By Ben Rosario
The Makabayan opposition bloc in the House of Representatives demanded on Thursday the immediate release of ACT Teachers Party-list Rep. France Castro and former Bayan Muna Party-list Rep. Satur Ocampo, who were arrested by a joint police and military team in Talaingod, Davao del Norte on Wednesday on alleged child trafficking charges.
Rep. Carlos Isagani Zarate
(Bayan Muna Party list Facebook page / MANILA BULLETIN) Bayan Muna Rep. Carlos Zarate and Gabriela Party-list Rep. Arlene Brosas assailed the continued detention of Castro and Ocampo, who, together with 71 other social workers, peasant and community leaders, were arrested by members of the Talaingod police and the 56th Infantry Battalion of the Philippine Army. Like all other provinces in Mindanao, Davao del Norte is under martial law, thus, giving government forces the justification to make the arrest, it was learned. Unless extended by another act of Congress, the military rule in the island will end December 31. Rep. Ariel Casilao (Anakpawis Partylist) joined his colleagues in condemning the arrest as illegal and a violation of the constitutional rights of the 73 persons taken in police custody. In a statement, Act Teachers Party-list Rep. Antonio Tinio denounced the joint police-military action against those who took part in a solidarity mission to support students and teachers of a lumad school that was forcibly closed by the 56th Infantry Battlion of the Philippine Army. Tinio said witnesses revealed that on Wednesday night, the convoy carrying the mission was “attacked by men believed to be members of the paramilitary group known as Alamara.” “Tires of some of their vehicles were spiked, the windshield of the van carrying Rep. Castro and Ka Satur was broken, and gunshots were fired in their vicinity,” he said.
Rep. Carlos Isagani Zarate(Bayan Muna Party list Facebook page / MANILA BULLETIN) Bayan Muna Rep. Carlos Zarate and Gabriela Party-list Rep. Arlene Brosas assailed the continued detention of Castro and Ocampo, who, together with 71 other social workers, peasant and community leaders, were arrested by members of the Talaingod police and the 56th Infantry Battalion of the Philippine Army. Like all other provinces in Mindanao, Davao del Norte is under martial law, thus, giving government forces the justification to make the arrest, it was learned. Unless extended by another act of Congress, the military rule in the island will end December 31. Rep. Ariel Casilao (Anakpawis Partylist) joined his colleagues in condemning the arrest as illegal and a violation of the constitutional rights of the 73 persons taken in police custody. In a statement, Act Teachers Party-list Rep. Antonio Tinio denounced the joint police-military action against those who took part in a solidarity mission to support students and teachers of a lumad school that was forcibly closed by the 56th Infantry Battlion of the Philippine Army. Tinio said witnesses revealed that on Wednesday night, the convoy carrying the mission was “attacked by men believed to be members of the paramilitary group known as Alamara.” “Tires of some of their vehicles were spiked, the windshield of the van carrying Rep. Castro and Ka Satur was broken, and gunshots were fired in their vicinity,” he said.