Lumad children reunited with family after court orders their release from DSWD custody

A Davao judge has ordered the release of 12 Lumad children, currently under government custody, who were allegedly trafficked by a group including former Bayan Muna party-list representative Satur Ocampo.

The minors have been reunited with their families upon their release, according to a social media post by the Save Our Schools Network.

Judge Glenn Aquino of the Davao Regional Trial Court Branch 8 on Wednesday granted the petition for the issuance of a writ of habeas corpus filed by the children's parents, said Joel Mahinay, legal counsel for Ocampo.

Mahinay alleged the children were "unlawfully taken by military personnel," and confirmed these were the minors alleged to have been trafficked and kidnapped by Ocampo, ACT Teachers party-list Representative France Castro and 17 others.

Ocampo's group is out on bail after being charged by the police following a supposed national solidarity mission to deliver food and school supplies to a Lumad community in Talaingod, Davao del Norte.

The Department of Social Welfare and Development announced on Tuesday that it has taken custody of 14 Lumad children "rescued" from the town last week.

The children, who hail from Davao del Norte, Bukidnon, Cotabato Province, Zamboanga del Sur, and Sultan Kudarat, were reportedly sheltered in residential care facilities in Davao City and Tagum City. —LDF, GMA News