OZAMIZ
CITY: Teachers and Lumad students stage a protest camp-out at DepEd’s main
office to call for the junking of its memorandum allowing the entry of armed
state agents in schools.
The
group is led by the Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT) and accompanied by child
rights’ activist and peace advocates airing their gripes on the issuance of
DepEd Memorandum No. 221 series of 2013, which allowed the entry of military
personnel in schools.
This
compromises the security of students and fellow teachers, ACT said, as more
than 200 cases of human rights abuses has been committed by the military and
other armed government personnel against the students and teachers throughout
the country since it was issued.
DepEd
is clearly putting into danger the life of our students and fellow teachers
with this, said France Castro, ACT secretary-general in a statement emailed to
The Philippine Preview.
Castro
cited a case of an alternative school in Davao del Norte as an example of this
where the day to day operation of the school has been compromised after the
unending entry and harassments of AFP elements against the students and
teachers.
Castro
added that the school and the teachers’ dormitory were ransacked, causing
destruction to their properties and leaving behind emotional and psychological
trauma among the students and teachers.
DepEd
Memo 221 provided mechanisms for the AFP to freely get inside the school and do
whatever they want to…despite the numerous complaints and calls for the junking
of the said memo, Castro said.
“We
would like to remind DepEd with their declaration that all schools in the
country, be it public or private, are zones of peace and that their Memo 221 is
contrary to this.”
“We
do hope that they won’t wait anymore for more brutal incidents to happen before
they will take action and recall that notorious, anti-student, anti-teacher,
anti-human rights and anti-people memorandum. Schools are established to
provide education to the people and not to serve as military camps and combat
grounds.”
“We
call also to the DepEd to lead an investigation of the violations committed by
the AFP against the students and teachers and also for the immediate
prosecution of all those involved, concluded Castro.