ACT Teachers Representatives Antonio Tinio and France Castro condemn the continuing attacks against indigenous peoples and Lumad schools, with 68 recorded incidents under the administration of President Rodrigo Duterte from July 2016 to July 2017. The attacks, Tinio added, has worsened since the declaration of martial law in Mindanao. Solons will file house resolutions to call for the urgent investigation into the attacks. “Schools independently put up by (indigenes) themselves are still being targeted under President Duterte’s year-old government. Up to 80% of reported attacks on Lumads even happened in his home region of Southern Mindanao,” Castro stressed, citing data from the Save our Schools (SOS) Network, a network of child rights advocates, organizations and various stakeholders against violation of children’s right to education, particularly those in the context of militarization and attacks on schools. According to the group’s partial tally, Lumad schools, teachers, staff, students, and community leaders bear the brunt of military operations under the counter-insurgency program Oplan Kapayapaan and the Mindanao-wide martial law. The 68 incidents include forced evacuation (one case); extrajudicial killings (six cases); frustrated murder or indiscriminate firing (five cases); threat, harassment, intimidation, vilification, red-tagging and surveillance (28 cases); closure or threat of closure of school (one case); military encampment in schools, public places or use of civilians as shields (17 cases); destruction and divestment of school property (four cases); trumped-up charges, illegal or arbitrary arrest and detention (four cases); enforced disappearance (one case); and torture (one case). A total of 52 schools and 1,663 students were affected by the attacks. Military troops from the 75th IBPA, 36th IBPA, and 6th Special Forces Batallion have been conducting military operations against the Lumad communities of Lianga, San Miguel and San Agustin, Surigao del Sur since July 3. “The rehabilitation process from their previous evacuation in 2015 is not yet finish, and justice for Executive Director Emerito Samarca remains elusive. But now, our Lumad brothers and sisters are forced to evacuate again due to hightened attacks by military forces,” Tinio said. On Feb. 6, suspected military agents shot Emelito Rotimas, killing him in front of 5 students. Rotimas was a barangay chairman and known supporter of Lumad school Community Technical College of Southern Mindanao in Compostela Valley. “We demand President Duterte to stop the further militarization and attacks on Lumad schools and communities, to immediately pull out the military forces and to held accountable for all their atrocities,” Castro said. (act)