Department of Social Welfare
and Development Secretary (DSWD) Judy M. Taguiwalo yesterday announced the
programs and services that the Department is planning to implement to further
help the Lumads or the Indigenous Peoples of Mindanao.
“During our dialogues with your
leaders, we were able to learn that the Department’s guidelines cannot
effectively and swiftly address the situation of most national minorities,
particularly of the Lumads.
Mula sa pagkatuto sa masa, sinisikap naming iwasto ang mga ito (We
are doing our best to correct our guidelines based on what we have learned from
the masses),” Secretary Taguiwalo said in her message during the graduation and
moving up rites of the Community Technical College of Southeastern Mindanao,
Inc. (CTCSMI) in Maco, Compostela Valley. The school’s students are mostly
Lumads and from poor peasant families.
“Ilan sa gagawin ng DSWD ay ang
pagsiguro na makikinabang sa Modified Conditional Cash Transfer (MCCT) ang
inyong mga komunidad. Magkakaroon rin ng community kitchen na tutugma sa
pangangailangan ng mga Lumad sa panahon ng pagpapatupad ng Cash for Work
Program (The
DSWD will ensure that the Lumad communities will benefit from the Modified
Conditional Cash Transfer (MCCT) program. There will also be a community
kitchen that will match the needs of the Lumads during the implementation of
Cash for Work Program),” she stated.
Sec. Taguiwalo said that the
Department is aware that the practice, culture, and way of life of Lumads are
based on their lands. As such, it will help in ensuring that the group will be
able to secure and utilize their lands.
“Tutulong at gagabay kami sa
inyo para maging accredited ang mga organisasyong masa ng mga Lumad gaya ng
PASAKA para sa pagpapahusay ng partnership ng Lumad communities at ng DSWD sa
mga programa nito
(We will help Lumad organizations, such as the PASAKA, to be accredited so it
can strengthen the implementation of its projects in partnership with the
DSWD),” she added.
The welfare secretary also
shared that the Department plans to implement projects, such as gardening, rice
and corn milling, and skills training under its Sustainable Livelihood Program
to educate the group on other means of income and to further help develop their
communities.
“Kikilalanin din ng DSWD ang
katangiang komunal ng mga Lumad sa implementasyon ng mga programa at proyekto
para sa inyo. Bubuuin rin ang plano para makapaghatid ng kinakailangang
serbisyo gaya ng patubig at modified shelter program hinggil sa pabahay(The DSWD will also consider
the communal traits of the Lumads in the implementation of programs and
services. It will also develop a plan to deliver other services, such as the
provision of water in the communities and the Modified Shelter Program for
housing),” she said.
To address hunger among
children, Sec. Taguwalo added that the DSWD will also conduct Supplemental
Feeding Program in Lumad communities.
“Ang mga planong nabanggit ay
hindi lang para sa mga Lumad sa Compostela Valley kundi maging sa ibang parte
ng Mindanao na napalikas bunga ng direktang epekto ng armadong tunggalian at ng
mga pandarahas ng mga militar at paramilitary (These programs are not only
for the Lumad in Compostella Valley, but also for those residing in different
parts of Mindanao who were displaced because of armed conflict and
militarization in their communities),” she cleared.
Cultural-responsive education
for Lumads
In her message, Sec. Taguiwalo
also congratulated the graduates of the CTCSMI and lauded their perseverance
despite the difficulties that they have encountered.
The graduates include those in
pre-school, elementary, and junior high school level.
“Kahanga-hanga ang inyong
pagpupunyagi sa kabila ng maraming hadlang. Matayog ang inyong naabot at pilit
pang inaabot sa kabila ng kawalan o katiting na tulong mula sa mga nasa
kapangyarihan. Sa panahong kayo ay sinubok at dinahas, naging saksi kami sa
inyong pagkakapit-bisig at pagsama-sama. Hindi nakakapagtakang ang inyong lakas
ay naipamalas at ang inyong boses ay narinig sa buong Pilipinas at maging sa
ibang bansa
(I admire your perseverance despite the many difficulties you faced. You have
reached high despite receiving little or no help from those in power. We have
witnessed your solidarity when you were in a difficult situation. Because of
it, you have succeeded in making your voices heard not just in the Philippines,
but also in other countries),” she said.
Many members of the Lumad group
in Mindanao, particularly those in Davao del Norte, Surigao, and Compostela
Valley have been displaced and are forced to leave their communities due the
long and continuing armed conflict in the region. Parts of the group’s vast
land are also being claimed by mining and logging companies.
Sec. Taguiwalo also recognized
the staff and faculty of the school, who were instrumental in providing the
students with scientific and cultural-responsive education.
Established on October 24,
2013, CTCSMI is a Lumad community school that aims to provide a comprehensive
grassroots-transformative teacher education for Lumad and Moro scholars,
helping them contribute to the development of their communities. The
institution also helps in raising agricultural production in a sustainable way
and enhancing natural-based health programs.
Before the graduation ceremony,
Sec. Taguiwalo marched with the students and their parents together with Maco
Mayor Alvera Veronica Rimando and Office-in-Charge and School Administrator of
CTCSMI, Sophia Flor Perez.
She also visited the organic
farm of the school, where students learn how to produce organic fertilizer,
grow vegetables, and raise organic pigs, chickens, and goats. The provincial
government of Compostela Valley, the regional office of the Department of
Agriculture, and MASIPAG Mindanao, a farmer-led non-stock, non-profit
organization, have donated animals to the farm.
“Ang hamon sa amin sa
pamahalaan ay maibigay ang nararapat at sapat na tulong para sa inyo, hindi
lamang sa aspeto ng edukasyon, kundi ng pangangalaga sa kapayapaan at seguridad
sa inyong yutang kabilin
(The challenge for us in the government is to give the right and adequate help
for you, not just in the aspect of education, but also in maintaining peace and
securing your ancestral domain).”
“Sa inyong moving up ceremony,
baunin ninyo lahat ng matutunan niyo sa inyong karanasan sa CTCSMI, sapagkat
naghihintay ang inyong mga komunidad sa inyong pag-uwi at pagbahagi ng inyong
kaalaman at kasanayan hindi lang sa pagtuturo, paggamot at pagtatanim kundi
maging sa inyong maiaambag para sa pangangalaga sa inyong yutang kabilin (In your moving up ceremony,
take with you all that you have learned from your experiences from CTCSMI. Your
community is waiting for you to share your newly-acquired knowledge in
teaching, farming, and treating common diseases, as well as in taking care of
your ancestral domain),” Sec. Taguiwalo ended.###
SOURCE: DSWD Website –
Secretarys’ Corner (http://www.dswd.gov.ph/18252-2/)
DISCLAIMER: The above Article
does not reflects the VIEWS and OPINIONS of Partners for Change
Comments