Abstract:
The Lumad communities in Lianga, Surigao del Sur, led by the Malahuntayong Pakigbisog Alang sa mga Sumusunod (MAPASU) organization experienced 6 major evacuations from 2005 to 2016. The intensive military operation that have penetrated the Lumad communities is regarded as the key reason for these massive evacuations. The said communities, collectively known as the MAPASU area, is one of the few remaining areas in CARAGA that have not yet succumbed to the pressure of mining Corporations and which ancestral land has yet been exposed to mining operations. This paper aims to demonstrate that the attacks on Lumad Alternative Schools in the MAPASU area are deeply rooted on the rigorous efforts of mining corporations to operate in the said area. It also analyzes the role of education in the Lumad struggle for development and self-determination. This study supports the Save Our Schools campaign by aiming to provide evidences supporting the claims of threats to Lumad Alternative schools and providing policies and recommendations for the achievements of the objectives of the campaign.
