BY BULATLAT
Posted 10:45 a.m. March 19, 2007
Rep. Satur Ocampo of Bayan Muna Party (BM or People First) was awakened in his detention cell at the Western Police District in Manila at 3 a.m. this morning by Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) agents and was told that he was to be transferred to Leyte.
By 5 a.m. he was dragged to the Philippine National Police (PNP) hangar near the Domestic Airport in Pasay City on board a green Starex van with plate no. RAY 504. Ocampo was accompanied by Bobbie Malay his wife, Rep. Teddy Casino also of Bayan Muna and staff of the party list. He was to be transported by PNP chopper to Hilongos, Leyte with refueling stops in Bicol and Iloilo. Even the PNP personnel in-charge of the hangar were surprised and told Bulatlat that they were not informed of the transfer earlier.
Meanwhile, Neri Colmenares, BM general counsel and third nominee, told Bulatlat in a phone interview that he has been in Leyte since 1:30 a.m. this morning, accompanied by Arman Perez, BM-Cebu secretary general, to file a petition before the Leyte court to allow Ocampo to be temporarily detained in Manila pending the March 23 Supreme Court hearing. Colmenares said that Hilongos, Leyte is heavily militarized. In fact, there are Philippine Army trucks from the airport to the court in Hilongos, Leyte. There is also a PNP van roaming the court and a group of PNP agents shouting “Ocampo kriminal, Parusahan!” (Bulatlat.com)
