MATI CITY (December 18) — The Provincial Peace and Order Council here passed a resolution asking the Department of Education to cancel the permits of Salugpongan schools operating in the province which have not complied with the DepEd’s K to 12 curriculum.
The decision was made after the peace body evaluated the documents of the Salugpongan schools, including the assessment made by the DepEd regional office.
During the regular meeting, last December 6, Philippine Army’s 28th Infantry Battalion Commander Lt. Col. Miguel Ramon emphasized that more things need to be done rather than just closing down the Salugpongan schools.
He stressed, “if we do not provide alternative solutions to provide students access to education, the problem would still be there. We have to give more attractive educational services to these communities.”
A unified peace and order roadmap is needed because they have to beat the deadline of President Rodrigo Duterte to end the insurgency in the country by June 2019.
On the other hand, 67th Infantry Battalion Commander Lt. Col. Jacob Thaddeus Obligado said that although the expansion of Salugpongan schools in his area of responsibility in the province’s first district is unlikely, there is a need to check policies revolving the operation of these schools.
He added that there should be an active coordination between the DepEd and the Local Government Units in terms of the establishment of schools. “Prior to granting permits (to schools), there should be an endorsement coming from the local chief executives,” he stressed.
The Department of Education Regional Office, in a recently held council meeting in Davao City, reported that they have also been constructing government schools in hinterland areas to compete with the Salugpongans which resulted in the dwindling of enrollees in the Salugpongans.
To this, Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) Provincial Director Yvette Sunga said that the PPOC Executive Committee has adopted the proposed creation of an Oversight Committee consisting five subcommittees, namely; infrastructure, economic, social, good governance, and information.
The said committee will work closely with the Provincial Development Council (PDC) to harmonize efforts in all development programs. She said this will also ensure the proper coordination and feedback mechanism among concerned agencies in the program implementation.
Last month, militant groups led by former Bayan Muna party-list representative Satur Ocampo tried to fetch the students saying they need to be rescued because of the hostile environment and militarization in the area.
However, tribal leaders opposed the move which resulted in the filing of kidnapping case against Ocampo and 17 others. Ocampo and his group are now out on bail as cases were filed in court.-Karon Lou Deloso
