Free Lumad 26! Stand with Lumad Schools!
Anakbayan-USA calls for the immediate release of the 26 individuals arrested in the February 15th raid on the Save Our Schools Network Bakwit School located at the University of San Carlos (USC) - Talamban, Cebu. The 26 individuals—all Lumad students, Lumad elders, and teachers—are currently held by the Philippine National Police (PNP) and the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) under the guise of a “rescue” operation of minors. (WATCH: Raid and arrest of Lumad students in Cebu).
Far from a rescue operation, the raid is just the latest horrific example of the US-Duterte regime’s terror against the Filipino people. We echo the words of Sandugo, a national alliance of Moro and Indigenous people in the Philippines, which stated: “Brazen acts like these are emboldened by the Anti-Terror Law, which endows state forces greater power, latitude, and impunity. For years now, gaslighting has been the government’s favorite modus operandi. It turns the tables on human rights advocates, framing them as the enemy from which national minorities should be rescued from.” Even now, the PNP denies these youth and teachers the right to counsel.
Anakbayan-USA asks: When will the Duterte Regime’s gaslighting end? When will the Duterte Regime’s war on Indigenous people end?
For years, Lumad communities have set up independent schools that provide youth with quality and culturally relevant education. But their right to education is constantly disrupted by military forces who occupy their schools and set up camp in violation of international law, all in the name of protecting corporate greed. To continue their education and pass on cultural traditions in safer environments, Lumad communities are forced to evacuate their homes and set up “bakwit” (“evacuation”) schools in the places they find sanctuary, such as the USC Talamban Campus.
But even in sanctuary, the Lumad people continue to be a target of military, paramilitary, and police violence. Rather than “rescuing” Lumad youth during the February 15th raid, the Duterte regime has instead retraumatized communities who have already been forced to leave their homelands.
As youth, students and educators ourselves, we stand with the Lumad students in their fight for education and their right to defend their ancestral land. Just one week ago, our chapter in Chicago virtually hosted former teachers and students of the Community Technical College of Southeastern Mindanao (CTCSM), which served over 700 Lumad students for free before being forcibly closed by th Philippine Department of Education last year. Although coming from a different school, the heartwarming and heart wrenching testimonies they shared are stories that many Lumad youth carry with them: their deep connection to the land through agricultural work and education, contrasted by the inhumane militarization and trumped up charges filed on educators, community members, and students themselves.
Anakbayan-USA demands the immediate release of the students, teachers, and elders of the Lumad 26. We stand with the Lumad and all indigenous peoples in their struggle for the right to education and ancestral land. As Filipinos in the U.S., we understand that to fight against the injustices faced by the Lumad people is to fight against the U.S. militarism coming from our own backyard. We demand that the U.S. government passes the Philippine Human Rights Act (PHRA) to cut U.S. military aid to the Philippines that enables the militarization and displacement of the Lumad people. We must hold both the U.S. and Philippine governments accountable for the relentless attacks against indigenous people and land defenders in the Philippines.
To take action, we invite you all to our emergency online rally tomorrow, February 17, from 5:30-7:00pm PST to demand justice for the Lumad 26 and all Lumad terrorized under the US-Duterte regime. RSVP: tiny.cc/sosrally.
#FreeLumad26
#StandWithBakwitSchools
#SaveLumadSchools
#EducationNotMilitarization
#JunkTerrorLaw
#OustDuterte
