AFP denies Esperon ordered hasty attempted transfer of Ocampo to Leyte court Monday

By Ronron
March 19, 2007

The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) denied allegations that its Chief of Staff, Gen. Hermogenes Esperon, Jr., ordered the attempted transfer of Bayan Muna Representative Satur Ocampo on Monday to the court in Leyte.

AFP Public Information Officer Lt. Col. Bartolome Bacarro said the attempted transfer of Ocampo was purely a Philippine National Police (PNP) business, noting that the solon was under the custody of the Manila Police District (MPD) and not the military.

“General Esperon has nothing to do with that because it is already with the Philippine National Police and of course, the Philippine National Police is just following the process as to where Satur Ocampo should be placed,” Bacarro said.

Supporters of Ocampo blamed Esperon and National Security Adviser Norberto Gonzales for the attempted transfer of Ocampo yesterday to the Regional Trial Court Branch 18 of Hilongos, Leyte where the arrest warrant against him originated.

Roberto de Castro, deputy Secretary General of Bayan Muna, said during the group’s rally yesterday morning at the Philippine National Police (PNP) headquarters in Camp Crame, Quezon City that Esperon and Malacañang are hell-bent on putting Ocampo to jail as part of its pressure against their party-list organization.

De Castro led at least 60 Bayan Muna supporters who gathered yesterday at Camp Crame to denounce what they say as “persecution” and “inhumane treatment” of Ocampo.

Ocampo was arrested last Friday after he filed at the Supreme Court his petition to nullify the arrest warrant issued against him by Judge Ephrem Abando of Hilongos, Leyte RTC Branch 18 in relation to allegations he masterminded the purging of communist rebels in the mid-1980’s.

In an interview later in the day after his return at the MPD, Ocampo reiterated that the case of multiple murder against him and more than 50 others was fabricated by the Arroyo government, particularly by Gonzales, to cover up for the political killings it has allegedly sanctioned.

Ocampo was flown back to Manila even before reaching Leyte after the Department of Interior and Local Government received a faxed copy of Abando’s order, ordering the MPD to continue taking Ocampo under its custody until afte r the March 23 oral argument at the Supreme Court.

Ocampo was back at the MPD past 3pm./DMS