The Ata-Manobo Tribal Council of Elders and leaders of the Talaingod Indigenous Political Structure (IPS) called on Wednesday the House of Representatives (HoR) to act on the ethics complaint filed by the indigenous peoples (IPs) group against House Deputy Minority Leader and ACT Teachers party-list Representative France Castro.
They said the lawmaker should be removed from her House seat due to her child endangerment conviction decided by a lower court in July.
The group expressed their disappointment at the lack of action in the ethics complaint that they filed against Castro on December 10, 2024.
They said it has been over a month since their complaint was filed but still has no news if there is any action from the House Committee on Ethics and Privileges.
The complaint culminated in a court decision in July 2024 where Castro and 12 others were found guilty of abusing the young IPs who were former students at the Salugpungan school.
A court in Tagum, Davao del Norte has sentenced Castro and former Bayan Muna party-list representative Satur Ocampo to up to six years of imprisonment for endangering minors in November 2018.
Castro and the others were charged with kidnapping, human trafficking, and child abuse for transporting 14 Lumad children from their school in Talaingod, Davao del Norte amid the alleged militarization of the school and aerial bombings.
The court convicted Castro for attempting to kidnap about 14 indigenous children from Talaingod and transport them to UCCP Harán in Davao City and make them members of the CPP-NPA-NDF.
The court noted that students traversed for three hours on a secluded, dark, and unsecured road, where they could have died in an accident or been shot during a clash between the military and the New People’s Army.
“Taliwala sa desisyon sa korte, ang House Committee on Ethics and Privileges wala pa gihapo’y aksyon aron masiguro ang tulubagon ni Rep. Castro. Nagpasabot kin inga ang hustisya dili angay langayon, nga ang mga mapamatud-an sa korte nga nakalapas sa balaod, bisan pa miyembro sa kongreso, kinahanglan atubangon ang tugbang nga silot,” said Datu Malibato Allan Causing during the Davao City Peace and Security Press Corps media briefing at The Royal Mandaya Hotel.
Causing urged the HoR to give attention to their complaint for all the IPs who have waited for justice.
“Ang among kultura, kinabuhi, ug kaugmao dili angay mabutang sa peligro tungod sa mga ideolohiya nga nagdaug daug sa mga Lumad ug katawhan sa tibuok nasud,” he added.
The group also challenged the HoR to stand up for justice, for the people, and accountability to government officials.
“Ang mga membro sa HoR kinahanglan magpakita sa ilang lig-on nga barug alang sa accountability or tulubagon aron ipabilin ang ilang integridad. Sa among nasabtan, ang balaod naghatag sa Kongreso ug gahum aron pahamtangan ang mga membro niini nga nagpasagad sa ilang mga katungdanan ug responsibilidad sa katawhan. Dili angay ipalabay lang ang mga kasong naghatag ug klarong kadaot sa katawhan, labi na kanamong mga lumad,” Causing said.
