FEATURE||August 27, 2026-𝗪𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝗮 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝘁𝗮𝗸𝗲𝘀 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗽𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗶𝘁𝘀 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻𝗲𝗿𝘀

GENERAL LUNA, Surigao del Norte — Learner protection becomes stronger when it is no longer treated as the work of schools alone.

𝗔 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗶𝘁𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻𝗲𝗿 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝘁𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻

This was the message that emerged as the Caraga Region Learner Rights and Protection (LRP) on Wheels 2026 gathered education officials, school leaders, learner-protection focal persons, local government representatives, and other stakeholders from across the region at Cabuntog Hall, General Luna, Surigao del Norte, on August 19, 2026.

Facilitated and hosted by the Schools Divisions of Siargao, Surigao del Norte, and Surigao City, with the Municipality of General Luna as host local government unit and venue, the activity brought together the Learner Rights and Protection focal and alternate focal persons from all 12 Schools Division Offices of Caraga, together with Siargao Division Learner Formation Officers, School Heads, Public School District Supervisors, Education Program Supervisors, and other education personnel.

Among the key officials present were DepEd Central Office Bureau of Learner Support Services Division Director IV Dr. Miguel Angelo Mantaring, DepEd Caraga Project Development Officer IV Dr. Adrilene Mae J. Castaños, Project Development Officer II (LRP) Giro Paolo Misael Almendralejo, Schools Division Superintendent of Siargao Division Manuel O. Caberte, Dr. Harem L. Taruc, Siargao Division Schools Governance and Operations Division Chief, and General Luna Municipal Mayor Hon. Johnson Y. Sajulga who facilitated the acknowledgement of participants.

More than a gathering of specialists, however, the activity became a demonstration of what a whole-of-society approach to protecting and empowering learners can look like when it moves from policy language to actual partnerships.

Welcoming the participants, Schools Division Superintendent Manuel O. Caberte of the Schools Division of Siargao underscored the strong partnership between DepEd Siargao and the Municipality of General Luna, particularly in advancing programs that benefit learners.

SDS Caberte highlighted the support extended by the local government, including the trust given to DepEd Siargao in determining how its Special Education Fund (SEF) allocation could best be utilized.

The gesture, while seemingly administrative, speaks to something larger.

For an education system tasked with protecting and empowering children, resources matter. But so does the confidence of a local government in the people working closest to learners.

The welcome from SDS Caberte therefore framed the activity not merely as an education-sector undertaking, but as a community commitment.

𝗙𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗜𝗻𝘀𝘁𝗶𝘁𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗦𝘂𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗦𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝗽𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆

In his message, Director Miguel Angelo Mantaring, BLSS Director IV, emphasized the importance of the LRP on Wheels in advancing a whole-of-society approach to protecting and empowering learners.

The activity, he noted, becomes more meaningful precisely because it is supported not by one office alone, but by stakeholders working across institutional lines.

Director Mantaring recognized the presence and support of the Municipality of General Luna, as well as the collective participation of the 12 Schools Division Offices of Caraga, particularly the host division, Siargao, and the General Luna LGU.

𝗪𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝗠𝗼𝗻𝗶𝘁𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗔𝘀𝗸𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗛𝗮𝗿𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝗤𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻

He likewise shared the journey of the DepEd Central Office monitoring team in its ongoing 2026 BLSS equity monitoring and field validation in selected divisions and schools.

Among the programs being monitored was Learner Rights and Protection—placing the LRP agenda within a broader national effort to determine how policies and programs designed to keep learners safe are being translated into practice.

The monitoring, in this sense, is not merely about checking whether a program exists.

It asks a more consequential question:

Does the system work when a learner actually needs it?

𝗔 𝗖𝗵𝗶𝗹𝗱’𝘀 𝗦𝗮𝗳𝗲𝘁𝘆 𝗜𝘀 𝗮 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗿𝗻

In his message of support, General Luna Municipal Mayor Hon. Johnson Y. Sajulga affirmed the local government's commitment to the protection and empowerment of learners.

He expressed appreciation to the guests and participants for choosing General Luna, Siargao as the venue for the LRP on Wheels, while emphasizing the municipality's support for initiatives that advance the welfare of children and young people.

The Mayor's message reinforced an idea that is increasingly important in learner protection:

A child's safety is a community concern.

Schools may be where learning formally happens, but children do not spend their entire lives inside classrooms.

They travel through communities.

They use public spaces.

They interact with adults outside school.

They participate in local economies.

They live within families.

They exist in digital spaces.

And therefore, the environments surrounding schools also become part of the protection ecosystem.

𝗕𝗲𝘆𝗼𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗼𝗹 𝗚𝗮𝘁𝗲

The participation of the 12 Schools Division Offices of Caraga gave the activity a regional dimension.

Their collective presence matters because learner protection is not confined to the office of a designated focal person.

It requires school heads who know when and how to act.

Teachers who know how to listen.

Supervisors who can provide technical guidance.

Division personnel who can coordinate interventions.

Parents who can recognize signs of distress.

Local governments that can mobilize resources.

And communities willing to take responsibility before harm becomes a formal case.

𝗧𝘂𝗿𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗣𝗼𝗹𝗶𝗰𝘆 𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗼 𝗣𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗲

The substance of the activity reflected this broader approach.

One of the highlighted sessions focused on DepEd Order No. 006, s. 2026, or the *Guidelines on Ensuring a Safe and Motivating Learning Environment, delivered by Sir Giro Paolo Misael Almendralejo, emphasizing the policy foundations for creating school environments where learners can feel safe, respected, and motivated to learn.

Another session, “Laws Protecting Children in the Context of Tourism,” was presented by Sir Edson B. Alijo of the Promotion and Advocacy Division of the Commission on Human Rights–Caraga.

For a tourism-driven destination such as General Luna and the wider Caraga region, the discussion was particularly significant.

It acknowledged that child protection cannot be reduced to what happens inside school grounds.

Children move through tourism spaces, communities, transport systems, establishments, and digital environments where vulnerabilities may also exist.

The activity also featured a Parents Orientation on Nation-Building Instructional Materials through the People Power Volunteers for Reform (PPVR) Caraga Region, delivered by its representative, Sir Jhov Jovel Solamo, which further emphasizes the role of families in creating environments where learners can be protected and empowered.

𝗣𝗿𝗼𝘁𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗕𝗲𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗮 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻𝗲𝗿 𝗕𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘀 𝗮 𝗖𝗮𝘀𝗲

Taken together, the sessions painted a picture of learner protection that is much larger than anti-bullying policies or case management.

It is about building environments where children are safe before they become vulnerable, heard before they become cases, and empowered before someone else speaks for them.

This is perhaps where the LRP on Wheels becomes most relevant to the learner-protection concerns confronting schools nationwide.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗤𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗘𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻𝗲𝗿 𝗦𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝗕𝗲 𝗔𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗔𝘀𝗸

A policy can be written.

A reporting mechanism can be established.

A Child Protection Committee can be organized.

A focal person can be designated.

But when a learner is standing in front of an adult, afraid and unsure of what to do, the child is unlikely to be thinking about organizational structures.

The question is much simpler:

“Will somebody help me?”

That is where learner protection is ultimately tested.

Not merely in compliance.

Not merely in documentation.

But in response.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗣𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝗕𝗲𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝘁𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗦𝘆𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗺

The response of the teacher who chooses to listen.

The school head who refuses to dismiss a concern.

The parent who notices that something has changed.

The LGU that makes resources available.

The division that knows where to refer.

And the community that understands that protecting a child is not somebody else's job.

𝗕𝗲𝘆𝗼𝗻𝗱 𝗗𝗶𝘃𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗕𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀

The three host divisions—Siargao, Surigao del Norte, and Surigao City—may have distinct administrative jurisdictions.

The 12 Schools Division Offices may serve different communities.

The General Luna LGU may have its own local priorities.

But a learner's right to safety does not stop at a division boundary.

That is the significance of bringing the region's learner-protection personnel into one space.

𝗙𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗣𝗼𝗹𝗶𝗰𝘆 𝘁𝗼 𝗣𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗲, 𝗙𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝗽𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝘁𝗼 𝗣𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗻𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽

And perhaps this is the most important road travelled by LRP on Wheels.

Not simply a road from one venue to another, but a movement from policy to practice, from monitoring to meaningful intervention, and from institutional responsibility to shared responsibility.

Because children do not stop being children when they leave the school gate.

And protection should not stop there either.

A safe learner is not the responsibility of a school alone.

It is the responsibility of the community that surrounds the child.

In General Luna, that responsibility was not merely discussed.

It was welcomed, supported, and shared.

By Richard Davide

PDO I-SDO Dinagat Islands

𝗘𝗡𝗗

#LRPOnWheels2026 #LearnerRightsAndProtection #LearnerProtection #DepEdCaraga #DepEdCaragaRegion #WholeOfSocietyApproach #SafeLearningEnvironment #ChildProtection #ProtectOurLearners #LearnerEmpowerment #ChildRights #EducationForAll #CommunityForLearners #StrongerTogether #GeneralLuna #Siargao #SurigaoDelNorte #CaragaRegion #12SchoolsDivisionOffices #DepEd #EducationMatters

NB. 𝑻𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒑𝒂𝒈𝒆 𝒊𝒏𝒗𝒊𝒕𝒆𝒔 𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝒕𝒆𝒂𝒄𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈, 𝒏𝒐𝒏-𝒕𝒆𝒂𝒄𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒑𝒆𝒓𝒔𝒐𝒏𝒏𝒆𝒍, 𝒍𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒏𝒆𝒓𝒔, 𝒑𝒂𝒓𝒕𝒏𝒆𝒓𝒔, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒐𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒌𝒆𝒉𝒐𝒍𝒅𝒆𝒓𝒔 𝒕𝒐 𝒔𝒉𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒊𝒓 𝒔𝒕𝒐𝒓𝒊𝒆𝒔, 𝒏𝒆𝒘𝒔, 𝒇𝒆𝒂𝒕𝒖𝒓𝒆𝒔, 𝒐𝒑𝒊𝒏𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒔, 𝒑𝒐𝒆𝒎𝒔, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒐𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒓𝒆𝒍𝒂𝒕𝒆𝒅 𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒌𝒔 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒑𝒖𝒃𝒍𝒊𝒄𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝒐𝒏 𝑫𝒆𝒑𝑬𝒅 𝑪𝒂𝒓𝒂𝒈𝒂’𝒔 𝒐𝒇𝒇𝒊𝒄𝒊𝒂𝒍 𝒘𝒆𝒃𝒔𝒊𝒕𝒆𝒔. 𝑨𝒓𝒕𝒊𝒄𝒍𝒆𝒔 𝒎𝒖𝒔𝒕 𝒃𝒆 𝘄𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗻 𝒊𝒏 𝒂𝒏 𝒆𝒅𝒊𝒕𝒂𝒃𝒍𝒆 𝒇𝒐𝒓𝒎𝒂𝒕 (𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒑𝒊𝒄𝒕𝒖𝒓𝒆𝒔) 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒔𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝒗𝒊𝒂 𝒑𝒓𝒊𝒗𝒂𝒕𝒆 𝒎𝒆𝒔𝒔𝒂𝒈𝒆 (𝑷𝑴) 𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝒐𝒓 𝒆𝒎𝒂𝒊𝒍 𝒂𝒕 𝗽𝗮𝘂_𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗮𝗴𝗮@𝗱𝗲𝗽𝗲𝗱.𝗴𝗼𝘃.𝗽𝗵

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