INDIGENOUS educators and their allies on Tuesday, July 15, marked the first anniversary of the conviction of 13 Lumad teachers and community advocates, who they say were unjustly imprisoned for protecting students and defending ancestral lands.
The 13 individuals, known as the “Talaingod 13,” were convicted on July 15, 2024, of child abuse by Branch 7 of the Tagum City Regional Trial Court. They were sentenced to four to six years in prison. Their case is currently under appeal.
Supporters argue the conviction was politically motivated, noting there were no complaints from parents or students. Lumad children testified in defense of their teachers, and the case was initiated by state security forces rather than any harmed party.
“We protected them, fed them, taught them our stories. And they convicted us for it,” one of the Talaingod 13 said.
Advocates contend the case aims to repress Indigenous education and dismantle schools that empower students to resist what they call “development aggression.”
Lumad schools, often established in areas without public services, teach literacy, culture, and self-determination, including the defense of ancestral domains from mining, illegal logging, and land-grabbing.
More than 200 Lumad schools have been forcibly closed since 2016, according to the Save Our Schools Network.
The commemoration, part of the Katungod Conference 2025 hosted by the Social Action Center of the Archdiocese of Cagayan de Oro, brought together Indigenous Peoples and their allies, including church leaders, educators, environmental defenders, legal workers, youth, and faith communities.
Attendees renewed their “panaad,” or sacred vow, to support the displaced, protect those under threat, and defend the right to teach, learn, and live freely.
As President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. prepares to deliver his State of the Nation Address, the groups issued their own assessment of the “State of Indigenous Peoples and Environmental Defenders in Mindanao,” describing it as one of “militarization, school closures, red-tagging, and forced displacement,” but also of “courage, cultural resistance, and unwavering hope.”
They urged the Court of Appeals to reverse the conviction and called on the Department of Education, under Secretary Sonny Angara, to review and reinstate Lumad schools.
They also appealed to the broader public to “uphold the truth” and “stand with Indigenous communities.”
The Save Our Schools Network Convenors, including Sr. Concepcion Gasang, Prof. Mae Fe Templa-Ancheta, and Bp. Daniel Palicte, signed the statement, asserting that the case’s outcome will significantly impact how the country treats Indigenous educators, community schools, and grassroots defenders.
