Acting Presiding Judge Jimmy Bustillo Boco of the Tagum City Regional Trial Court Branch 2 found them guilty of violating Section 10(a) of the Special Protection of Children Against Abuse, Exploitation and Discrimination Act in 2018 when they supposedly rescued 14 Lumad students from paramilitary forces.
“The acts of the accused not only exposed the children to harm or risk but also placed them to the potential endangerment of their safety and wellbeing. Due to the acts of the accused, the children experienced unnecessary risks and suffered from unsecured conditions,” the court said in a 25-page decision dated July 3.
The court sentenced them to six years in prison and imposed P20,000 in moral and civil damages for each of the 14 victims.
In November 2018, police charged Castro and the others with kidnapping, human trafficking and child abuse for transporting 14 Lumad children from their school in Talaingod, Davao del Norte amid the reported militarization of the school and aerial bombings.
Castro had said that prosecutors dropped the kidnapping and human trafficking charges and proceeded with the child abuse charge.
This story is from the July 16, 2024 edition of The Philippine Star.
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This story is from the July 16, 2024 edition of The Philippine Star.
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