THE DEPARTMENT of Education has expressed solidarity with the indigenous peoples all over the country as a lady member of the House unleashed critical remarks on its decision to shut down hundreds of Lumad schools in Mindanao.

“Ang Kagawaran ng Edukasyon ay patuloy na nakikiisa sa pagtataguyod ng karapatang pantao, pag-aari at pagpapayaman ng kultura ng bawat katutubong Filipino,” the DepEd said in a social media post.

In the same post, the DepEd has cited the United Nations theme for this year’s observance: ‘Covid19 and Indigenous People’s Resilience’.

“Ang tema ng pagdiriwang ngayong taon ay ‘Covid19 and Indigenous People’s Resilience’ na kumikilala sa angking kakayahan at gawi ng mga katutubo sa kanilang pagkikipaglaban sa kinahaharap na pandemya sa buong mundo,” the DepEd said.

As the education department expresses solidarity with the indigenous community, Manobo leader and Bayan Muna Rep. Eufemia Cullamat, on the other hand, was calling for an end to the attacks on IPs in the country.

“Today, hundreds of thousands of our IPs are making their stand known for the halt to the discrimination against the country’s minority sector,” Cullamat said.

The lawmaker also grumbled about the decision of the Education Department to shut down more than a hundred Lumad schools in various minority sites in Mindanao.

Netizens across the country also expressed dismay over the DepEd’s solidarity greetings for the IPs saying it “gaslighted the hardship and struggles of the IP children”.

“You’ve shut down 176 Lumad schools which Lumads majorly set up themselves because of the lack of government support for them. Some 5,000 Lumad students have been stripped of their education because of you. You are complicit in the violence IPs face,” Rey Valmores-Salinas said in a Twitter post.

A student activist with the username @chdlemsic has also scorched the alleged militarization of the Lumad communities.

“The state doesn’t militarize Lumad communities for no reason. It acts in accordance with the interest of transnational companies, local landlords and compradors,” he stressed.

The Save Our Schools Network recorded about 1,030 incidents of alleged attacks on the IP schools under the present administration, which included at least 31 Lumad teachers who’re facing alleged fabricated charges.