FLAG, family meet detained Dr. Naty Castro, maintain she's not a communist

The Free Legal Assistance Group (FLAG) said Sunday that they and the family members of health worker Dr. Ma. Natividad "Naty" Castro were able to meet with her at the Bayugan, Agusan del Sur police headquarters on Saturday.

In a statement, FLAG said two of Castro’s sisters were able to speak with and spend time with her.

Castro was taken into custody on Friday by Philippine National Police (PNP) 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 (CPP) and is facing kidnapping and serious illegal detention charges.

The Commission on Human Rights (CHR) however said Castro has been red tagged for her work.

Both FLAG and the CHR on Saturday said they were gravely concerned as to the whereabouts of Castro after her arrest.

Castro's relatives also said then they wanted to know her whereabouts as they did not receive any word from authorities since the time of arrest.

The PNP on Saturday afternoon then issued a statement saying Castro was flown to Bayugan City and will be presented to the court for proper disposition. 

"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," PNP-PIO chief Police Brigadier General Roderick Augustus Alba said in a statement.

FLAG noted that records of Castro’s case are still unavailable until Monday when courts open, thus they are still unaware of the reason for her arrest.

'Not a communist'

“Contrary, however, to what the police have been announcing on their social media pages, Doc Naty is not a communist nor is she a terrorist. She is a health worker who has been helping those who need help most,” said FLAG national chairperson Atty. Jose Manuel “Chel” Diokno.

Diokno said that Castro served people in various areas in Mindanao as a health worker and she also helped the Lumad who were victims of militarization by bringing them to the United Nations in Geneva.

She also helped set up community help centers and programs in Mindanao, he added.

Castro's sister Menchi also told GMA News that the doctor is not a CPP member, saying it is "anathema to her philosophy in life."

The CPP meanwhile on Saturday condemned the "unlawful arrest and unjust detention" of Castro, stressing she should be released immediately and charges against her should be dropped.

In a statement, CPP Information Officer Marco Valbuena said Castro was a victim of the President Rodrigo Duterte administration’s “war of terror against the people” and the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC).

Valbuena also said military red tagging against human rights defenders is “nothing new” and has been “repeatedly used by state forces to justify its campaign of extrajudicial killings, illegal arrest, and non-stop harassment against progressive social activists who have been critical of Duterte's tyrannical reign."

He also said Castro’s arrest may be linked with plans to “intensify attacks against patriotic and democratic forces to prevent them from effectively campaigning for the May elections and stifle their voices against efforts to steal the elections in favor of Duterte's candidates.”

Legal remedies

FLAG stressed that they will pursue legal remedies to secure Castro’s freedom or the immediate dismissal of the case against her.

“Doc Naty also reserves all her rights to pursue legal remedies against those police officers who violated her rights with impunity and went against established procedure when they took her from her home in San Juan on February 18, 2022, denied her access to counsel and family, and transported her without notifying any family member or counsel,” Diokno said.

“Finally, FLAG will also pursue remedies against those who have redtagged and continue to redtag Dr. Naty,” he added.

The Department of Health on Saturday said that the contributions of healthcare workers serving the underserved are “immeasurable,” emphasizing that all citizens, including health workers, have the constitutional guarantees of due process and presumption of innocence until proven guilty. —KG, GMA News