By EMILY VITAL
Bulatlat.com

Dr. Naty Castro (center) has been helping the Lumad in Mindanao. (Photo courtesy of the family)

MANILA –Development worker Dr. Naty Castro was arrested by San Juan City police operatives this morning inside their home in San Juan City, around 9:30 a.m. today, Feb. 18, 2022, according to a Facebook post of her brother Jun Castro.

In the same post, her brother Jun Castro said policemen forcibly entered their home.

“My sister is accused of multiple charges of kidnapping and illegal detention, all related to her human rights advocacy. ALL UNTRUE,” Jun said in a post via social media platform Facebook.

Dr. Naty is the secretary general of Karapatan-Caraga region. She spoke against the human rights violations perpetrated by state forces in Lumad communities.

As a doctor, Dr. Naty also helped establish community-based health programs in Mindanao.

She is Class ‘84 Highschool valedictorian of St. Scholastica in Manila, and was awarded one of the 100 most outstanding graduates of St. Scholastica in the last century (together with Pres. Corazon Aquino) in 2001. She graduated from UP PGH cum laude in 1992.

As of this writing, Dr. Naty was brought to the office of Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) inside Camp Crame.