‘Doc Naty’ Castro a terrorist– Anti-Terrorism Council
Along with the ‘Al Khobar Group’
THE Philippines’ Anti-Terrorism Council (ATC) has designated another ranking official of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) as a ‘terrorist individual’ while another Muslim group was likewise designated as a ‘terrorist organization.’
Under Resolution No. 35 passed by the ATC during its meeting last December 17, 2022, but only released last January 30, 2023, thru a full-page ad in a national broadsheet, Maria Natividad Marian Silva Castro, also known as ‘Doc Naty’ in the local communist terrorist movement particularly in Mindanao, has now joined the notorious list of CPP leaders designated as terrorists by the government.
In another resolution, Resolution No. 36, the ATC also designated the ‘Al Khobar’ and its other variant names as a “terrorist group of persons, organization, or association.”
The ATC had previously designated the CPP, its armed wing, the New People’s Army (NPA) and its umbrella organization, the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) as terrorist organizations along with other extremist and separatist Muslim groups in Mindanao (see also Pinoy Exposé, May 18, 2021, and June 13, 2022).
The ATC stressed that “based on verified information, sworn statements, and other evidence gathered by Philippine law enforcement and security agencies, there is a finding of probable cause, warranting the designation of Maria Natividad Marian Silva Castro @Doc Naty/Doc Nati/Naty/Nati/Yam/Agi/Kyle/Prim/Milo as a terrorist individual” for violations of Sections 6, 10 and 12 of RA 11479 or the Anti-Terrorism Act of 2020.
Based on validated reports reaching the council, Castro has an “active and continuous role in attaining the CPP-NPA-NDF/NDFP’s mission and objectives by giving trainings to the NPA and actual participation in armed atrocities of the NPA in community-based areas influenced by the NPA.” These are aside from Castro holding various “key positions” in the CPP such as being a member of its Central Committee and executive director and trustee of the Community Based Health Program (CBHP), a CPP-front organization.
More importantly, Castro has been tagged as responsible for the generation, management and supervision the CPP-NPA-NDF’s procured funds here and abroad.
Born on 8 September 1968 in Sampaloc, Manila, Castro, a physician by profession, has residence in Butuan City, Agusan del Norte and in San Juan City, Metro Manila where she was arrested last February 18, 2022, for kidnapping and serious illegal detention (see also Pinoy Exposé, February 21 and February 26, 2022).
However, CPP urban operatives managed to put pressure on the local court in Agusan to release her on a technicality. On government appeal, the court reinstated the warrant of arrest for Castro last June 16, 2022 that now made her a fugitive from the law.
Al Khobar Group
Under Resolution No. 36, the ATC, also acting on “verified information” from the country’s law enforcement and security agencies, the Al Khobar and variant names was found to have violated Section 4 of RA 11479 for resorting to extortion, bomb threats, arson, and bombings of public transport in Central Mindanao from January 2021 to November 2022 that killed and injured numerous individuals and caused extensive damage to properties.
These include, among others, the bombings of the Yellow Bus Line Inc. in North and South Cotabato in January and June 2021, and May 2022, respectively.
Al Khobar belongs to the local violent extremist groups with links to the Daesh (ISIS) that were previously designated by the ATC as terrorist organizations under ATC Resolution No. 13 (2020).
The Al Khobar, which was formed out of a dismantled team operating under the MILF-Special Operations Group in the early 2000s, preys on multinational firms operating in South Cotabato, Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat, Sarangani provinces, and General Santos City.
‘Missing signature’
Significantly though, then National Security Adviser Prof. Clarita Carlos—who has been replaced to the post by former Armed Forces chief and Interior Secretary Eduardo M. Año last January 14, 2023—did not sign the two resolutions, with only the signatures of Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin as ATC chair and National Intelligence Coordinating Agency (NICA) director general Ricardo de Leon appearing in both documents.
Thus far, the ATC has designated the following groups: CPP-NPA-NDF/NDFP and its 16 Underground Organizations; the Islamic State East Asia and local terrorist groups or LTGs affiliated with the Dawlah Islamiyah and, more recently, the Al Khobar. The ATC has also designated 26 CPP-NPA-NDF/NDFP-affiliated individuals and 35 local terrorist group members and affiliated individuals.
Importance of designation
The purpose of designating a group or an individual is to prevent the movement of funds and to subject the funds of designated individual or group to financial investigation by the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC), and possibly freezing of such accounts. The notice is in the form of an ATC Resolution.
In the fight against terrorism, ATC designation also empowers the government in the prevention, disruption, and suppression of terrorist acts as early as possible before terrorists can inflict loss of innocent lives and serious damage to properties.
Designation is part of legal actions complementing the comprehensive approach that addresses the root causes of terrorism, be they economic, social, political, religious, or ideological in nature.
