Thirty Lumad students marched in the Bakwit School’s first graduation ceremony yesterday, July 17, with the theme “Martsa Pasulong: Pangiyak ng Lumad para sa Edukasyon, Karapatan at lupang ninuno sa gitna ng pandemya at Karahasan.”
According to Save Our Schools (SOS) Network, the event is “a testament to the hard work and perseverance of every Lumad child who has fought and who continuously fights for their right to education, to self-determination, and self-preservation.”
The Bakwit school was established in 2017 to serve as a refuge for Lumad students whose communities have suffered from increasing militarization in Mindanao. Bakwit is the vernacular of “evacuate” and a fitting name for a “school on the run.”
Lumad school closures under the Duterte administration have deprived approximately 10,000 indigenous students of education. The 30 finishers in yesterday’s graduation ceremony are merely a tiny fraction of the entire Lumad student population.
Aside from the attacks from state and paramilitary forces that are eyeing Lumad ancestral lands, the Bakwit school also had to contend with the challenges brought about by the pandemic. The abrupt shift to remote learning and the lack of necessary gadgets and resources proved to be a steep learning curve for the school.
Nevertheless, the Lumad students persevered. Their dedication and steady stream of support from various sectors and groups made the Bakwit school’s success possible for SOS.
“Ano ba ang pinagtagumpayan ng Bakwit school? Higit pa sa numero, kayo ang pinanghahawakan namin. Kayong mga estudyante sa Bakwit school, kayo ang pinanghahawakan naming tagumpay,” said SOS Spokesperson Rius Valle.
However, SOS asserts that graduation is merely the continuation of a long, grueling fight for the Lumad and the protection of their ancestral domains.
“We will continue to fight until all the more than 200 schools in Mindanao will be reopened again. Until the Lumad children can freely go to school. Until their parents won’t have to worry if they’ll ever make it home alive. Until all indigenous and marginalized communities have access to education and all other human rights. We will continue. Onward, always. Always, onward.”
