Philippine National Police chief,Police General Debold Sinas visited Friday morning and spoke to the 19 Lumad children from Talaingod, Davao del Norte who were earlier rescued from suspected child traffickers by the combined police and local social welfare authorities at a retreat house of the Jesuits-run University of San Carlos in Talamban, Cebu City.
Together with the Regional Director of Police Regional Office 7, Police Brigadier General Ronnie Montejo, the PNP chief expressed his deep concern on the situation of the children from Ata Manobo tribe who have fallen victims to kidnapping and human trafficking allegedly perpetrated by a front of communist terrorist group (CTG) pretending to be community teachers. He assured the parents of support under National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) who sought the assistance of the police in Cebu after they learned that their missing children whom they have not seen for two years were in the city. The local social welfare officers from and Cebu City and Talaingod are providing psycho-social intervention to the children with their parents.
“As Chief, PNP I will not allow the communist terrorist groups to take advantage of the vulnerable indigenous communities and their children who are considered as the leftist’s last bastion for deception, manipulation, and terror acts in their attempt to overthrow the government”, Sinas said as he expressed full support to the police in the region who did their job to rescue and protect the lumad children from further harm and danger in the hands of their captors.
Seven persons, believed to be members of the communist front Salugpungan Schools shut down by the government in 2019, were arrested for bringing the children from Talaingod to Cebu City without the consent of their complaining parents. Inquest cases were filed with the prosecutor’s office in Davao del Norte by the PNP Women and Children Protection Center-Visayas Field Unit against the suspects for Kidnapping with Serious Illegal Detention, violations of RA 9208, and other crimes. (Philippine National Police)
