Lumad school already had parents’ consent — Rep. Castro

ACT Teachers party-list Representative France Castro on Sunday said they did not need parental consent to rescue several Lumad children as their school had already received the parents' signed consent as soon as the academic year started.

Castro made the remark in response to the allegation that they kidnapped Lumad children when her group embarked on a national solidarity mission in Talaingod, Davao Del Norte last week.

In a press conference in Quezon City, Castro pointed out that the Salugpongan Tatanu Igkanugon Community Learning Center is a boarding school whose administration takes custody of the students from the start of the school year.

"Sa umpisa pa lang ng klase, meron nang pinipirmahan [na parental consent] 'yan. Ang parent at ang teacher-school agreement na 'yan, ang parental consent ay binibigay na sa mga guro," she said.

"Umpisa pa lang meron na itong parental consent so hindi masasabi na walang parental consent," she added.

Castro, along with former Bayan Muna party-list Representative Satur Ocampo and 16 others, have been charged with kidnapping and human trafficking for allegedly holding minors during their solidarity mission.

All of them were released from detention on Saturday night after they each posted P80,000 bail.

Castro, however, insisted that they did not kidnap nor abuse the children, saying that they were actually rescuing them after the paramilitary group Alamara padlocked their school.

"Emergency rescue operation 'yun. Hindi na namin kailangan pang [maglaan] ng time [para sa parental consent], kasi on that day of the emergency na, kaya kailangan namin rumisponde," she said.

She also decried what she described as an "arbitrary" arrest and detention that the police made against them.

"Napaka-arbitrary 'yung ginawa sa amin na illegal detention, warrantless arrest at hindi man lang pinakinggan 'yung aming side," Castro said.

"Talagang grabe 'yung ginawa sa amin. Mula alas onse ng gabi hanggang kinabukasan ng mga alas dos, dinetain kami  nang walang kaso, walang kung anuman," she added.

Castro, Ocampo and their camp is set to file counter charges against authorities involved in the incident, such as arbitrary detention, illegal arrest, and graft. — BM, GMA News