Satur to bring the voice of the poor and marginalized to the Senate
 

The following is the statement of Bayan Muna senatorial candidate Satur C. Ocampo on the occasion of the filing of his certificate of candidacy under the Makabayan coalition at the COMELEC this morning:

Today, I am filing my certificate of candidacy for senator of the Republic full of hope for our people and our nation. Through the coming elections, the time is ripe to end nine years of misrule under the Arroyo administration. Our people yearn for change, and now is the perfect opportunity for us to make that change.

I am running for the position of Senator of the Republic for three reasons:

One, as I have done in the House for the last nine years, I want to represent in the Senate the truly poor and marginalized people of our country;

Two, as an admirer of the late Claro M. Recto, Lorenzo M. Tañada and Jose W. Diokno, I wish to carry on their nationalist legacy in the Senate;

Three, I wish to pursue my peace advocacy more effectively as a Senator of the people.

My almost nine years in Congress has taught me that so much more remains to be done in the legislature for our people, especially the poor and marginalized. In particular, I shall focus on the following advocacies if I am elected to the Senate:

- the upliftment of the economic conditions and dignity of the poor and marginalized
- the enactment of a pro-Filipino economic policy centered on genuine agrarian reform and agricultural modernization, national industrialization and the development of a self-reliant domestic economy;
- universal health care, adequate housing and quality education for all;
- fighting corruption and increasing transparency and accountability in government;
- a truly independent foreign policy;
- achieving peace through negotiations and addressing the root causes of the armed conflicts.

As a journalist, social activist and lawmaker, I have dedicated the best years of my life to fighting for truth, freedom, democracy, justice and peace. But the struggle continues and so I must continue to give my all for our people and our beloved country.###

Dismantle Ampatuan-Malacanang electoral fraud machinery in Maguindanao – Satur
 

Deputy Minority Leader and Bayan Muna Rep. Satur Ocampo today said that unless the Ampatuan-Malacanang cheating machinery in Maguindanao is immediately dismantled, large-scale vote manipulation can be expected in Maguindanao in the 2010 elections. Ocampo said that even as criminal charges are prepared against the Ampatuans, all efforts must be made to destroy the election-rigging machinery they have built and strengthened through the years.

"It will be futille to hope that the 2010 polls will be clean and honest if the system of massive vote-buying, harassment and ballot-rigging will not be dismantled. It doesn't matter if the polls have become automated: the most high-tech computers do not stand a chance against the Ampatuan's guns, goons and gold and Malacanang's other dirty tactics for political survival, Ocampo said.

"We cannot have the Arroyo administration once more succeed in cheating its way to victory," he added.

"Even now, the nation is aghast over the slow-moving process of investigation, arrest and prosecution against the influential leaders of the Ampatuan clan accused of masterminding the massacre in Maguindanao . The delay allows them to rally, plan and execute measures that will help them recover. The fact that Pres. Macapagal-Arroyo has refused to categorically condemn the Ampatuans and drop her alliance with them implies that all their previously hatched plans for the 2010 polls remain," Ocampo said.

Ocampo called on church and religious leaders to initiate greater efforts to safeguard the 2010 elections. He also called for the participation of international observers to monitor the elections. #

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Satur: we fully support NUJP justice campaign for Ampatuan Massacre victims
 

"Deputy Minority Leader and Bayan Muna Rep. Satur Ocampo today gave his full support to the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP) campaign for justice for 57 victims of the Ampatuan Massacre that included journalists.

A former business editor and economic reporter of the pre-Martial Law Manila Times, Ocampo lauded the NUJP for its strong defense of press freedom and human rights in the Philippines. He said that the NUIJP has consistently stood firm and courageously during these times of brutality and repression on mass activists and journalists.

“I support the NUJP and urge all members of the media to support the campaign for justice for the victims of the Ampatuan Massacre and all the journalists who were killed by the powers-that-be as they performed their duty as guardians of the freedom of the press and freedom of expression,” Ocampo said.

“A progressive, activist and vigilant press is a powerful weapon against abuse of power in government, and a valuable instrument in the establishment of a society were there is genuine freedom and democracy. The reforms the NUJP demands in the system of government, particularly in the justice system, should be supported, along with its call to dismantle private armies of local warlords masquerading as local government officials. I support the NUJP in its call for the creation of a credible and impartial body that will investigate the Ampatuan Massacre,” Ocampo said.

“Most importantly, I am one with the NUJP in demanding justice for the victims and the immediate arrest, prosecution and punishment of all the perpetrators and masterminds of the Ampatuan Massacre. The Filipino people must denounce the savagery of the times and the atrocities inflicted upon us by those who swear to be our protectors,” Ocampo said.

PRESS STATEMENT
November 24, 2009

Ocampo and Maza to run as independents

This morning, we, Representatives Satur C. Ocampo and Liza L. Maza, formally announce our decision to run as independent candidates in the 2010 elections.

Last week, we were in the final phase of talks with Nacionalista Party standard bearer Manny Villar on the possibility of being guest candidates in the NP sentorial ticket.

However, the formal alliance between the NP and the Kilusang Bagong Lipunan and the declaration of Congressman Bongbong Marcos’ senatorial candidacy under this alliance became a stumbling bloc to this possibility.

In a meeting of the Makabayang Koalisyon ng Mamamayan this morning, we formalized our decision not to pursue our guest candidacy under the NP. At this point, doing otherwise would compromise our stand on the issue of recovering the Marcos family’s ill-gotten wealth and compensating the human rights victims of the Marcos dictatorship. These are issues that are very important to us and require closure. It would be a grave injustice to the Filipino people to ignore or gloss over them for the sake of political expediency.

We are particularly concerned that through the NP-KBL alliance, which was formalized last week through a signed document titled “Covenant of Alliance,” the moribund party that was founded by the late dictator Ferdinand E. Marcos and which supported and benefited from his 20-year fascist rule has been resurrected and put on equal footing with the NP – a party whose existence, in fact, was virtually obliterated by Marcos’ one-man, one-party dictatorship.

We know that an independent run under the Makabayan coalition will pose great challenges for us. But we are ready to meet that challenge.

We shall continue to engage Sen. Villar and other presidentiables in the opposition in a dialogue on his platforms and programs. We remain resolute in pushing forward the politics of change and the overarching interest of the Filipino people.

Thank you. #

Vincent Michael L. Borneo
Political Affairs Officer
(Media and Public Relations)
Office of Deputy Minority Leader
and BAYAN MUNA Rep. Satur C. Ocampo
Rm. 416, RVMitra Bldg.,
House of Representatives, Quezon City
Telefax no: 951-1027
Mobile: 09277968198
 

Satur raps Malacañang for saying that it will keep friendship with Ampatuans despite massacre
 

"We are known by the company we keep, the friendships we nurture, and the very deeds our friends commit reflect on us. Malacañang's defiant assertion that Pres. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo will remain friends and allies with the Ampatuans speaks volumes of her kind of presidency. Despite the unspeakable horror of the Ampatuan Massacre, Pres. Arroyo remains steadfastly in support of the Ampatuans and this is nothing short of contemptible."

This was the reaction of Deputy Minority Leader and Bayan Muna Rep. Satur Ocampo to Malacañang deputy spokesperson Lorelei Fajardo's statement that the president will not turn her back on the Ampatuans. Datu Unsay town Mayor Andal Ampatuan Jr., accused of masterminding the massacre, was treated as guest yesterday even he was was formally charged with multiple murder at the Department of Justice (DOJ).

"How can we expect that a fair, impartial and thorough-going investigation will be conducted in light of the Malacañang statement? The public outrage generated by the Ampatuan Massacre rolls off like water on the Ampatuans' backs because they are confident that they have Pres. Arroyo behind them. We have strong reason to fear that the investigations will end up nowhere and the Ampatuans will thumb their noses at all of us," Ocampo said."

"Pres. Arroyo's show of grief and statements condoling with the victims' families, colleagues and friends are hypocritical in the face of her refusal to eschew the Ampatuans and declare them persona non grata in Malacañang. All other moves emanating from the Palace to supposedly facilitate the process of investigations fly off as sham moves to pacify an angry public and not so much to help bring justice for the victims and their families," he added.

Charging the MILF

In the meantime, Ocampo expressed disgust with Andal Ampatuan's allegation that the Moro Islamic Front of the Philippines (MILF) was behind the Ampatuan Massacre.

"These are the words not only of a killer, but a liar as well. Andal Ampatuan insults the public's collective intelligence by trying to deflect the blame elsewhere. He lies as easily as he ordered the massacre of civilians and it's an even greater outrage that he expects us to believe that it was the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) who did it. All too easily, he echoes the state security forces who blame the New Peoples Army (NPA) for the extrajudicial killings of legal activists on the bizarre reason that the latter can in turn put the blame on the government,” Ocampo said. #

◄▲It is a good place to suspend a hammock between two lamp posts and take a nap at noon.

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