By BEN SERRANO Correspondent BUTUAN City––Classes at tribal schools in Bulho, San Miguel town in Surigao del Sur have been suspended for three weeks now as communities were caught in the crossfires between Maoist guerrillas and anti-insurgency paramilitary groups allegedly backed by state troopers. Many evacuated to safer grounds. Opened in 2007, the schools have received a number of awards including the National Literacy Awards for alternative learning from the Department of Education (Deped). Norma Ampis, executive director of the Depedecognized Tribal Filipino Program of Surigao del Sur Inc. (Trifpss), said that armed men belonging to Magahats and Baganis have been harassing them with four of her teachers’ cellphones seized by the paramilitary groups. “Despite of armed threats from both NPA rebels, military and armed groups like Magahats and Baganis, our volunteers teachers and non-teaching personnel still continue their services and this (is) the reward we get by being harassed by the Baganis and the Magahats,” Ampis said. Deped-Caraga spokesperson Dr. Isidro Biol Jr. confirmed that Trifpss is duly recognized by the government, and the group has helped because there are no public schools in the far-flung tribal communities because of security concerns. “They even threatened to burn cottages of our teachers on allegations that we are pro-New People’s Army,” said Ampis. She said Trifpss have reported the matter to the town police, the municipal government of San Miguel and the provincial government of Surigao del Sur. She added affidavits have been executed. Ampis alleged that some of her school workers were even allegedly made as human shields by the Magahats and Baganis. Ampis said that in Aug. 18, a peace dialogue was held at the San Miguel Municipal Gym headed by Surigao del Sur Gov. Johnny Pimentel with presence of some government officials and personnel, military and the police. “But since they cannot guarantee safety of the evacuees’ return to the three tribal villages, through consensus, the lumad evacuees, including our lumad students, decided not to return home,” Ampis said. Fourth Infantry Division spokesperson Capt. Joe Patrick Martinez vehemently denied that the military was supporting the Magahats and Baganis.