By PNA
MANILA —The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) on Monday commended the Philippine National Police (PNP) and the local government unit of Talaingod for rescuing 14 minors and arresting the alleged perpetrators of kidnapping and child-trafficking led by Representative France Castro of ACT Party-list, former Bayan Muna Rep. Satur Ocampo, and other suspects in Davao del Norte last week.
“We laud our law enforcement agencies for their quick response to parental complaints of child disappearances and the immediate arrest of Castro, Ocampo, and company,” DILG Secretary Eduardo Año said in a statement.
Año also condemned the acts, adding that the DILG “will make certain that all those guilty for these abhorrent acts against the vulnerable and innocent will face the full judgment of the rule of law.”
The DILG chief also deplored the brainwashing of the youth by the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army-National Democratic Front and their communist front organizations.
He said the mind-conditioning of these organizations are meant to instill hate toward their fellow Filipinos “under the guise of nationalism and humanitarian missions.”
“We do not condone such reprehensible behavior against minors and condemn the communist and their allies for their sins against the youth such as kidnapping, child trafficking and other illegal treatment of children,” Año said.
“We assure our countrymen that we will continue to protect and save our children from the claws of violence and abuse as we, like our national hero Jose Rizal, firmly believe that the youth are the hope of our country’s future and must be safe, secure, well provided for and properly educated so they will grow up to become good and law-abiding citizens of our country,” he added.
