THE DISMISSAL  of the charges filed against the 7 persons arrested by the police in Cebu early this year proved that the “rescue” operation was a sham, Kabataan Partylist Rep. Sarah Jane Elago said on Friday.

The provincial prosecutor in Davao del Norte dropped the illegal detention charges filed against the seven for lack of probable cause.

“This proves that the PRO-7’s so called rescue operations in Lumad Bakwit School is a sham, and the NTF-ELCAC’s red-tagging and vilification against the Lumad students, Datus and volunteer teachers are totally unfounded,” Elago said, referring to the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict.

“We laud their lawyers, paralegals, advocates and the Save Our Schools  Network for their dedication and commitment to free the Bakwit School 7,” she added.

However, Elago said that the fight is far from over since the seven have yet to be released from detention. Also, several SOS Network volunteers and teachers in the bakwit school UCCP Haran are facing trumped-up charges.

“We call on the public as well to stay vigilant towards this issue as the regional director of the PRO-7 has not yet coordinated with the prosecutor’s office who gave the release order,” Elago said.

“We must hold PRO-7 and NTF-ELCAC accountable for the red-tagging, harassment, and illegal detention of Bakwit School 7. We must continue to raise our voices, stand with Lumad Bakwit School, and uphold their right to education, and right to self-determination,” she added.