A HEALTH workers' alliance on Tuesday voiced support for the so-called Talaingod 18, including recently convicted for "child abuse" ACT Teachers Party-list Rep. France Castro and former Bayan Muna representative Satur Ocampo.
In a Facebook post, the Alliance of Health Workers (AHW) unions and associations said they stand firm in their belief that Castro, Ocampo and the rest of the Talaingod 18 mission rights defenders are innocent.
"We strongly criticize this government for its continuous harassment, intimidation, repression, and red-tagging of teachers, health workers, government employees, church leaders, lawyers, journalists, Indigenous people, and ordinary citizens critical of the government," the AHW said.
They argued that rights advocates, particularly Castro and Ocampo, are not criminals but dedicated lawmakers and human rights defenders who champion the causes of marginalized sectors.
Thus, the AHW assailed the verdict of Tagum Regional Trial Court Branch 2 in Davao del Norte, stating that the true child abusers and human rights violators of the rights of Lumad children and Filipinos are the Armed Forces of the Philippines, the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-Elcac), and the Duterte-Marcos administrations.
In 2018, Castro and Ocampo, among others, were charged with child trafficking and for allegedly holding minors during their solidarity mission in Talaingod, Davao del Norte.
Meanwhile, former senator Leila de Lima said the convictions of Castro and Castro should be appealed.
"The judgment convicting former Rep. Satur Ocampo, Rep. France Castro, et al. for supposed child abuse involving Lumad children should be reviewed and reversed on appeal," de Lima wrote on X (formerly Twitter) on Tuesday.
De Lima said it was ironic that those protecting children from armed conflict were being politically persecuted by the State.
Conviction hailed
But members of the legal cooperation cluster (LLC) NTF-Elcac cheered the conviction of Castro and Ocampo for child abuse.
In a statement, the NTF-Elcac said no one is above the law, especially those "corrupting" children.
"This case sends a clear message to anyone who tries to corrupt our children, teaching them false ideas with the end goal of sowing discord and division, that no one is above the law," the task force said.
It also lauded prosecutors from the Department of Justice (DoJ) for their "zealousness" in the case against the pair.
"Castro and Ocampo maintained that what they did [in 2018] was a 'rescue mission.' Today's verdict debunked their lie and revealed the truth. Today's verdict finally held them accountable," the task force said.
Meanwhile, the Mindanao Indigenous Peoples Council of Elders and Leaders and the Mindanao Indigenous Peoples Youth Organization said this was a "day of celebration" for justice served for the rights of Indigenous Peoples in the country.
"This legal victory gives hope that justice can still prevail and that Indigenous Peoples' rights are worth fighting for. No matter how long it takes or how difficult it may seem, in the end, justice and truth will prevail," their joint statement said.
Also, in a statement, National Youth Commission Chairman Ronald Cardema thanked the RTC of Tagum for the conviction of Castro and Ocampo, who allegedly trafficked the children into an area infested by the New People's Army (NPA).
"You brought the children into an NPA-infested area without their parents' permission. That's already kidnapping, and it endangers the lives of our Filipino Youth," he said.
WITH ARIC JOHN SY CUA
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