RECENTLY, the Alliance of Concerned Teachers slammed the Department of Education (DepEd) for hosting another conference with the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) on the event was held June 14. Raymond Basilio, the group’s secretary-general, claimed that such moves run counter to DepEd’s mandate to uphold and protect basic rights and freedom.
I expressed my disagreement and disappointment in Basilio’s statement. Such actions, in my opinion, do not contradict DepEd’s mandate to uphold and protect fundamental rights and freedoms. In fact, NTF-ELCAC supplements the mandate, mission, and vision of DepEd.
The whole-of-nation approach aims to addresses the root causes of insurgencies and other armed conflicts and threats by prioritizing and harmonizing the delivery of basic services and social development packages by the government, facilitating societal inclusivity, and ensuring active participation of all sectors of the society in the pursuit of the country’s peace agenda.
DepEd was mandated through Republic Act 9155. Section 2 stated that it shall be the goal of basic education to provide them with the skills, knowledge, and values they need to become caring, self- reliant, productive, and patriotic citizens. Again, productive and patriotic citizens, not radicalized citizens.
DepEd’s vision of producing Filipinos who passionately love their country and whose values and competencies enable them to realize their full potential and contribute meaningfully to building the nation, also corresponds to the goal of Executive Order (EO) 70.
I know that DepEd should also focus its time and resources on planning and securing the next school year more effectively for teachers and students, but if you look at the big picture, DepEd has a significant role to play in countering terrorism, particularly in addressing the growing problem of child soldiers. Education is the most powerful tool available to pull marginalized children and adults out of poverty and exclusion, making it possible for them to play an active role in the processes and decisions that affect them.
Lastly, I do not see a problem with DepEd’s partnership with NTF-ELCAC. Its partnership is pursuant to EO 70 Section 6 where all government offices, agencies, government-owned and controlled corporations and state universities and colleges are directed to render their support to the task Force. If there is someone that should be questioned here, it should be the members of the Alliance of Concerned Teachers that resist the whole-of-nation approach for peace and development. I doubt if these teachers are really “concerned”.
Malala Yousafzai: The youngest United Nations peace ambassador once said, “Through wars and weapons, we can only kill terrorists but this ideology of terrorism can only be ended through education.” – LORENA S. FORMOSO, Quezon City <lorenasocrates4@gmail.com>
