Satur finally allowed to leave for Japan

Bayan Muna Rep. Satur Ocampo, barred by airport authorities from leaving for Japan last Friday, was finally allowed to leave the country yesterday morning after securing a court order.

Bayan Muna lawyer Neri Colmenares said Judge Cesar Untalan of the Makati Regional Trial Court issued a travel order on Thursday.

Ocampo is facing rebellion charges after he and other leftist congressmen were implicated in the coup plot allegedly hatched by communists and rightists rebel soldiers against the Arroyo administration early this year.

Colmenares said Justice Secretary Raul Gonzalez ordered immigration personnel at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport to enforce the hold-departure order against Ocampo because the department did not have a copy of the lifting of order.

"We received the written order Saturday morning. What happened is that he (Ocampo) was just able to leave this morning (Saturday)," Colmenares added.

Ocampo accused Gonzalez of harassment and violation of his rights.

Colmenares said immigration officials stopped Ocampo from boarding a Northwest Airlines flight for Japan Friday morning.

Gonzalez said Ocampo has been attacking the Arroyo administration in the conferences abroad, as part of his international campaign against the administration’s failure to stop alleged extra-judicial killings and political persecution.

Bayan Muna said 118 of its members have been killed since 2001 by suspected state security forces and militias.

Ocampo had earlier been banned from traveling abroad but had somehow convinced the courts to reverse those travel restrictions.

The party-list legislator was able to travel to Switzerland, Belgium and the United Kingdom from Oct. 13 to 26.

Colmenares said Ocampo will attend a conference of parliamentarians organized by the Japan Socialist Party in Tokyo. He said Ocampo will also visit relatives in Tokyo before returning to Manila on Nov. 11.