The Alliance of Concerned Teachers today condemned a spate of abductions of teachers and schoolchildren that have taken place in Mindanao .

Yesterday, armed men allegedly belonging to the Ondo Perez crime gang stormed the Maitum Elementary School in Prosperidad, Agusan del Sur and seized more than 70 people to use them as human shields. The men were being pursued by police. Among those held hostage were teachers and at least 17 school children. The school children were subsequently released, but 54 individuals are still being held in captivity.

Also yesterday, Orlando Fajardo, Vice-President of the Basilan State College, was abducted from his home in Isabela, Basilan by unidentified armed men.

“We condemn the attack on Maitum Elementary School and the hostage-taking of innocent civilians, including school children and their teachers and parents,” said Alliance of Concerned Teachers national chairperson Antonio Tinio. “We likewise condemn the kidnapping of Basilan State College Vice President Orlando Fajardo. We demand their immediate and unconditional release.”

Tinio pointed out that there has been an upsurge in criminality, particularly by kidnap-for-ransom groups, targeting teachers and schools in Mindanao, noting the abduction of teachers in Zamboanga City and Zamboanga Sibugay in recent months as well as the beheading of school principal Gabriel Canizares by his abductors last month. “We are very alarmed at this surge in criminality in various parts of Mindanao . It’s unfortunate that teachers, schoolchildren, and schools are the frequent targets of attack. We denounce this government’s seeming inability to guarantee the safety and security of teachers, school children, and the general public.”

Tinio cited the Arroyo government’s failure to bring criminals to justice as a major factor in the proliferation of these crimes. “The culture of impunity that has prevailed under Mrs. Arroyo’s presidency, which has thrived due to her government’s sponsorship of extrajudicial killings and disappearances as well as her patronage of warlords like the Amaptuans in Maguindanao, has emboldened the perpetrators of these kidnappings.” He noted that not a single perpetrator for the abductions of teachers in Zamboanga, Zamboanga Sibugay, or the beheading of Canizares has so far been brought to justice.

However, Tinio criticized suggestions that martial law should be imposed to curb the ongoing wave of criminality in the region. “By declaring martial law on such a flimsy and frankly unconstitutional basis, Mrs. Arroyo is hoping to trivialize the President’s use of the martial law option, making it easier for her to make use of it in the future. This is why her declaration of martial law in Maguindanao cannot be allowed to stand. What is needed is effective and honest law enforcement and administration of justice, not martial law.” #