DAVAO CITY (November 29) — Former Bayan Muna Party-list Representative Satur Ocampo, ACT-Party-list Representative France Castro and 16 other individuals were charged before the court for trafficking of minors and kidnapping.
The charges were filed after Ocampo’s group forcibly took minor learners of Salugpongan school through the solidarity mission in Sitio Dulyan, Barangay Palma Gil in Talaingod, Davao del Norte, Thursday evening, November 28.
Davao del Norte Police provincial commander Senior Supt. Ferlu Silvio told NewsLine Ocampo’s group was charged before the court few hours ago for violating RA 7610 or “Special Protection of Children Against Abuse, Exploitation and Discrimination Act and Republic Act 10364 ” for attempting to transport 14 minors from Talaingod, Davao del Norte.
Charged before the court along with Ocampo and Castro, include Salugpongan executive director Meggie Nolasco, nine volunteer lumad teachers of Salugpongan, two other members of ACT party-list, and four pastors.
Silvio said an official of the provincial capitol informed him that Ocampo and his group aboard two vans asked permission to go to Talaingod but were told that it was too late, it was then, that Ocampo’s group informed the official that they will go back to Davao.
But at around 9:00 in the evening , the municipal police station in Talaingod was informed by the military that Ocampo’s group aboard four vans were already heading towards Sitio Dulyan, and that the Municipal Social Welfare and Development personnel were also proceeding to the area.
The MSWD found 14 minors inside the vans, three of them from Talaingog while others are from as far as Zamboanga City, Arakan Valley in North Cotabato and other areas in Mindanao.
In a video posted by Elcid Salonga, Bae Pilar Libayao, the municipal tribal chieftain of Talaingod telling ocampo’s group there was no reason for them to take the children late at night because there was no problem in their area.
Libayao also told the group “Walay emergency dinhi, wala man na sila gi-unsa?, ngano inyo man kuhaon? (no emergency here, nothing happened, why are you taking them? )
A father of one minor in an affidavit said, he has been asking his son to go home but the group did not release his son, a reason why kidnapping charge was filed against Ocampo’s group.- NewsLine
