Dr. Maria Natividad Castro (PNP file photo) MANILA - A warrant of arrest was issued by an Agusan del Sur judge against a doctor, with suspected links to the New People's Army, for the same charges that were slapped against her and later dropped. In an order dated June 16, Judge Ferdinand Villanueva of the Bayugan City, Agusan del Sur Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 7 issued an e-warrant against Dr. Maria Natividad Castro for kidnapping and serious illegal detention. and set aside an earlier order that junked the cases against her. The doctor is included in the indictment anew as "based on court records, Dr. Castro was not yet arraigned, thus double jeopardy will not apply". The court added Castro's claims are best taken up in a full-blown trial. "(E)videntiary matters and the identification is to be made during the trial where the witness and the accuse(d) will come face to face," the court said. Castro, 53, was nabbed in San Juan City on February 18 on th
Dr. Maria Natividad Castro (File photo) MANILA - Malacanang on Tuesday said the arrest of Dr. Maria Natividad Castro was not a case of red-tagging, adding that proper procedures were followed by the authorities. In a press briefing, Acting Presidential Spokesperson Karlo Nograles said Castro was arrested based on a warrant issued by a Regional Trial Court (RTC) for serious illegal detention and kidnapping. "May(there is) specific crimethat was the cause of the warrant of arrest issued by the RTC court," Nograles said. "Hindi siya case ng (It's not) red-tagging." Nograles said all law enforcement authorities maintained that all legal protocols and procedures were followed in arresting Castro. "If they did not agree with the findings ng (of) prosecutor, they also had legal remedies after that hanggang dumating na nga sa korte at finile at sinampa sa korte (until it was filed in court)," Nograles said. Castro was allegedly involved in the felonious kidnap
Dr. Maria Natividad Castro(File photo) MANILA - Instead of condemning the arrest of a doctor, who has been identified as a Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) official, the more important issue is how even innocent civilians are being victimized by communist terrorist groups, the Western Visayas Regional Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (RTF6-ELCAC) said Sunday. Prosecutor Flosemer Chris Gonzales, RTF 6-ELCAC spokesperson, said Dr. Maria Natividad Castro was nabbed in San Juan City on Friday morning on the basis of a legitimate and judicially issued court warrant. "It makes no difference if she graduated top of her class from St. Scholastica's College or the UP-PGH (University of the Philippines - Philippine General Hospital). Nor does it matter which awards she won. A medical license and an exemplary academic record do not grant anyone immunity from the law," Gonzales said in a statement. RTF6-ELCAC likewise assured the Department of Health and all h
Dr. Maria Natividad Castro(File photo) MANILA - Instead of condemning the arrest of a doctor, who has been identified as a Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) official, the more important issue is how even innocent civilians are being victimized by communist terrorist groups, according to the Western Visayas Regional Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (RTF6-ELCAC) on Sunday. Prosecutor Flosemer Chris Gonzales, RTF 6-ELCAC spokesperson, said Dr. Maria Natividad Castro was nabbed in San Juan City on Friday morning on the basis of a legitimate and judicially issued court warrant. "It makes no difference if she graduated top of her class from St. Scholastica's College or the UP-PGH (University of the Philippines - Philippine General Hospital). Nor does it matter which awards she won. A medical license and an exemplary academic record do not grant anyone immunity from the law," Gonzales said in a statement. RTF6-ELCAC likewise assured the Department of Healt