My strong position against the illegal raid in the Lumad Bakwit Center in Cebu and arrest of 25 students – including 19 minors – is consistent with my advocacies on education and welfare of children. It is my belief that children should never ever be caught in the middle of any armed conflict, especially when it involves our law enforcement agencies.
But as main author of the Anti-Terrorism Law, I stand firm in my belief that insurgency using or promoting violence and other criminal acts should have no place in our nation.
So I would like to appeal to all camps to please spare innocent children in this war on insurgency and terrorism.
