Philippine police flew a detained left-wing lawmaker from Manila to the central province of Leyte, where he faces 22-year-old murder charges, despite a judge's order delaying the move until the Supreme Court rules on his arrest.
Satur Ocampo was arrested last week after 10 days in hiding when he went to the Supreme Court to question the charges against him. He resisted attempts by police to move him to Leyte.
Ocampo's lawyer, Neri Colmenares, said he worried about the safety of his client in Leyte, where a local court issued a warrant for the lawmaker's arrest for allegedly ordering the killings of suspected government spies by communist rebels.
PHOTO: EPA
Ocampo, a former communist rebel before he was elected to Congress, denied the charges, saying he had been in military detention under late dictator Ferdinand Marcos when the alleged killings took place.
The 67-year-old was seen being shoved into a van that took him from a Manila police station to the airport early yesterday. He told reporters police would have to drag him to the aircraft, prompting a standoff.
After several hours of talks, Leyte Judge Ephrem Abando granted Ocampo's motion to keep him in Manila until the Supreme Court hears his petition on Friday.
But despite the order, police took Ocampo to the aircraft and flew him to Leyte. Officials said they did not receive a copy of the court's order.
"We are just doing what we have to do under the law," national police chief Oscar Calderon said, explaining that yesterday was the deadline for police to submit Ocampo to the court.
He promised to bring Ocampo back to Manila in time for the Supreme Court's hearing on Friday.
He also denied allegations that the lawmaker was manhandled and harassed.
"We don't think there was harassment. We treat this as an ordinary ... murder case. There is nothing here that is politically motivated," Calderon said.
He said he personally went to the airport to assure Ocampo and his family of his safety.
Ocampo claims the murder charges against him were trumped up as part of a crackdown on left-wing activists.
EUROPEAN FUTURE? Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama says only he could secure EU membership, but challenges remain in dealing with corruption and a brain drain Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama seeks to win an unprecedented fourth term, pledging to finally take the country into the EU and turn it into a hot tourist destination with some help from the Trump family. The artist-turned-politician has been pitching Albania as a trendy coastal destination, which has helped to drive up tourism arrivals to a record 11 million last year. US President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, also joined in the rush, pledging to invest US$1.4 billion to turn a largely deserted island into a luxurious getaway. Rama is expected to win another term after yesterday’s vote. The vote would
FRAUD ALLEGED: The leader of an opposition alliance made allegations of electoral irregularities and called for a protest in Tirana as European leaders are to meet Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama’s Socialist Party scored a large victory in parliamentary elections, securing him his fourth term, official results showed late on Tuesday. The Socialist Party won 52.1 percent of the vote on Sunday compared with 34.2 percent for an alliance of opposition parties led by his main rival Sali Berisha, according to results released by the Albanian Central Election Commission. Diaspora votes have yet to be counted, but according to initial results, Rama was also leading there. According to projections, the Socialist Party could have more lawmakers than in 2021 elections. At the time, it won 74 seats in the
CANCER: Jose Mujica earned the moniker ‘world’s poorest president’ for giving away much of his salary and living a simple life on his farm, with his wife and dog Tributes poured in on Tuesday from across Latin America following the death of former Uruguayan president Jose “Pepe” Mujica, an ex-guerrilla fighter revered by the left for his humility and progressive politics. He was 89. Mujica, who spent a dozen years behind bars for revolutionary activity, lost his battle against cancer after announcing in January that the disease had spread and he would stop treatment. “With deep sorrow, we announce the passing of our comrade Pepe Mujica. President, activist, guide and leader. We will miss you greatly, old friend,” Uruguayan President Yamandu Orsi wrote on X. “Pepe, eternal,” a cyclist shouted out minutes later,
Myanmar’s junta chief met Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) for the first time since seizing power, state media reported yesterday, the highest-level meeting with a key ally for the internationally sanctioned military leader. Senior General Min Aung Hlaing led a military coup in 2021, overthrowing Myanmar’s brief experiment with democracy and plunging the nation into civil war. In the four years since, his armed forces have battled dozens of ethnic armed groups and rebel militias — some with close links to China — opposed to its rule. The conflict has seen Min Aung Hlaing draw condemnation from rights groups and pursued by the
RSS