Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW) letter to the Hon. Maxine Bernier

Canadian Union of Postal Workers
377, rue Bank Street, Ottawa, ON K2P 1Y3. www.cupw-sttp.org

1301-A-100
May 6, 2008

The Hon. Maxime Bernier
Minister of Foreign Affairs
125 Sussex Dr.
Ottawa, Ontario K1A-OG2

Dear Minister Bernier,

Re: Harassment of Rep. Satur Ocampo and Two Other Members of Philippine Congress

On behalf of the 55,000 members of the Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW), I am writing you to urgently request Canada's intervention with respect to the murder charges against Rep. Satur Ocampo and two other members of the Philippine House of Representatives.

The charges were filed on April 18 upon Mr. Ocampo's return from a visit in Canada, during which he appeared as a witness before the House of Commons Sub-Committee on International Human Rights. We are especially concerned about this development because Mr. Ocampo was also an international guest at CUPW's 23rd Triennial Convention during the week of April 13 to 17, along with two other Philippine parliamentarians, Mr. Crispin Beltran and Ms. Luz Ilagan.

The two parliamentarians who are charged with Mr. Ocampo are Rep. Teodoro Casino and Rep. Liza Maza who were also returning from travel overseas during which they spoke about the human rights situation in the Philippines. Mr. Casino was in Geneva for the United Nation's Universal Periodic Review of the Philippines and both he and Ms. Maza attended the Inter-Parliamentary Union Assembly in South Africa where they reported on the continuing cases of political harassment against them.

CUPW believes that the Philippine Inter-Agency Legal Action (IALAG) is behind these charges in order to punish Mr. Ocampo and his Party List colleagues for daring to speak to the international community about the human rights abuses in the Philippines and for urging Canada and other governments to take action to ensure these abuses cease, particularly the extrajudicial killings and enforced disappearances of activists. The IALAG, headed by National Security Advisor Mr. Norberto Gonzales, is named in the report of the UN Special Rapporteur, Prof. Philip Aston, as responsible for the filing of spurious charges against progressive opposition leaders.

CUPW has been made aware that this is not the first time that bogus charges have been used to harass Mr. Ocampo and other Party list legislators:

• On february 2007, Mr. Ocampo was arrested and detained for 18 days during an ongoing election campaign on charges of murders he allegedly committed in 1989. The Supreme Court dismissed the case.
• In 2006, "rebellion" charges were also dismissed against Representatives Ocampo, Casino, Beltran and Maza. Each of them spent two months under the protective custody of the Philippine Congress to prevent their arrest while Beltran was put under hospital arrest.

We are gravely concerned about the safety of these Members of Congress. These charges have been laid amidst the continuing and alarming climate of political killings, enforced disappearances and government inaction to end impunity. We strongly condemn the harassment and threat of arrest of Rep. Satur Ocampo and his co-accused parliamentarians.

CUPW therefore adds its voice to that of ther unions, human rights organizations, faith groups and social justice coalitions who are urging the Canadian government:

1) To send a representative from the Embassy in Manila to the May 12th hearing of Mr. Ocampo and his co-accused parliamentarians and to have the embassy continue to monitor the threat against them;

2) To express concern and condemn the ongoing harassment of Mr. Ocampo and these members of the opposition in a strong public statement;

3) To call on the Government of President Arroyo to implement the recommendations of the UN Special Rapporteur, and in particular the recommendation to abolish the Itner0Agency legal Action Group.

We further request that a report on this situation be presented to the members of the House of Commons Subcommittee on Inetrnational Human Rights, who met with the Philippine legislators during their visit to Canada.

Sincerely,

(SGD) Dennis Lemelin
CUPW National President

cc: Members of the house of Commons Sub-Committee on International Human Rights:
Mr. Scott Reid Hon. Jason Kenney
Mr. David Sweet Hon. Irwin Cotler
Mr. Mario Silva Ms. Diane Bourgeois
Mr. Wayne Marston

Paul Dewar, NDP M.P.
Ken Georgetti, President, Canadian Labour Congress
CUPW National Executive Committee
CUPW National Union Representatives
Specialists