125 Lumads integrated into AFP for deployment in their tribes

CAMP BANCASI, Butuan City – Northeastern and Northern Mindanao’s Fourth Infantry (Diamond) Division (4th ID) yesterday deployed 125 Lumads or indigenous peoples (IPs) in their respective tribal communities in Mindanao.

The 125 Lumads were made regular members of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) with a rank of private to sergeants.

“The mission of the deployed noncombatant IP soldiers is to teach their respective tribal members learn how to read and write,” said regional 4th ID spokesman Capt. Joe Patrick A. Martinez.

He said the Lumad soldiers, most of them coming from the Manobo and Higa-onon tribes, underwent additional education under an alternative learning system (ALS) accredited by the Department of Education (DepEd).

“The military has authorized the deployment of these 125 IPs back to their villages in order to assist in the peace and development activities of their ancestral communities,” the 4th ID spokesperson said.

Before the end of this year, another batch of IP soldiers would be deployed to 35 villages in northeastern and northern Mindanao to start their own respective ALS cells and hand down mainstream education to members of the tribal communities, Martinez said.

“These soldiers range from privates to sergeants. Unarmed, the IP soldiers would wear the traditional tribal garb once they are integrated back to their villages under the area of responsibility (AOR) of 4th ID,” he said.

The 4th ID maintains military jurisdiction in the provinces of Misamis Oriental, Bukidnon, Camiguin, Agusan Del Norte, Agusan Del Sur, Surigao Del Norte, Surigao Del Sur and Dinagat. Of these, only island provinces of Camiguin and Dinagat are free of armed communist rebels, he added. (Mike U. Crismundo)