THE Ata-Manobo Tribal Council of Elders and leaders of the Talaingod Indigenous Political Structure (IPS) have urged the House of Representatives (HOR) to fast-track the complaint they filed against House Deputy Minority Leader and ACT Teachers Party-list Representative France Castro.
Datu Malibato Allan Causing, tribe leader of the Ata-Manobo, read the collective statement of the elders of Talaingod on Wednesday, February 5, 2025, at the Royal Mandaya Hotel. In the statement, the elders expressed their dismay over the lack of action on their ethics complaint against Castro, which they filed on December 10, 2024. They stated they had waited for over a month but had not received any updates or action from the House Committee on Ethics and Privileges.
“Kami naga-awhag sa atong mga representante sa Kongreso nga tagaan og tinuod nga pagtagad ang among reklamo alang sa tanang Lumad nga nagpaabot ug hustisya (We urge our representatives in Congress to give serious attention to our complaint in the name of justice for all Lumad people),” he said.
He emphasized that the culture, lives, and future of Indigenous Peoples (IPs) should not be jeopardized by ideologies that oppress them and other Filipinos. He called on members of Congress to demonstrate a strong commitment to accountability.
The tribal council then challenged the HOR to stand for justice and ensure that government officials are held accountable for their actions. They stressed that the people need leaders who will demonstrate strength and commitment to peace and development.
The council also added that the IPs, not only in Talaingod but across the Philippines, are closely monitoring the HOR’s response to their complaint against Castro. Whether the outcome is positive or negative, they said, the actions of the HOR will heavily impact those who have been exploited and oppressed, especially the IP communities.
Causing clarified that the complaint stemmed from a court decision in July 2024, where Castro, along with 12 others, was found guilty of abusing IP children attending Salugpungan schools. He said the individuals were sentenced to six years in prison for endangering the lives of children during a solidarity mission in November 2018.
He stressed that despite the court ruling, the House Committee on Ethics and Privileges has yet to take action on their complaint against Castro. Causing emphasized that regardless of their position, everyone should be held accountable and must face the appropriate consequences.
To recall, the Tagum Regional Trial Court Branch 2 found Castro and former Bayan Muna Partylist Representative Satur Ocampo guilty of child abuse. The conviction resulted from accusations that they had held minors during the solidarity mission in Talaingod, Davao del Norte, in November 2018. Castro and 12 others were found guilty of violating Section 10(a) of Republic Act 7610, the Special Protection of Children Against Abuse, Exploitation, and Discrimination Act. However, in a joint statement, Ocampo and Castro insisted that all the accused were innocent and that the lower court had “wrongfully convicted” them.
In November 2018, Ocampo and 17 other leaders, including militant group members and indigenous teachers, were arrested on human trafficking charges while attempting to deliver food and rescue Lumad teachers and students in Talaingod.
Ocampo’s actions were part of a solidarity mission aimed at helping the teachers of the Salugpungan Ta’Tanu Igkanogon Community Learning Center, where the armed paramilitary group Alamara and government troops had allegedly imposed a food blockade. Ocampo’s convoy of about 70 people, including 29 schoolchildren, was stopped at a checkpoint by local police and military, which led to their arrest. RGP
