France Castro, others to appeal child abuse verdict before CA

ACT Teachers party-list Representative France Castro and others have notified a Tagum court of their plan to appeal its ruling finding them guilty of endangering minors in 2018 before the Court of Appeals (CA).

In a 5-page notice of appeal filed on Monday, Castro and others asked the Tagum Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 2 for the appeal to be “given due course and the same elevated to the Court of Appeals by the way of an appeal.”

This was after the RTC found that Castro, former Bayan Muna party-list representative Satur Ocampo, and 11 others guilty for violation of Section 10(a) of Republic Act 7610 or the Special Protection of Children Against Abuse, Exploitation, and Discrimination Act.

It sentenced them to imprisonment from four years to six years.

The court also ordered them to pay, jointly and severally, P10,000 as civil indemnity and P10,000 as moral damages to each minor, with an interest rate of 6% per annum from finality of the decision until full payment.

In a statement, Castro said that it is the military who are the ones harassing teachers and students of Lumad schools

“Where is the justice in that? Even up till now, lumad communities are still being threatened and harassed by the military," Castro said.

The case stemmed from the trafficking charge filed against them and 17 others for allegedly holding minors during their solidarity mission in Talaingod, Davao Del Norte in November 2018.

A group joined by Castro and Ocampo and 72 others was conducting a National Solidarity Mission in Talaingod to give aid to Lumad schools and teachers in the area and investigate cases of human rights violations after the paramilitary group ALAMARA forcibly padlocked the Salugpongan Community Center. — RSJ, GMA Integrated News