This story
was taken from Bulatlat, the Philippines's alternative weekly
newsmagazine (www.bulatlat.com, www.bulatlat.net, www.bulatlat.org).
Vol. VII, No. 8, March 25-31, 2007
Bayan Muna to File Raps vs.
‘False’ Leyte Witnesses
Bayan Muna (People First) general counsel and third nominee Neri Javier
Colmenares revealed that they will file criminal cases of perjury against the
witnesses who “falsely testified” against Rep. Satur Ocampo in Leyte. They will
also file civil cases against these witnesses for “damaging and maligning”
Ocampo and Bayan Muna. BY
KAREN PAPELLERO AND JOHANN HEIN B. ARPON Bayan Muna (People First)
general counsel and third nominee Neri Javier Colmenares has revealed that they
will file criminal cases of perjury against the witnesses who “falsely
testified”against Rep. Satur Ocampo in Leyte. Ocampo was accused by the
witnesses of personally supervising the alleged executions of members of the
Communist Party of the Philippines and the New People’s Army (CPP-NPA) in
Inopacan, Leyte in 1984 even as he is known to have been in detention at the
time. They will also file civil cases against these witnesses for “damaging and
maligning” Ocampo and Bayan Muna. Dateline: Hilongos,
Leyte (March 19) Colmenares was in the thick
of efforts to block Ocampo’s transfer to Hilongos, Leyte –where the multiple
murder charges against him are filed – last March 19. He and Bayan Muna-Central
Visayas secretary-general Arman Perez left for Hilongos late last Sunday to file
a motion before the Hilongos Regional Trial Court. They arrived there 1:30
a.m. of Monday and within a few hours, the news of Ocampo being harassed by the
police and being forced to ride a private plane bound for Leyte, was breaking
out in Manila. About 50 residents
belonging to the Kilusan Kontra Komunista (KKK or Anti-Communist Movement) also
staged a rally. Chants and messages against Ocampo and Bayan Muna were
repeatedly heard. Meanwhile, at the Daniel Z.
Romualdez Airport in Tacloban City where the plane carrying Ocampo was supposed
to land, a different kind of surprise was waiting for him. Posted all over the place
were placards with slogans like Hustisya sa mga pinatay ng CPP-NPA-NDF!”
(Justice for all victims killed by the Communist Party of the Philippines-New
People’s Army-National Democratic Front), Maligayang pagdating kriminal!”
(Welcome, criminal), and “Panagutin utak ng Leyte mass grave!” (Punish
the brains behind the Leyte mass graves). The supposed signatories were
Karapatan (Alliance for the Advancement of People’s Rights), the League of
Filipino Students (LFS), and Samahan Han Gudti nga Parag-uma ha Sinirangan
Bisayas (Sagupa-SB), an Eastern Visayas-based affiliate of the Kilusang
Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP or Philippine Peasant Movement). Karapatan in its various
statements has held the AFP and Malacañang accountable for the intensification
of human rights violations since 2001 – when President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo
assumed power following the EDSA II uprising. The LFS and Sagupa-SB, meanwhile,
are organizations allied with Bayan Muna. Members of Karapatan, the
LFS, and Sagupa-SB in Tacloban City took down the placards, provoking a
confrontation with members of the Alliance for Nationalism and Democracy (ANAD)
who claimed ownership of the posted materials. Bagong Alyansang Makabayan
(Bayan or New Patriotic Alliance)-Eastern Visayas spokesperson Pong Acbo
assailed members of ANAD, led by Jun Alcover, for what he described as their
“attempt to mislead” the public. “Bayan knows that Congressman Ocampo has
nothing to do with the alleged mass grave and that it is nothing but a futile
attempt of the Arroyo regime and her minions to discredit (him) and Bayan Muna,”
Acbo said. Lou Molon, Eastern Visayas
regional coordinator of Bayan Muna, meanwhile condemned what he described as the
“treachery” of ANAD. “It just shows the real character of ANAD and the military
(and their inclination) to maliciously point to others (to escape)
accountability (for) their misdeeds,” Molon said. Katungod-Sinirangan Bisayas,
the Eastern Visayas chapter of Karapatan, made the same observation in a
statement. “What they did is one proof that ANAD and the military are but a
bunch of liars who thrive on deception,” Katungod-SB stated. “The sights and sounds in
Leyte (on March 19) were clear manifestations that those behind the case of
Representative Ocampo (already had) foreknowledge that he will be transferred
that day, probably even before Ka Satur was arrested,” said the Bayan Muna-Central
Visayas secretary-general. “They were well-planned and prepared to
systematically humiliate and malign Rep. Ocampo and Bayan Muna with its ‘grand
show’ and it is not difficult even to an observer to know from whom these
efforts are coming from.” Policy vs. progressive
party-list groups? © 2007 Bulatlat
■
Alipato Publications Permission is granted to reprint or redistribute this article, provided its author/s and Bulatlat are properly credited and notified.
Bulatlat
Administrative cases will also be filed against government officials for
engaging in partisan activities and violations of the Omnibus Election Code –
especially against Interior and Local Government Secretary Hermogenes Ebdane,
AFP chief of staff Gen. Hermogenes Esperon, and Justice Secretary Raul Gonzalez.
At 7:30 a.m., when Colmenares and party had arrived at the courthouse, there
were at least 15 fully armed policemen outside the building. With the police
were a number of military men in plain clothes, occupying vans. In the plaza
near the courthouse, there were also military trucks from the 8th Infantry
Division, Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), along with several fully-armed
AFP soldiers dispersed in every corner.
A car with loudspeakers was also driving around the relatively small town,
announcing messages branding Rep. Ocampo as "mamamatay-tao" (murderer)
and "demonyo” (demon).
Large banners and streamers were hung in posts around the plaza and courthouse
with diatribes like "Satur Ocampo, killer ng Leyte!" (Satur Ocampo,
killer of Leyte!), "Bulukin sa bilangguan!" (Let him rot in jail!) and "Ocampo,
demonyo, komunista!" (Ocampo, demon, communist!).
Perez was no less damning in his reading of what had transpired.
Even Colmenares had expressed concern over their safety and security due to the
heavy military presence in the town.
Excuses
Even before the judge approved the motion to stop the transfer of the Bayan Muna
representative, he informed Colmenares that he was not insisting that Satur
Ocampo, be brought to Hilongos that day, March 19, 2007.
At 9:30 a.m, Judge Ephrem Abando of Branch 18 of the Hilongos RTC verbally
consented to the motion to stop the transfer of Rep. Ocampo. According to
Colmenares, the judge called up Philippine National Police (PNP) officials who
were in custody of Ocampo and informed them of his decision. But the police
refused saying that they will still push through with the transfer unless they
got hold of the written decision before 11:30 a.m.
Colmenares and members of the media were present as the judge informed the PNP
in Manila of his approval of the motion.
By 11:45 a.m., the court released the written order and a copy was sent to the
office of the PNP Regional Commander in Region VIII, Col. Valencia, through PO2
Castillion of PNP-Hilongos and PO2 Cañedo of PNP-Region VIII.
"According to the law, when an official representative receives an order, it is
tantamount that the entire organization/institution has received the order,”
Colmenares explained. “In this case, the PNP in Region VIII has received the
order, therefore, it is not an excuse for the police in Manila to play innocent
of the order. Yet, they still flew Rep. Ocampo after that.”
"The forcible transfer of Representative Ocampo is an act of cruelty, at the
least,” Colmenares added. They wasted public funds in the mid-air abortion of
the transport and treated a public official shabbily and unjustly. That alone is
cruel and inhuman.”
Colmenares also said that the recent events are manifestations of what he
described as an anti-party-list policy being implemented by “militarist
sections” of the national government against which, he said, Arroyo has not
lifted a finger to intervene.
"Consequently, the political persecution of Bayan Muna and its allied groups is
just to ensure that the critics in Congress will be lessened as well as the
number of those who will sign the third impeachment complaint during the 14th
Congress," Colmenares added.
He also said that the actions of the government are plainly shifting the
attention of the public away from the political killings happening under the
Arroyo administration, towards the case against Satur.
"Lastly, the actions against Bayan Muna may have garnered sympathy, but this is
not the kind of campaign we seek, even if we benefit from it, electorally. We
want to play fair and square in our campaigns and not subject our leaders to
persecution and suffering, just to gain publicity. We would like to be elected
because the Filipinos believe in our platforms and programs for the poor and the
marginalized," he concluded. Bulatlat