By House Deputy Minority Leader Satur C. Ocampo and Rep. Teddy A. Casiño

Bayan Muna strongly condemns the US-backed Israel war of aggression and calls for an immediate pullout of its troops in Gaza. We support all international diplomatic efforts to put a stop to the war that can slaughter more of the 1.5 million Palestinian people, including women, children and elderly. The Palestinian people must be given justice. Their right to exist and to remain in their homeland must be respected.

Since December 27, 2008 Israeli government air bombardment, artillery shelling and the ongoing ground invasion have massacred hundreds and injured thousands of Palestinian civilians in Gaza. Homes, places of worship, hospitals, schools, government offices, oil depots, fishing ports, power plants, water facilities and other infrastructure are systematically being destroyed. Food, medicine, and medical personnel are being blocked by Israeli troops.

Enjoy the hope of the season and prepare for the greater challenges in the coming year.

Merry Christmas!

Satur C. Ocampo
House Deputy Minority Leader

Teddy Casiño
Bayan Muna Representative

Last night, we walked out of the proceedings of the anti-peasant Joint Resolution No. 19.

We have decided not to be a party to the landlord-dominated House of Representatives’ pretension and deception of the Filipino peasantry and the people in extending the bogus Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP). In fact, Joint Resolution 19 removed the compulsory acquisition scheme and exempted lands with notices of coverage, like the Arroyo lands in Negros.  This is a shotgun legislation that has killed the anti-peasant CARP. This also further exposed the real character of Mrs. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, who certified the joint resolution as urgent, as the chief political representative of big landlords.

House Deputy Minority Leader and BAYAN MUNA Rep. Satur Ocampo called on government “to stop the sale of its share in Petron Corp. as it will not do the Filipino people any good with regard to accessing transportation fuel and cooking gas.”

“It would be better for the Arroyo government to get a controlling stake in Petron instead of selling it to San Miguel Corporation (SMC). Government should ensure the protection of the public from volatile oil price hikes and external shocks of the world market. As a private enterprise, SMC wants to enter the refinery business to rake in more profits from a bigger market. The food and beverage giant is actually on an expansion binge,” Ocampo said.

60th anniversary of Universal Declaration of Human Rights

House Deputy Minority Leader and BAYAN MUNA Rep. Satur C. Ocampo called on Congress to fast track the passage of House Bill 5600 or the Human Rights Defenders’ Protection Act of 2008.
 
“The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) is now 60 years old. But the Philippines currently has probably the bloodiest human rights record among so-called democracies in Southeast Asia. Congress can act in earnest on this measure as part of efforts to fulfill its obligations as a signatory to the UDHR,” Ocampo said.