Senatorial bet Minguita Padilla urges police to respect Natividad Castro's rights

BAGUIO CITY — Senatorial candidate Dr. Minguita Padilla on Saturday expressed concern over the arrest of fellow health worker Dr. Natividad Castro.

“As a fellow physician and alumna of St. Scholastica's College and the University of the Philippines, I am gravely concerned regarding reports on the current circumstances of Dr. Natividad Castro,” she said in a statement.

Padilla asked law enforcers to respect Castro's constitutional rights and that she be given fair and proper treatment.

“Let us remember that Dr. Natividad is part of the frontline healthcare workers, who have risked their lives to serve our country, especially during this pandemic. May the rule of law and justice prevail,” she said.

Castro, 53, an advocate of Lumad communities in Mindanao, was taken into custody on Friday by Philippine National Police and Armed Forces intelligence operatives in Barangay San Perfecto, San Juan City on the basis of a warrant of arrest issued on January 30, 2020 by acting Presiding Judge Fernando Fudalan of the Regional Trial Court Branch 7 of Bayugan City, Agusan del Sur.

Police said Castro is a ranking member of the Communist Party of the Philippines and is facing kidnapping and serious illegal detention charges.

The Commission on Human Rights, however, said Castro has been red-tagged for her work.

She is currently detained in Bayugan.

The location of the jailed physician, which the PNP revealed on Saturday afternoon, had been a source of concern for Castro's relatives.

"After proper documentation and booking procedure upon her arrest in San Juan City on Friday morning, she was immediately flown to Bayugan City, Agusan del Sur where she is presently detained," PNP-PIO chief Police Brigadier General Roderick Augustus Alba said in a statement.

"As a Person Under Police Custody (PUPC), and upon her request, she was provided with hygiene kit, clothes and toiletries, while the local office of the Commission on Human Rights [has] been duly informed of her present status," Alba added.

The Department of Health said it trusted that the authorities would uphold the due process rights of all citizens, including health workers. 

Missing 'sabungeros'

On another topic, senatorial candidate Guillermo Eleazar emphasized the need to further strengthen the capability of law enforcers, specifically on crime prevention and investigative skills, in light of the issue of missing cockfight enthusiasts.

If elected, Eleazar said he would seek a review of bills on online cockfighting.

“Ire-review natin ‘yun, pag-aaralan natin kasi sa ngayon alam naman natin na allowed naman siya ‘di ba? In-authorize naman siya pero dapat nandoon ang ating mga regulations na nakatutok dun para pangalagaan ang kapakanan ng iba't ibang stakeholders particularly itong mga nag-a-avail, ang mga customers nitong e-sabong,” the former PNP chief told reporters.

(We will review the proposed measures. We will study that because right now it is allowed. It was authorized, but it needs regulation so that we can protect the welfare of the stakeholders, particularly the customers of e-sabong.)

As of January 31, the PNP reported 26 missing individuals who were last seen in cockfighting arenas.

The abduction of one missing “sabungero” in Laguna was captured by a CCTV camera, according to Emil Sumangil’s “24 Oras” report on Wednesday.

A Senate investigation was eyed for next week regarding the missing sabungeros.

The Department of Justice said the National Bureau of Investigation was already directed to probe the matter. — VBL/KG, GMA News