UP Manila calls for justice over arrest of alumna Dr. Naty Castro

The University of the Philippines Manila (UPM) on Sunday called for justice and expressed concerns over the arrest of their alumna, health worker Dr. Ma. Natividad "Naty" Castro.

In a statement signed by UPM chancellor Dr. Carmencita Padilla, Philippine General Hospital director Dr. Gerardo Legaspi, UPM College of Medicine Dean Charlotte Chiong, and UP Medical Alumni Society president Ma. Cristina Crisologo, it was stated that Castro was an alumna of UPM College of Medicine Class 1995.

They noted that after Castro’s graduation, she dedicated her medical career to providing health services in the rural areas of Agusan and other parts of Mindanao.

She was also said to have brought the plight of the Lumad community to the United Nations in Geneva and the European Union Council in Brussels.

“She has become a staunch human rights defender, specifically of the lumads and indigenous communities whom she has been attending to all these years. She is practicing what the UP has envisioned its graduates to be—community oriented using the primary health care approach intended for the underserved,” the statement said.

Castro 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.

UPM echoed this, expressing their concerns that another doctor practicing in underserved areas is being “maligned and red tagged.”

“We pray this does not happen to Dr. Naty. May justice be served and her rights under the rule of law be respected and upheld,” they said.

“We urge the UP Community and the Filipino people to support us in this call for ensuring the safety and welfare of Dr. Naty Castro. We embrace the Castro family and pray for strength as they endure this difficult time of uncertainty and hardship,” they added.

The Free Legal Assistance Group (FLAG) said Sunday they will pursue legal remedies against those who have red-tagged and continue to red tag Castro, and they will also secure her freedom or the immediate dismissal of the case against her. —LBG, GMA News