VICE President and Education Secretary Sara Duterte has urged parents and guardians to force their children to attend school, saying this can help them dodge recruitment efforts by terrorist groups.
Duterte made the call last Tuesday night in her speech during the 83rd Founding Anniversary of Koronadal City and the 23rd Hinugyaw Festival.
She said ensuring that children are educated, along with the guidance of their parents, could help ensure they are not recruited by terrorist groups.
“Education is a liberating force. I cannot overemphasize to all the adults here in Koronadal– we must force our children to go to school. The Department of Education is implementing a stronger child protection mechanism in our school communities — another layer of defense against the recruitment and exploitation of children and youth,” Duterte said, adding the key to sustain progress in the community is to protect peace and ensure education among future leaders.
She said the DepEd is currently developing a “national peace curriculum” as part of its long-term efforts to address insurgency in the country.
“Our goal is to equip our children and youth with conflict transformation skills and the strength and discernment to resist recruitment into radical and terror groups,” she added.
Duterte, who described Koronadal as “the melting pot of cultures in southern Mindanao,” also acknowledged the city for its growth in pursuit of building a better community for its people.
“It has gone a long way and is now a thriving hub that has earned its place as the third most resilient component city during the recognition of the Cities and Municipalities Competitiveness Index last year,” she said.
But she added that development comes with hurdles, and that leaders cannot overlook the challenges that may blight the path to progress.
She said one of these challenges is the presence of terrorist groups and their recruitment of the youth to their ranks.
“One of them is terrorism and the continued recruitment of our vulnerable youth to radical and violent groups. We can no longer count the lives lost to bombings in and around Mindanao, the damage to public and private properties, the fear and the business opportunities lost due to these terror attacks,” Duterte said.
“While our government armed forces are working hard to weed out these groups and keeping civilian Filipinos safe, we must ensure that we do our share to protect our peace and order and keep our communities free from fear and violence,” she added.
Duterte had earlier justified the controversial P150 million in intelligence funds that the DepEd has sought, saying it would be utilized to address problems such as sexual abuse, student’s involvement in illegal drugs, and recruitment to insurgent and terrorist groups.
“The threats to the learning environment, safety, and security of DepEd personnel are interlocking with the mandate of support to the national security of civilian offices,” Duterte said then.
