Latest news with #FranceCastro
GMA Network
15-07-2025
- Politics
- GMA Network
Lawmaker asks CA to junk Castro, Ocampo conviction over rescue of IP children
ACT Teachers Party-list Representative France Castro and former Bayan Muna representative Satur Ocampo tell reporters on July 15, 2024, that they will appeal their conviction by a court in Tagum, Davao del Norte. TINA PANGANIBAN-PEREZ/GMA Integrated News Returning ACT Teachers Party-list Representative Antonio Tinio has called on the Court of Appeals to reverse the child endangerment conviction of former ACT Teachers congresswoman France Castro, ex-Bayan Muna party-list congressman Satur Ocampo, and 11 others in connection with the 2018 humanitarian mission to rescue Lumad students from a paramilitary group. In 2024 the Tagum, Davao del Norte Regional Trial Court found the group, collectively known as Talaingod 13, guilty of violating Section 10(a) of Republic Act 7610 or the Special Protection of Children Against Abuse, Exploitation, and Discrimination Act. They were sentenced to be imprisoned from four years to six years. The case is under appeal. 'One year of injustice is one year too long. Former lawmakers France Castro, Satur Ocampo, and their companions are not criminals. They are heroes who risked their own safety to rescue Lumad children from the terror of state-backed paramilitary groups,' Tinio said. 'Their only 'crime' was to defend the right to education and life. Teacher France, Ka Satur, and the rest of the Talaingod 13 came to the aid of Lumad students and teachers whose lives and safety were threatened. For the court to rule that they endangered children while doing so is a gross miscarriage of justice. We demand that the Court of Appeals to immediately reverse the conviction,' he added. Tinio said that the case stemmed from a 2018 National Solidarity Mission which was held in response to the state-backed closure of Salugpungan school, a school for Lumad students, in Talaingod, Davao del Norte wherein the lives of students and children are being threatened. "Gawa-gawa at malisyoso ang kasong ito mula pa sa simula. Ito ay paraan ng nakaraang Duterte administration para takutin ang sinumang tumutulong sa mga Lumad na ipagtanggol ang kanilang lupang ninuno at karapatan sa edukasyon," Tinio stressed. (These are trumped up and malicious raps. It was a ploy of the Duterte administration to strike fear in those who were helping the Lumad communities in fighting for their right to education.) "Hindi dapat pinarurusahan ang pagiging makabayan at makatao,' he added. (We should not punish a person for being patriotic and humane.) Tinio said prosecutors should file charges against those who are threatening the Lumad community and forcing to shutdown the Salugpungan school, including former president Rodrigo Duterte himself, who threatened to bomb Lumad schools in July 2017 for supposedly teaching subversion and communism. "I will use the Armed Forces, the Philippine Air Force. Talagang bobombahan ko 'yung mga… lahat ng ano ninyo. Because you are operating illegally and you are teaching the children to rebel against government. May kalokohan kayo, eh di mas lalo na ako," Duterte said at the time. Four days after making the threat, he walked back his words and insisted he did not issue a kill order. 'Duterte deserves to stand before the International Criminal Court for crimes against humanity not just for the thousands of killings he ordered in the name of his fake war on drugs, for which he is currently on trial, but also for war against the Lumad schools and communities that likewise led to gross human rights violations,' Tinio said. 'Justice for the Talaingod 13 is a step towards justice for all victims of state terror," he added. — BM, GMA Integrated News
GMA Network
26-05-2025
- Politics
- GMA Network
House inquiry on over 1,000 alleged election-related anomalies sought
An inquiry on 1,593 alleged election-related anomalies during the conduct of the May 12, 2025 midterm polls has been sought in the House of Representatives. Makabayan bloc lawmakers House Deputy Minority Leader France Castro, House Assistant Minority Leader Arlene Brosas and Kabataan party-list Rep. Raoul Manuel made the call under House Resolution 2291. They said the supposed anomalies were documented by several election watchdogs such as Kontra Daya, VoteReportPH, National Movement for Free Elections (NAMFREL) and the Computer Professionals Union. The alleged anomalies include 798 cases involving issues with the Automated Counting Machines (ACMs), 200 cases of illegal campaigning, 144 cases of voter disenfranchisement, and 451 other significant election violations including non-compliance by Board of Election Inspectors, red-tagging, election-related violence and harassment, vote-buying and -selling, tampering of ballots, disinformation, among others. Likewise, the lawmakers said that the Online Voting and Counting System (OVCS) used for overseas voting lacked a Voter Verified Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT), potentially violating Section 6(e) of the Automated Election System law, and disenfranchising voters who could not verify their votes resulting in historically low voter turnout in some overseas regions. 'Beyond technical issues and voter disenfranchisement on election day itself, there have been other election-related issues before, during, and after the elections that have marred the integrity and credibility of the election results,' the resolution read. In addition, the lawmakers also called out the software version certified by Pro V&V, Inc. v3.4.0 version which was different from the v3.5.0 version installed on ACMs on election day, as well as the initial five million duplicate votes that affected 15,000 precincts and rankings of more than 7,600 candidates later corrected by Comelecby manually providing corrected files hours after transmission started. 'We believe that an investigation should be pursued, and that all persons or agencies that are proven to be complicit must be held accountable for disenfranchising and invalidating the votes and democratic aspirations of millions of Filipino voters,' Kabataan party-list added in a separate statement. In response, Commission on Elections spokesperson Rex Laudiangco said the poll body stands ready to defend the successful conduct of the 2025 elections. "Comelec is ready to appear before Congress if and when called upon to lay down facts and showcase the milestones of the most successful, fastest-ever in counting, and transmission of votes, canvassing and proclamations, most peaceful electoral exercise, highest-ever voter turn-out national and local elections in numbers," he said in a statement. —AOL, GMA Integrated News For more Eleksyon 2025 related content and updates, visit GMA News Online's Eleksyon 2025 microsite.
