Francisca L. Castro (born 1966) is a Filipino educator, trade union activist, and politician. She is a member of the

Philippine House of Representatives The House of Representatives of the Philippines ( fil, Kapulungan ng mga Kinatawan ng Pilipinas, italic=unset, ''Kamara'' or ''Kamara de Representantes'' from the Spanish language, Spanish word ''cámara'', meaning "chamber") is the lower house ...

under the Alliance of Concerned Teachers party-list. In Congress, she is among the principal authors of Republic Act 11466, which increased the minimum monthly salary of nurses in the Philippines. Castro is the former secretary general of ACT. In 2019, she was awarded the Arthur Svensson International Prize for Trade Union Rights for her work organizing teachers and the Febe Velasquez Trade Union Rights Award for her work in defense of trade unions and human rights.

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. Castro took BSE Math at the

Philippine Normal University The Philippine Normal University (PNU; fil, Pamantasang Normal ng Pilipinas) is a public coeducational teacher education and research university in the Philippines. It was established in 1901 through Act No. 74 of the Philippine Commission '' ...

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 The League of Filipino Students ( fil, Kapisanan ng mga Pilipinong Mag-Aaral}, abbreviated as LFS) is a student-led national democratic mass organization and movement organized during the martial law era in the Philippines on September 11, 1977. ...

House of Representatives

She was first elected in

2016 File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses during the 2016 Nagorno-Karabakh ...

. She is co-author of the anti-endo bill that sought to give workers security of tenure by the ending the practice of labor contractualization. She is among the Congress representatives that support the franchise renewal for broadcast company ABS-CBN. In 2020, Castro joined fellow lawmakers in protesting the passage of House Bill number 6875, which eventually became the

Anti-Terrorism Act of 2020 The Anti-Terrorism Act of 2020, officially designated as Republic Act No. 11479, is a counter-terrorism law intended to prevent, prohibit, and penalize terrorism in the Philippines. The law was passed by the 18th Congress of the Philippines, 18 ...

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

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Castro, France Living people Women members of the House of Representatives of the Philippines 21st-century Filipino women politicians 21st-century Filipino politicians Party-list members of the House of Representatives of the Philippines Filipino activists Filipino educators Filipino trade union leaders Human rights activists 1966 births