A Davao del Norte court has convicted ACT Teachers Partylist Rep. France Castro and former Bayan Muna Partylist Rep. Satur Ocampo to up to six years in prison for committing child abuse in 2018.

The Tagum Regional Trial Court Branch 2 found Castro and Ocampo guilty of violating Section 10(a) of Republic Act 7610, the Special Protection of Children Against Abuse, Exploitation, and Discrimination Act, alongside 11 others.

The 11 co-accused include administrators and teachers from the Salugpungan Ta’ Tanu Igkanogon Community Learning Center in Sitio Dulyan, Talaingod, Davao del Norte, and two ACT members.

The court ordered them to jointly and severally pay P10,000 each to the 14 minors as civil indemnity and another P10,000 as moral damages, with a 6-percent annual interest from the finality of the decision until full payment.

Court records showed the case centered on a solidarity mission by Castro, Ocampo, and other militant leaders to provide aid, such as school supplies and goods, to teachers and students reportedly facing harassment, threats, and forcible closure of their Lumad schools by the armed paramilitary group Alamara.

Investigators said that Castro, Ocampo, and their co-accused unlawfully kept the minors in their company and transported them on board five passenger vans, “exposing the said same to conditions prejudicial to their development.”

Proof beyond a reasonable doubt was established by prosecutors who showed the accused “indeed committed acts detrimental to the safety and well-being of the minor Lumad learners,” the court ruled.

It noted that the defendants transported the minors on foot for three hours on a remote, dark, and unsecured road without the assistance of law enforcement, any government agency, or the written permission and consent of the minors’ parents, thereby exposing the minors to danger and hazards.

Castro and Ocampo decried the conviction as “unacceptable and unjust,” pointing out that those responsible for the forcible closure of the Lumad schools “have never been investigated.”

In a joint statement, they said, “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 vowed to challenge the court’s decision “in all venues possible.”

Kabataan Partylist Rep. Raoul Manuel suggested that former President Rodrigo Duterte, who had publicly linked Castro to the communist armed movement, had a hand in the case.

“Representative Castro led the charge to hold accountable the Dutertes for the drug war, daughter Sara for her confidential funds racket, and Quiboloy for being an internationally wanted child sex trafficker. This is sweet revenge for them,” Manuel said.

Castro’s and Ocampo’s conviction was hailed by the National Security Council, saying it underscores the effectiveness of the country’s judicial system.

National Security Adviser Eduardo Año said the court’s decision “shows that no one is above the law,” adding, “it signifies a crucial step in ending the exploitation of indigenous communities and safeguarding vulnerable minors from abduction and indoctrination with divisive ideologies.”

Año said such actions violate human rights and threaten national peace and security. He commended the Department of Justice, Office of the Solicitor General, National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict, Philippine National Police, and Armed Forces of the Philippines for their efforts at ensuring justice.

“This verdict sends a strong message that those who violate our laws will face justice,” Año emphasized. He also noted that the case dispels any notion that the actions were a “rescue mission,” affirming that all actions must abide by the law.

“Today’s verdict upholds truth and accountability, holding accountable those who exploit and harm our children and communities,” he added.