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Satur Ocampo: Recruitment of minors not allowed in CPP-NPA


Former Bayan Muna party-list Representative Satur Ocampo on Monday denied the allegation of the military that minors are being recruited to join the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) and its armed wing, the New People's Army (NPA).

"There is a rule in the CPP-NPA against recruitment of minors so definitely that cannot be a part of the program... There are lumads that join the NPA but they are not minors," Ocampo said in an interview on ANC.

The former lawmaker, however, admitted the presence of communist rebels within lumad communities.

Ocampo also said government troops have been targeting lumad schools as part of the government's campaign against communist groups.

"One component of this counter-insurgency is to eliminate indigenous schools which they accuse or they say... are being exploited or being run by the New People's Army... They are directly targeting these schools as part of the campaign of the government," Ocampo said.

Ocampo earlier claimed that the military has been accusing communist rebels of recruiting new members from lumad schools, adding that one school in Talaingod, Davao del Norte was shut down due to this allegation.

He said some students who were not from the area were left on the streets, prompting his group to conduct the rescue mission which was halted by authorities.

Charges of child trafficking for allegedly holding minors were filed against Ocampo, Castro and 16 other individuals.

They were released from detention over the weekend after they each posted P80,000 bail.

Ocampo's camp has been studying the possibility of filing counter complaints against authorities who had harassed and put them in detention—Anna Felicia Bajo/KG, GMA News

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