NEWS RELEASE
January 3, 2007


Relieve Bicol police chiefs, remove military units over spate of
activist slays - Satur

House Deputy Minority Leader and Bayan Muna President Satur C. Ocampo
today called for the immediate relief of Bicol's top police officials
and the removal of military units deployed there following the slays
of four Bayan Muna leaders in Sorsogon and Albay.

On December 31, motorcycle-riding gunmen shot dead Rodolfo Alvarado,
Bayan Muna's sixth nominee for partylist representative, Bicol
regional projects officer and Albay provincial chairman. Alvarado thus
became the Bayan Muna leader to be slain in the unending spate of
political slays across the country.

Also last month, three other Bayan Muna members were slain in separate
incidents in Sorsogon province. Crisanto Frivaldo was gunned down
December 11 inside his house in Irosin town.Bayan Muna counsel Gil
Gojol was slain December 12 in Gubat town. Municipal coordinator
Francisco Bantog was shot dead December 22 inside the Donsol Tourism
Office where he worked as a butanding interaction officer.

"President Arroyo should order the immediate relief of PNP Albay
Provincial Police Chief Sr. Supt. Roque Ramirez, Sorsogon Provincial
Police Chief Sr. Supt. Joel Regondola and Bicol Regional Police Chief
Police Chief Sup't. Victor B. Boco for failing to stop the slays in
their areas of responsibility and to allow full and impartial
investigations into the political killings," said Ocampo.

Ocampo also said that "all military units deployed in areas where the
killings occur should be returned to barracks."

"Police and military officials should be held accountable for, at the
least, failing to stop death squads in their areas. Further
investigation should also not discount their potential role in the
killings since the PNP and the AFP units in Bicol have repeatedly
slandered and defamed Bayan Muna which is usually the precursor to the
actual slays done by death squads," said Ocampo.

"The military's Operation Plan Bantay Laya which does not
differentiate between the New People's Army and legal organizations,
and between combatants and non-combatants worsens the culture of
impunity that allows the killers of activists to go unpunished,"
Ocampo added. ###