lack of enrollees and other internal issues.

While the recommendation of the NSA has been a contributing factor in the suspension of permits
for the 55 Lumad schools, Briones stressed that there were other reasons why DepEd has decided to
temporarily suspend their permits to operate.

“It’s not as of the findings of the NSA is the sole source of information we have,” Briones said –
noting that that agency has directed its local officials in concerned regions to do their own research.
“We have knowledge based on our research and from our people, we talked to them personally and
we have officially verified some of the initial findings that they had,” she added.

Amid all the controversies that hound the suspended operations of the Lumad schools, Briones
cautioned against “generalizing” the issue. “We have 2.6 million IP [Indigenous Peoples] learners
nationwide and we don’t have problems with the majority of them,” she said.

‘All-Time Low’

Meanwhile, the Samahan ng Progresibong Kabataan (SPARK), which identifies itself as a youth
organization aiming to “educate and mobilize the youth in widening its democratic rights and
empower them to counter all forms of oppression and capitalist exploitation,” strongly condemned
the DepEd’s move to suspend the operations of the Lumad schools.

SPARK slammed the DepEd on the “unfounded allegations that these were seedbeds of the
insurgency.” According to SPARK Spokesperson Shara Mae Landicho, the DepEd has reached an “all-
time low for allowing itself to be a tool for the fascist machinations of the Duterte administration and
is consequently denying Lumad children their innate right and access to basic education.”

For the group, instead of treating Salugpungan as “partners in the noble deed of educating the
marginalized youth in far-flung communities,” it is the DepEd that is “easing them out when they
have no personnel and facilities in these communities –miserably failing in their mandate despite the
increase of allocation from the national budget.”