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DepEd pulls out teachers from 4 Basilan schools


In the wake of the abductions of teachers, the district supervisor of the Department of Education (DepEd) pulled out its teachers from four schools in Basilan province in southern Philippines. Domingo Lardizabal, president of the Lamitan Teachers Association in Basilan, told GMANews.TV that DepEd district supervisor Teresita Suadico ordered the pullout of teachers from the following schools in Lamitan City:

  • Campo Uno Elementary School;
  • Dangkalan Elementary School;
  • Magsaysay Elementary School; and
  • Baas Elementary School, where principal Cecilia Sosas was abducted last November 15. The pullout came after a text message from the abductors was sent to Suadico, saying that more teachers from the mentioned schools in Lamitan City will be abducted in the following days. The text message also said they should stop looking for Sosas because she is already "gone". Because of the pullout, classes have been suspended in the four schools and teachers are to report to the district office until Friday. Classes are expected to resume Monday next week. Local military officers are also monitoring the area and ensuring the safety of residents near the schools. In DepEd's official Twitter account, DepEd Secretary Bro. Armin Luistro reiterated his appeal to local government units concerned to help secure the teachers there. "Teachers pulled out in Basilan for fear of more kidnapping; Sec. Luistro reiterates appeal and calls on LGU for help," tweeted @deped_ph on Wednesday. Only last November 23, Luistro appealed to abductors of a school principal in Basilan for her unconditional release. On November 15, unidentified men had abducted Sosas, principal of Baas Elementary School, and teacher Merlyn Yacapin. Yacapin was abandoned but Sosas has yet to be freed. Bishop mulls leaving Basilan As this developed, a Catholic bishop assigned to conflict-hit Basilan province has admitted entertaining thoughts of leaving his post due to the violence in his turf. Basilan Bishop Martin Jumoad said living in his prelature, likened by many to a "wild west" in Mindanao, has not been easy. "There are times when I just want to go home because I’m already tired and bored, so sometimes I think of retiring," Jumoad said in an article posted on the Union of Catholic Asian News website. But he maintained he is not about to surrender, as the fate of the Muslim and Christian residents there are worse than what he is experiencing. "I would say God has placed me there, and maybe I am the best person as of the moment to carry this moral responsibility," he said. Basilan is among the known areas where the al-Qaeda-linked Abu Sayyaf operates. The bandit group had been linked to rampant abductions and killings of priests, nuns, tourists and residents. Last Nov. 27, 12 fishermen were reported kidnapped in the province. Ten of them had been released unharmed. Jumoad said he cannot stop worrying for his life and his priests’, especially those working in remote villages. Also, he said it is not easy to work in a place where gunfire, abductions and bomb attacks are “normal." Only last April, a bomb exploded outside the Isabela cathedral, destroying almost half the church. — RSJ, GMANews.TV
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