SAGAY CITY - Genuine Opposition senatorial candidate Loren Legarda yesterday said the government should stop engaging in what she calls "political persecution" of perceived "leftists personalities and organizations".

Instead, former underground organizations and parties which joined the political arena, should be welcomed and encouraged, Legarda said. Legarda, who in previous years, had been instrumental in the release of military and police personnel captured by the New People's Army, including Medal of Valor awardee, Lt. Col. Noel Buan, came to the rescue of Bayan Muna party-list Rep. Satur Ocampo who is now detained for multiple murder charges filed against him and several others before the Leyte Regional Trial Court.

"Political persecution will lead these people into going underground again, worsen the insurgency situation and its impact on provinces, including Negros that has been suffering also from insurgency problem," she added.

Team Unity re-electionist Senator Ralph Recto said placing Ocampo behind bars is the best election poster for Bayan Muna. "Persecution is a proven vote-getter, so government authorities should realize that they are delivering votes by the thousands to their sworn enemy." Recto said in a statement.

"Let him stay inside the walled confines of the Batasan instead with Speaker Joe de Venecia as his warden", he added.

"If I were the government, I would go easy on Satur, because if the aim of arresting him is to prevent him from returning to Congress, then recent developments may have just guaranteed the opposite," Recto said.

There are proposals from the government to repeal the RA 1700, or the Anti-Subversion Act, that legalized the communist movement. Legarda was among the four senatorial candidates who attended the birthday celebration of Governor Joseph Maranon here.*GPB .

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