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Teachers want same attention given to Irish priest

by Queenie Casimiro, ABS-CBN Zamboanga | 11/07/2009 9:17 PM

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ZAMBOANGA - A group of public school teachers in Zamboanga Peninsula has called on the government to also give attention to the plight of other kidnap victims in Mindanao other than Irish missionary Fr. Michael Sinnott.

Abelardo Brutas Jr. of the Teachers Organization of Philippine Public Sector (TOPPS) said they do not see top police, military and Malacañang officials convening to tackle the case Gabriel Canizares, the kidnapped school head of Kanague Elementary School in Patikul, Sulu, and Donald John Capili, who comes from a prominent family in Liloy, Zamboanga del Norte.

Brutas' appeal was made following the top-level conference conducted in Zamboanga City on Friday, which was attended by Interior and Local Government Secretary Ronaldo Puno, Philippine National Police (PNP) Chief Jesus Verzosa, Admiral Emilio Marayag Jr., who represented the AFP chief of staff, and other police and military officials in the region.

Zamboanga del Sur Crisis Management Committee Chair Gov. Aurora Cerilles also attended the conference.
    
The kidnapping of three teachers of Landang Gua Elementary School off the coast of mainland Zamboanga City, and the kidnapping of another three teachers from Naga, Zamboanga Sibugay happened also at the time when the three members of the International Committee of the Red Cross in Sulu were taken. That was when Brutas first noted the disparity in the attention the government was giving to the case of the foreign humanitarian workers.
    
This time, Brutas said, "we are again seeing the same with the case of the Irish missionary."
    
AFP spokesperson Romeo Brawner, who was also in Zamboanga City, immediately allayed the fears of Brutas. He said the government has not and will not forget the case of the Filipino captives.
    
"It only appears like that because the media is giving it much attention," Brawner said.
    
Brutas took the opportunity to ask from Brawner a concrete security plan that should be adopted to assure the safety of the teachers, especially those assigned in conflict-affected areas.

Brutas said that if no such plan would be devised, especially now that elections are forthcoming, they will be forced to " ask our members not to report [to work] if their security is at risk."
    
Meanwhile, Brutas disclosed that the Sagip Guro Coalition has again reiterated its call to all schools nationwide to offer a one-minute prayer during flag raising ceremony for the safe release of Canizares.
    
Prayers were also offered at the time the teachers from Zamboanga City and Zamboanga Sibugay were still being kept hostage by their captors.