“THE police officers who arrested Dr. Naty Castro were just doing their job.”
Thus, said Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Eduardo Año even as the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) has started investigating possible violations of police procedure.
In a statement, Año even defended Philippine National Police (PNP) officers by saying they were just performing their duties when they served the warrant of arrest against the doctor on Friday.
“The PNP was just doing their jobs. Why gang up on them? This was not a warrantless arrest. The RTC issued a warrant and it’s their duty to serve it,” he said.
“The basis of Castro’s arrest by the PNP is a judicially issued warrant based on the criminal charges against her,” he added.
Año said Judge Fernando Fudalan of Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 7 in Bayugan City, Agusan del Sur issued the warrant.
Castro, an advocate of Lumad communities in Mindanao, was arrestedby PNP operatives on Friday in San Juan City.
Police said Castro is a ranking member of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) and facing kidnapping and serious illegal detention charges. This has been denied by family and the Free Legal Assistance Group (FLAG).
In a Facebook post last week, Jun Castro, brother of the arrested doctor, appealed for help and said the charges are “all untrue.”
According to Año, Castro is now under the custody of the court and is detained at the Bayugan City Police Station where her lawyers can visit her to prepare for her defense.
