Cops dragged, forced Satur out of cell for flight to Leyte

(Update) The police forcibly carried 67-year-old Bayan Muna Rep. Satur Ocampo out of his detention cell before dawn Monday so he could be ferried to the domestic airport in Paranaque, and eventually flown to Leyte. But as of 9:45 a.m., Ocampo remained under heavy security at the airport, the manner and schedule of his flight to Leyte still unclear. GMA News' Unang Balita reported that as early as 2:30 a.m., the gates of the Manila Police District had been padlocked, and its perimeters ringed with elite troops. Ocampo was waken up at about 3 a.m. At about 4:30 a.m., dozens of policemen swarmed Ocampo's detention cell. In full view of Ocampo's wife journalism professor Carolina Malay and Bayan Muna Rep. Teddy Casino, the police started to forcibly pull out Ocampo to a van waiting outside. Between the pushing and shoving, Ocampo told reporters who rushed to the site, "They are taking me out forcibly." Video footage of the incident showed that the police dragged and bodily forced Ocampo inside the van that was to take him to the domestic airport. "Whoever ordered this, they are violating my rights," Ocampo said, amid the scuffle. "They will be held to account for this," he added, as he stood the door of the van that took him to the airport. "This is clear use of force," Casino remarked. As he remained in "van arrest" since 5 a.m. Monday, Bayan Muna Rep. Satur Ocampo scored what he called the police's deception in bringing him to Leyte province. Ocampo said that while he got wind of a move by the Philippine National Police to move him to Leyte, all he got from the Manila Police District were "lies and psy-war." "Niloko nila ako, sabi commercial flight, tapos iba naman. Palagi na lang on the way lokohan ng lokohan, hindi dapat ganyan (All throughout today, they've been giving me nothing but lies. That shouldn't be the case)," Ocampo said in an interview on Iglesia ni Cristo-run dzEC radio. The lawmaker said that if police want him to ride the helicopter, they will have to forcibly make him do so, the same way they physically brought him to the van from the Manila Police District headquarters before 5 a.m. Monday. Yet, he said he was initially informed that he was to take a commercial Philippine Airlines flight to Leyte. "MPD General Assignments Section head Sr. Supt. Edward Sierra said they can return me to Manila in time for Supreme Court hearings Friday. But why not wait for Friday? The question for Friday's argument is the legality of the arrest warrant. If the high court were to grant my petition, there would have been no need to bring me to Hilongos. Why can't they listen to reasonable requests? There is no compelling argument to bring me to Leyte today)," he said in Filipino. "I will not agree. I don't trust their helicopters," he added. Ocampo said he is considering filing charges against the police who forcibly brought him to the airport for his flight to Leyte. "Let's see the extent of the violations they have committed aside from what happened today," he said. His wife Carolina, who accompanied him inside the van, asked media to keep track of the police's movements, including the police helicopter that was to take Ocampo to Leyte. She said in a separate interview on dzRH radio that while she and her husband are ready for such psy-war, she fears something may happen during the flight. Ocampo, his wife, and Bayan Muna Rep. Teodoro Casiño were inside a van that was heavily escorted by police to the Manila Domestic Airport. "Please alert your affiliates in the provinces so they can monitor any incident if it happens. We've been asking the police the reasons for bringing us here. Up to now I still don't know why," she said. Casiño added he does not trust helicopters, particularly those operated by police. He also questioned why the hangar had no pilot, indicating the move to transfer Ocampo was hastily planned. "We fear something untoward may happen," Casiño told dzRH radio. - GMANews.TV