Groups want 'trumped-up' charges vs. Castro, Ocampo junked

Several groups rallied behind ACT Teachers party-list Representative France Castro and former Bayan Muna lawmaker Satur Ocampo, and called for the dismissal of child abuse case against them. 

Bayan Muna party-list said the case showed that the statement “no one is above the law” is false in the country.

“Ang gawa-gawang kaso laban kina Ka Satur at Rep. France ay patunay na hindi gumagana ang sistema ng hustisya sa bansa… Malinaw na panggigipit ito sa Makabayan bilang political opposition," Makabayan coalition said in a statement.

(The made-up case against Ka Satur and Rep. France is proof that the justice system in the country does not work… It is clear oppression of Makabayan as a political opposition.)

Makabayan claimed the conviction came a month after Castro announced her intent to run for the Senate.

“Ang hindi makatarungang desisyon na ito ay magtutulak sa Makabayan na pag-ibayuhin pa ang paglalantad sa kawalan ng hustisya. Ang nagtatanggol sa inaapi at dinadahas na Lumad ang na-convict ng korte, samantalang ang mga nandarahas ay nakakalaya,” it added.

(This unjust decision will push Makabayan to continue exposing the lack of justice. Those who defend the oppressed and abused Lumad are being convicted in court, but those who abuse them are set free.)

ACT Teachers also said that the charges punish teachers and human rights defenders for “doing their duties of protecting students from harm and rescuing those in grave danger."

“The court readily bought the false and filthy narrative of the perpetrators and turned a blind eye on the facts of the incessant attacks against Lumad schools and the rescue mission that was carried out to protect the children,” the group said.

“These trumped-up charges exemplify the Duterte administration's state terrorism against progressive groups, individuals, and human rights defenders… Still, the cycle of violence and oppression persists under the current administration, making President Marcos Jr. equally accountable for the ongoing terrorism against the people,” it added in a separate statement.

Castro lamented the conviction amid her efforts for many years to teach children and defend their rights.

“Hindi ako nakahandang makulong dahil alam kong nasa tama kaming direksiyon… Ang ating panawagan sana sa ating korte na mabaliktad ang sitwasyon na ito,” said Castro in a "24 Oras" report by Jun Veneracion on Tuesday.

(I am not prepared to go to jail because I know we are in the right direction… Our call is for the court to reverse this situation.)

In a news conference, Ocampo said that the P80,000 bail they initially posted was still effective as long as their appeal was unresolved.

“'Pag may nag-attempt na arestuhin kami, wala silang basis. So malaya kami, at ang kalayaan na ‘yun ang gagamitin namin sa paglaban sa kaso na ito, sa paglaban para sa kapakanan ng ating mga katutubo, at ibang mga mahirap na mamamayan,” said Ocampo.

(If anyone attempts to arrest us, they have no basis. So we are free, and we will use that freedom to fight this case, to fight for the well-being of our indigenous peoples and the poor.)

Lumad representatives who attended also spoke in defense of Ocampo and Castro.

“Galit na galit kami kasi hindi naman sila Satur Ocampo ang nag-bomb threat sa mga komunidad namin. Hindi sila France Castro and nang-harass sa amin. Sila mismo ang tumutulong sa amin,” said Lumad leader Kat Dalon.

(We are angry because it was not Satur Ocampo and France Castro who harassed us and threatened our communities. They are the ones who helped us.)

Earlier, Castro and Ocampo were sentenced to up to six years of imprisonment for allegedly endangering minors during a solidarity mission in Talaingod, Davao del Norte in 2018.

The court said the accused made children walk on foot for three hours on a dark and unsecured road.

“Records reveal that the prosecution has established proof beyond reasonable doubt that [the] accused… committed acts detrimental to the safety and well-being of the minor Lumad learners,” it said.

“Considering the terrain and the conditions of the road, the children might be shot either by the military or [New People’s Army] (NPA) because it was in these areas that the military and the NPA had several encounters. Moreover, they might also be bitten by snakes or insects, or fall into ravine or off the cliff, or slipping and falling on the road, which is very rough and slippery,” it added.

Castro and Ocampo, in a joint statement, said that the decision ignored testimonies on continued harassment of Lumad schools, adding the verdict was "unacceptable and unjust."

“This wrongful conviction speaks of the continuing persecution of those who are helping and advocating for the rights of Lumad children and the persistent attacks on Lumad schools and communities,” they said.

Castro also called out National Security Adviser Eduardo Año, a former Armed Forces Chief of Staff, of echoing the line of his former boss, former President Rodrigo Duterte who has a penchant for linking progressives to communist rebels.

"We know that Año's former boss Rodrigo Duterte is still influential in Mindanao and that the NTF-ELCAC is hellbent on having us convicted on trumped up charges. It sends a dangerous message that those who help children against the harassment of the military, paramilitary and NTF-ELCAC will be punished. In this situation where the power and influence of red-taggers have become dominant, true justice is set aside,” Castro said, referring to the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict.

“As it is, we will face this trumped-up charge head on even if we reach the Supreme Court. It sends a dangerous message that those who help children against the harassment of the military, paramilitary and NTF-ELCAC will be punished. In this situation where the power and influence of red-taggers have become dominant, true justice is set aside,” she added.

The National Security Council (NSC), in a statement issued Wednesday, argued that the authorities’ takes were based on merits.

“Nowhere in Secretary [Eduardo] Año's (National Security Adviser) statement of 15 July 2024 was there any instance of alleged "red tagging." No amount of misdirection or finger pointing will ever change that fact,” the NSC said.

“Making allegations of "red tagging" has become a convenient excuse for them to avoid responsibility and accountability for crimes they have committed,” Año added. — LDF/KG, GMA Integrated News