France Castro

Francisca Lustina Castro (born May 24, 1966) is a Filipino educator, trade union activist, and politician who has served as a member of the House of Representatives of the Philippines for the Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT).

In this Philippine name, the middle name or maternal family name is Lustina and the surname or paternal family name is Castro.
The Honorable
France Castro
Official portrait, 2019
Member of the Philippine House of Representatives for ACT Teachers
Assumed office
June 30, 2016
Serving with Antonio Tinio (2016–2019)
Personal details
Born
Francisca Lustina Castro

(1966-05-24) May 24, 1966
Philippines
Political partyACT Teachers (partylist)
Alma materPhilippine Normal University (BSE)

Early life and education

Castro’s father was a driver and her mother was a housewife. Castro and her four siblings all graduated from public schools.[1]

Castro took BSE Math at the Philippine Normal University where she graduated cum laude. She had intended to become an accountant but her family could not afford to send her to a private school. In college, she was a member of the League of Filipino Students.[1] Castro is the former secretary general of the ACT.[2]

Political career

House of Representatives (2016–present)

Castro was first elected to the House of Representatives of the Philippines in 2016, as a party-list representative for the Alliance of Concerned Teachers.

In 2019, Castro co-authored an anti-endo bill that sought to give workers security of tenure by the ending the practice of labor contractualization.[3]

In 2020, Castro joined fellow lawmakers in protesting the passage of House Bill number 6875, which eventually became the Anti-Terrorism Act of 2020.[4]

In 2022, Castro was appointed as a deputy minority leader.[5]

2025 Philippine Senate campaign

On June 26, 2024, during commemorations for the 42nd anniversary of the ACT, Castro declared her candidacy for the 2025 Philippine Senate election.[6]

Political positions

Castro supported the franchise renewal for broadcast company ABS-CBN in 2020.[7]

Awards

In 2019, she was awarded the Arthur Svensson International Prize for Trade Union Rights for her work organizing teachers[8] and the Febe Velasquez Trade Union Rights Award for her work in defense of trade unions and human rights.[2]

References
  1. Umil, Anne Marxze (2011-10-11). "France Castro: teacher, friend, activist". Bulatlat. Retrieved 2022-04-26.
  2. "France Castro of the Alliance of Concerned Teachers: "President Duterte is scared of the words 'human rights'"". Equal Times. Retrieved 2022-04-26.
  3. Cepeda, Mara (2019-08-05). "Despite Duterte veto, Makabayan bloc refiles anti-endo bill in House". Rappler. Retrieved 2022-04-26.
  4. Cepeda, Mara (2020-06-03). "'Draconian' anti-terror bill, feared to be used vs gov't critics, hurdles Congress". Rappler. Retrieved 2022-04-26.
  5. "House minority bloc officers bared; here they are". Manila Bulletin.
  6. Balancio, Joyce (2024-06-26). "Rep. France Castro to run for Senate in 2025". ABS-CBN News.
  7. Yap, D. J. (2020-01-28). "Makabayan bloc files bill seeking ABS-CBN franchise renewal". Inquirer. Retrieved 2022-04-26.
  8. "France Castro of the Philippines set to receive Arthur Svensson Prize 2019". ITUC CSI IGB. 2019-04-29. Retrieved 2022-04-26.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.