Dubious school building projects in Davao del Norte hinterland slammed
CAGAYAN DE ORO — Several groups slammed the questionable school infrastructure projects in the hinterlands of Talaingod, Davao del Norte.
Indigenous peoples advocacy group Sabokahan Tomo Kamalitanan (Unity of Lumad Women) called the Department of Education (DepEd) lapses as “cruel,” given the fact that many Lumad schools were forcibly closed during the Duterte administration and left thousands of children from Indigenous communities deprived of free education.
“Hold DepEd accountable!” Sabokahan called.
The groups’ denunciation came following reports that three DepEd officials in Davao del Norte were placed under 90-day preventive suspension after a school building project at Kamingawan Elementary School was not implemented, while the project at Dulyan Integrated School was only partially completed based on an audit inquiry by the Commission on Audit dated November 13, 2025.
These P36-million (US$623,447) government projects were reportedly part of DepEd’s Last Mile Schools Program, which aims to address the gaps in school resources and facilities in geographically isolated and disadvantaged and conflict-affected areas (GIDCA).
The program was launched in 2019, but the implementation only started in 2022 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Several reports revealed that the schools division superintendent, the assistant schools division superintendent, and the division engineer of DepEd Davao del Norte have been suspended while the investigation is ongoing.
The Save Our Schools (SOS) Network Mindanao, an alliance of organizations advocating for children’s right to education, recounted that 17 Lumad schools in Talaingod under the Salugpungan Ta’Tatanu Igkanugon Learning Center Incorporated were shut down due to allegations that they taught left-leaning ideologies. The network repeatedly debunked these accusations.
Volunteer teachers, including former lawmakers, were also prosecuted and eventually wrongfully convicted of crimes just because they helped the Lumad children who were then being harassed by a paramilitary group.
Read: ‘A dangerous precedent’ | Groups express concern on CA decision upholding Talaingod 13 conviction
“In Talaingod, an unfinished classroom is not a minor bureaucratic lapse. It determines whether a child walks hours to school, studies in unsafe conditions, or stops attending altogether,” the network said.
It argued that instead of shutting them down, Lumad schools could be strengthened for children’s education in remote areas.
As of 2023, DepEd targeted a total of 168 Last Mile schools in the country, but only 5.9 percent, or 10 schools, were completed.
Both Sabokahan and SOS Network in Mindanao called for full public disclosure of the DepEd investigation for transparency of government projects for Indigenous communities.
However, Lumad leader and former Bayan Muna Representative Eufemia Cullamat argued that the probe should include all government-funded projects in Talaingod, saying the issue cannot be confined to DepEd alone. She said the local government, including the other state-run agencies, should also be investigated, citing COA reports.
In 2024, state auditors flagged the “defects and flaws in workmanship” exhibited in the Pabahay sa Lumad in Talaingod, worth P20 million (US$346,355) each project, funded by the National Housing Authority.
State auditors noted that this would be a disadvantage to the beneficiaries, and it undermines the local government’s credibility in delivering decent housing projects for Lumad communities.
“If the whole-of-government [approach] achieves peace and development, the whole-of-government should also be held accountable,” Cullamat pointed out. “Credit cannot be collective, but responsibilities are only for a few if there is a serious problem.” (RTS, RVO)
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