LACSON DISMAYED OVER SHORT-CIRCUITING
OF PROCEDURES FOR OCAMPO

Sen. Panfilo M. Lacson voiced dismay Monday over the governments short-circuiting of procedures to forcibly bring Bayan Muna Rep. Satur Ocampo to Leyte, despite a court order deferring his transfer.

Lacson, a former chief of the Philippine National Police (PNP), decried the forced transfer of Ocampo despite an order by a Leyte judge to defer his transfer until after the Supreme Court hears his petition to nullify his arrest warrant.

It is becoming clearer by the day that there is an emerging pattern to harass and intimidate party lists, especially those of militants and the opposition. This was the case of the Batasan 5, the Tagaytay 5, and now Rep. Ocampo. We may not see the end of it, he said.

He also scored the Arroyo government for defying the order of Leyte Judge Ephrem Abando deferring Ocampos transfer, particularly the excuse of the PNP that they had not receive any written order.

But Lacson said he was not surprised because this showed the Arroyo government is still in survival mode, and wants to marginalize, if not totally eradicate, Lower House members who will likely vote in favor of her impeachment.

This is aside from buying off party lists to make sure their nominee representatives thumb down a third impeachment case against Mrs. Arroyo, he added.

They are targeting cause-oriented groups because Mrs. Arroyo is in survival mode. She wants to make sure an impeachment case does not prosper at the Lower House and is transmitted to the Senate, he said.