The Commission on Human Rights Central Visayas is looking into allegations of 5 Lumad students in Cebu being transported to General Santos City without consent from their parents.
“As we all know, parents and guardians have priority rights over their children and wards, and the State can only exercise authority over them applying the principle ofshould the parents or guardians abuse or neglect their children or wards. We'll look into if there was a policy or instruction to deliberately deprive the parents or guardians of the custody of their children or wards,” the text message read.
Save Our Schools Network released a video of the children in the airport being ushered forward by social workers while some were trying to cling to members of human rights groups. Rights groups claim the transport of the children was done behind parents’ backs.
In an interview with Rappler on Sunday, April 11, the Lumad father said he was bound for Cebu on the same day his child was scheduled to be flown over to Mindanao. He told Rappler he had only heard of the development from SOS Network, and that he was not contacted by social workers.