MIDSAYAP, North Cotabato, (PNA) –- A week after heavily armed men held hostage and used public school teachers here as human shields, the Department of Education (DepEd) in North Cotabato reopened the Malingao Elementary School with emotions pouring, an education official said Thursday.
“It was a very emotional thing, I can’t help but shed tears with the teachers and the parents,” North Cotabato Schools Division acting Superintendent Romelito Flores said.
“Not all teachers have returned and re-start classes at Malingao,” he said after escorting five of the 13 teachers who were “told to stay put” in their school here as government forces and Moro bandits traded bullets on September 23.
“Some are still in the process of healing, they have been traumatized and we need to give them space. But some teachers have expressed willingness to return,” Flores said.
Classes resumed informally last Monday with most of the parents, mostly Maguindanaons, in tears as they welcomed the teachers in their community.
Recalling their ordeal, many teachers wore smiles and confidence in their faces.
Flores would not identify who among the 13 teachers have decided to return and continue their work as “second parents” to about 500 pupils of the remote public school which was caught in the battle field two weeks ago.
The teachers who were caught in the conflict were Dioden Camiros, Annamarie Corpus, Josefina Galvez, Hydie Marcelo, Pairosa Mohaiden, Lily Postrado, Geraldine Yunting, Tuday Zainal, Ruby Heirro, Edna Cortel, 56, Honey Corpuz, 31, Rose Escote, 47 and Heirro’s five-year-old daughter.
The bandits also prevented from leaving Malingao council members Norodin Delangalen, Payag Bulongan, Abdulkareem Duman and Inggi Abdul and Tex Managsa, barangay secretary.
Flores said the teachers, parents and pupils were very emotional “when we sang the national anthem.”
He said the teachers want full security when they decided to return.
“They want to get an assurance from our security officials that they are safe there…our teachers have nothing to do with the conflict, have nothing to do with the struggle and all they wanted was to educate the children, regardless of their faith, religion and political affiliation,” Flores stressed.
Flores quoted DepEd-12 Regional Director Allan Farnazo as saying that resumption of classes in Malingao depends on the assessment of security authorities.
“Some of the teachers are eager to return while others were reluctant,” Flores said.
Education Secretary Armin Luistro met with the teachers here few days after the incident and called the mentors the “Magnificent 13.”
“We would like to commend all who have contributed in the safe release of our beloved teachers whose lives were put in a very serious situation,” Farnazo said.
“Secretary Bro. Armin Luistro was too proud and happy all is well that ends well for the teachers,” he added.
Flores said stress debriefing to the affected teachers as well as students of Malingao Elementary School have been on-going.
The 13 teachers were about to start their Monday classes with the pupils who are mostly Maguindanaons when parents suddenly arrived and took their children home.
Later they learned there were about 100 BIFF rebels coming toward the direction of the school after trading bullets with government forces in nearby villages of Raradangan, Polomoguin, all in Midsayap, North Cotabato.