Free the Lumad 26 — AGHAM

Free the Lumad 26 — AGHAM

‘My favorite subject is Math’ –Moddie, one of the Lumad School students manhandled by the police at the Lumad Bakwit School in Cebu

AGHAM – Advocates of Science and Technology for the People

Moddie, a then 15-year old Grade 5 Lumad student at the Lumad Bakwit School showcases his multiplication skill in an interview with him in 2015. When asked about his favorite subject, his quick answer was “Math”. He shared his love for learning that the regime has tried to take away from him. But just this Feb 15, we witnessed a heartbreaking scene as police forces arrested Moddie and 25 other Lumad Bakwit School teachers, students and elders in Cebu. In a live video of what the police dub as a “rescue” operation, Moddie in white shirt, is being manhandled and forcibly being handcuffed by men in fatigue uniform and long firearms.

Moddie is one of the Talaingod-Manobo tribespeople who flee their communities in Talaingod, Davao del Norte amidst government-sponsored militarization and intensified human rights abuses, as they defend their ancestral lands against large-scale mining and logging operations. They left their homes, farms and the Lumad schools they themselves have built, and sought refuge in the cities, sheltered by religious institutions, organizations and support groups. Defying the odds, Lumad like Moddie continue their education through “Bakwit” (from the word evacuate) Schools, be it makeshift classrooms with earth floors and bamboo walls, or inside churches, campuses, or grounds of private organizations who are supportive of their plight — their rights to education and self determination as indigenous peoples.

But this fascist regime seems to be threatened by the likes of Moddie, an educated Lumad rising from oppression and fighting for their legitimate plight. The regime’s mercenary, the NTF- ELCAC and its rabid mouthpieces nudge the public to believe their ridiculous narrative – that Lumad like Moddie are trained in Lumad schools to be “child warriors”, thus needed to be ”rescued” by combined police and military forces in full battle gear – the same armed men that terrorize their communities. The fascists are working overtime on its so-called “heartbreaking rescue” propaganda rampage to shift the government’s neglect and injustices to the Lumad people. One could wonder, with the attacks and historical oppression suffered by the Lumad, why is the regime not capable of decent human compassion?

When we visited four Lumad schools in Mindanao in 2018, we witnessed what was a real heartbreak – the injustices and oppressive systemic neglect suffered by the Lumad people. Before Lumad schools were built, no Lumad knows how to read nor write. This illiteracy made them become easy prey for predatory capitalistic ventures supported by the government. But through their collective efforts and the help of support groups, they have put up Lumad schools which cater to their needs – an education that provides the tools to make their hope a reality. This education that past regimes failed to provide and was deliberately removed by this current regime, has equipped them to defend themselves from different forms of exploitation, especially with regard to their ancestral land.

Moddie and thousand other Lumad children need no rescuing. Their state of bakwit has time and again been used by the regime to “save” or “rescue” them from those who have been in solidarity with their struggles. They do not need saving if they are not displaced in the first place. What they need are support, to enjoy their rights, to study freely, to peacefully till their lands without any fear of bombs and harassment, to realize their dreams of becoming teachers, doctors, scientists, engineers who would go back to their communities to serve their fellow people. But these dreams are continuously being shattered by this fascist regime serving the interests of a few. If only they were nurtured and given proper support, there will be no heartbreak but a fulfilled heart.

Free Moddie Monsimuy-at!
Free the Lumad 26!
#FreeLumad26!