By Junex Doronio
MANILA — For allegedly endangering minors, ACT Teachers Party-list Representative France Castro and former Bayan Muna representative Satur Ocampo were sentenced to four to six years imprisonment.
The Tagum Regional Trial Court Branch 2 found Castro and Ocampo guilty of the trafficking charge filed against them and 17 others for allegedly holding minors during their solidarity mission in Talaingod, Davao Del Norte, in November 2018.
“Records reveal that the prosecution has established proof beyond reasonable doubt that [the] accused… committed acts detrimental to the safety and well-being of the minor Lumad learners,” the court said.
It also ordered them to pay, jointly and severally, P10,000 as civil indemnity and P10,000 as moral damages to each minor, with an interest rate of 6% per annum from the finality of the decision until full payment.
In a joint statement, Castro and Ocampo decried the court’s decision as unacceptable and unjust.
“This wrongful conviction speaks of the continuing persecution of those who are helping and advocating for the rights of Lumad children and the persistent attacks on Lumad schools and communities,” they said.
Castro, however, said she would still run for senator in 2025.
She earlier mentioned that the Makabayan bloc, which is national democratic in orientation, will field a 12-man senatorial slate in next year’s midterm elections.
(el Amigo/mnm)