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Saturday, March 17, 2007
Militant lawmaker facing multiple murder raps arrested
MANILA -- Bayan Muna party-list Representative Satur Ocampo was arrested Friday by Manila policemen a few minutes after filing a petition before the Supreme Court seeking to stop court proceedings in connection with the alleged purge of suspected spies in the ranks of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) and its military arm, the New People's Army (NPA).
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In a resolution, the High Court turned down Ocampo's petition for the issuance of a temporary restraining order (TRO), but took cognizance of the case by setting it for oral argument on March 23, 1 p.m. at the Old Supreme Court (SC) Session Hall.
The SC likewise required respondents -- Hilongos, Leyte Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 18 Judge Ephrem Abando, Justice Secretary Raul Gonzalez Sr., and Prosecutors Cesar Merin and Rosulo Vivero -- to comment on the petition within the non-extendible period of five days.
The SC ruling was issued by Senior Associate Justice Leonardo Quisumbing, who personally accompanied Ocampo when he filed his petition at the court's docket section.
Quisumbing said: "These cases, especially involving cases of habeas corpus, are usually given priority by the court."
Immediately upon filing his complaint, the team of Senior Superintendent Eduardo Sierra of the Manila Police District (MPD) Criminal Investigation and Detection Unit served the warrant of arrest issued by the Leyte court and facilitated Ocampo's custody.
Under tight security, Sierra's group brought Ocampo to the MPD Headquarters pending the raffle of the lawmaker's suit to any of the three divisions of the High Court.
Ocampo, who arrived at the SC at 4 p.m. Friday, was accompanied by his lawyer, Romeo Capulong, and his wife Carolina Malay-Ocampo.
Several opposition figures like Senator Ana Consuelo "Jamby" Madrigal, former Vice President Teofisto Guingona Jr., Genuine Opposition (GO) senatorial candidate Koko Pimentel and other militant leaders also showed support for the party-list leader.
Ocampo said he has expected that his appearance at the SC would lead to his subsequent arrest, as he accused the military and National Security Adviser Norberto Gonzales of concocting the allegations against him.
Capulong said they will file counter-charges against Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Chief Hermogenes Esperon Jr. and Gonzalez for "manipulating" the evidence against his client.
He said they had information stating that the military simply recycled the remains in a mass grave that was discovered earlier to pin Ocampo and other respondents down.
"We will slap them with charges of perjury and incriminatory machination, otherwise known as malicious prosecution," the lawyer said.
Ocampo has asked the SC to nullify the March 6 order of the Leyte court as well as the arrest warrant issued by Abando and hold it in abeyance until the SC has considered his petition.
He has eluded arrest by authorities after the issuance of the arrest warrant against him and CPP leaders Jose Maria Sison and Luis Jalandoni and 50 others in connection with the 15 counts of murder allegedly committed during the so-called purge under "Oplan Ahos" to cleanse the ranks of the party and the NPA of "spies and counter-revolutionaries" between 1985 and 1991.
The remains of 15 people believed executed were among the bodies exhumed for forensic investigation in Inopacan, Leyte and which were believed carried out on orders of Sison, Jalandoni, and Ocampo.
Outside the SC, about 100 members of Bayan Muna and other militant groups held a rally to protest the arrest of Ocampo, but they were successfully driven off by policemen who have been tipped off of the legislator's plan to file his petition.
Meanwhile, Jalandoni said the arrest of Ocampo will "draw national and international condemnation" and lead to the "tremendous isolation of the Arroyo regime." He said the service of the warrant is an "unjust act."
But according to PNP spokesman Samuel Pagdilao Jr., the warrant of arrest against Ocampo is a lawful order from the court that the PNP is mandated to serve as part of its normal law enforcement function.
He said as a procedural action, all PNP units have been furnished copies of the warrant of arrest. Once served, the warrant will be returned to the court and the respondent will be presented before the judge.
Pagdilao also commended the congressman's act of submitting himself to the jurisdiction of the law, saying it is a fitting gesture of a man of his stature.
"Now that Congressman Ocampo is already under the jurisdiction of the law, the issues that he wanted to raise can be properly addressed by the court," he said.
"We assure him of adequate security and protection while being processed for eventual delivery to the custody of the RTC Branch 18 of Hilongos, Leyte," said Pagdilao.
"As to where Ocampo will be detained is for the court to decide, but surely security and safety concerns must be addressed," he added.
Meanwhile, Chief Presidential Legal Counsel Sergio Antonio Apostol stressed that the government was not behind the mass murder charge filed against Ocampo or is the administration harassing him.
"We want to make it clear that we have nothing to do with that. The case was filed even before elections, so they can't say the government is harassing Ocampo," Apostol said. (ECV/VR/JMR/Sunnex)For more Philippine news, visit Sun.Star Zamboanga. (March 17, 2007 issue)
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