While the rest of the country is focused on relief and rehabilitation in most parts of Luzon with the massive destruction caused by tropical storm Ondoy and typhoon Pepeng, education advocates from PIECE-E-Net called the attention of government to the plight of internally displaced people (IDP) in Mindanao.

E-Net referred to a report released by the Geneva-based Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC) of the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) highlighting the plight of IDPs in armed conflict areas specifically in Mindanao.

Quoting from the report, E-Net said since last year, there were about 330,000 and 400,000 displaced people specifically in the province of Maguindanao, brought about by the renewed escalation of hostilities between government and the Moro International Liberation Front (MILF).

Cecilia Soriano, E-Net National Coordinator asserts that while they too have been affected by floods here in Metro Manila, E-Net urges the government to implement education in emergencies as this is the commitment of the government to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

Soriano also said that giving IDPs access to education would increase their chances of rebuilding their lives amidst the conflict that they experience on a daily basis.

“The government can very well ensure education for IDPs by increasing the budget of the Alternative Learning System (ALS), thereby reaching out to those who have been living in evacuation camps,” he said.

E-Net, along with Social Watch Philippines, continuously lobbies for an alternative budget.