PNP: SAF arrest ASG member wanted for 2007 Marines beheading

An Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) member wanted for the beheading of 11 Marines in 2007 was arrested in Barangay Kumaralang, Isabela City by police Special Action Force (SAF) personnel in Basilan.
 
The suspect, whom Philippine National Police (PNP) spokesman Chief Superintendent Agrimero Cruz Jr. identified the suspect as Boy Abdulphata aka "Boy Pahta" who is also wanted for the Dos Palmas kidnapping.
 
Abdulphata was taken into custody on the strength of an arrest warrant issued by Basilan Judge Leo Jay Prinsipe of the Isabela City regional trial court.
 
The PNP SAF and Regional Office in Western Mindanao have the suspect detained at a location Cruz did not specifiy in his text message. — ELR, GMA News
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Andal Ampatuan Jr. carried out massacre, says witness

http://www.gmanews.tv/story/182584/andal-ampatuan-jr-carried-out-massacre-says-witness

SOPHIA M. DEDACE, GMANews.TV

01/27/2010 | 01:34 PM

Andal Ampatuan Jr. carried out the massacre of 57 people in Maguindanao province last November 23, having ordered victims to lie face down and later checking their faces one by one before they were brought to a nearby hill and gunned to death.

The Datu Unsay town mayor's black pick-up was at the scene of the bloodbath, with two women forced to enter the vehicle at one point before the killings, witness Mohammad Sangki told a Quezon City court on Wednesday.

Mohammad, a Sangguinang Bayan official in Datu Abdullah Sangki town in Maguindanao, corroborated the testimony of his nephew, Amapatuan town Vice-Mayor Rasul Sangki, who took the witness stand two weeks ago.

The court is hearing multiple murder charges against Ampatuan Jr., who has applied for bail.

In his testimony, Mohammad claimed to have received a call on November 19 from Datu Bahnarin Ampatuan — Ampatuan Jr.'s brother and mayor of Mamasapano town — ordering him to deploy a police auxiliary force in Crossing Saniag until December 2.

Crossing Saniag is in Ampatuan town, an area two minutes away from the Sitio Malating checkpoint where the convoy led by the wife of Buluan Vice Mayor Ismael "Toto" Mangudadatu was ambushed last November 23.

Police deployment

Mohammad Sangki said Bahnarin had told him to coordinate with Tammy Masukat, a Sangguniang Bayan member in Mamasapano town, for the police deployment.

He told the court presided by Judge Jocelyn Solis Reyes that Masukat had told him the police team was in preparation for the convoy coming from Buluan town.

A day later, on November 20, he and Masukat went to the home of Ampatuan Jr. in Shariff Aguak, where the mayor gave him P15,000 to buy food for the police team at Crossing Saniag.

During the weekend of November 21 and 22, Mohammad said he was with his family in Datu Odin Sinsuat town.

On the morning of November 23, the witness said he was surprised that several checkpoints had been set up in Ampatuan town.

He then went to the Sangguniang Bayan in Ampatuan town capitol, where he saw his nephew, Vice-Mayor Raul Sangki. The two went to Crossing Saniag, where they both saw Ampatuan Jr. with several armed men.

At about 10 a.m. that day, Mohammad and Rasul proceeded to Sitio Malating in a car to meet with Ampatuan Jr.'s group.

He said his nephew had told him that the convoy of the Mangudadatus was already there.

Mohammad said he saw two women being forced to enter Andal Jr.'s black pick-up.

He also said he saw the convoy's passengers being forced to lie face down, with Andal Jr. checking their faces one by one.

The convoy was later told to proceed to Sitio Malasay, two kilometers away from the checkpoint.

According to Mohammad, Rasul had told him to remain on the highway. Rasul then went with Ampatuan Jr. (See Andal Sr. hatched Nov. 23 massacre — witness)

After hearing successive gunfire for 30 minutes, Rasul returned and told him that the shooting had been orchestrated by Ampatuan Jr., Datu Kanor Ampatuan, Datu Bahnarin Ampatuan, a certain Datu Uka and the armed men they were with.

The trial was ongoing as of posting time.

Expected to testify later in the day is Toto Mangudadatu himself. It will be his first time to take the witness stand. His wife Genalyn was among those killed in the massacre.

Earlier in the day, Geoffrey Lizada of Smart Communications, Inc. authenticated the billing statement of Genalyn from November 17 to December 18, 2009.

Genalyn supposedly phoned her husband that she had seen Ampatuan Jr., his husband's political rival, among the men who had blocked the convoy. — NPA, RJAB Jr./GMANews.TV

Andal Jr. to face Mangudadatu at trial

http://www.gmanews.tv/story/182560/andal-jr-to-face-mangudadatu-at-trial

01/27/2010 | 09:15 AM

Andal Ampatuan Jr., the key suspect in the massacre of 57 people in Maguindanao last November 23, appeared relaxed on Wednesday hours before his court showdown with the husband of one of the victims.

The mayor of Datu Unsay town in Maguindanao smiled at media and even held up his handcuffs before being whisked before dawn to the venue of his ongoing trial.

Earlier, the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) said a prosecution witness would shake Ampatuan's camp at Wednesday's hearing.

"Our case is going smoothly and every week we present new evidence. Today we will present an eyewitness, an official from one of the Maguindanao towns, to shake up the defense," NBI spokesman and lawyer Ricardo Diaz told dwIZ radio in Filipino.

The mayor was also to have his first court confrontation with Buluan Vice Mayor Esmael Mangudadatu, whose wife Genalyn was among the victims of the gruesome Nov. 23 bloodbath.

Mangudadatu was expected to testify against the mayor's petition for bail.

A report on dwIZ radio said Ampatuan, wearing a pink polo and denim pants, appeared nonchalant at the NBI while a team checked his blood pressure.

The mayor was handcuffed and made to wear a bulletproof vest, as in past instances when he was whisked to the trial venue at Camp Crame.

Security remained tight for the mayor as he left the NBI headquarters in Manila towards the Philippine National Police headquarters in Camp Crame.

Radio dzBB's Carlo Mateo reported that the trip had taken some 14 minutes as the NBI, Manila Police District, and PNP Highway Patrol Group escorts cleared the path.

The convoy bearing the mayor arrived at Camp Crame before 6:30 a.m.

At Crame, dzBB's Sam Nielsen reported that 300 policemen were placed on full alert inside and outside the police camp.

Security was also tight for media, who were allowed to enter on a first-come-first-served basis.

Outside Camp Crame, Quezon City police were in full battle gear while yellow steel railings were placed near the two security gates. — NPA, GMANews.TV

Anger, justice after massacre's 2nd month

http://www.sunstar.com.ph/davao/anger-justice-after-massacres-2nd-month

Monday, January 25, 2010
By Ben O. Tesiorna

ANGER and thirst for justice still reigned among those who attended the second month commemoration of the November 23 Maguindanao massacre that killed 57 people, including 30 journalists.

In a visit to the massacre site at Sitio Masalay of Barangay Salman in Ampatuan town, relatives, friends and supporters of the victims are one in demanding justice for the victims of the most gruesome election-related violence in the country.

Family and relatives of the massacre victims went to Sitio Masalay on Saturday, along with around 500 delegates of the National Interfaith Mission for Justice and Peace in Maguindanao that also gathered lawyers, human rights workers, progressive groups, and journalists together.

Initiated by Kalinaw Mindanao, the mission aimed to continue the call for justice by remembering the victims of the massacre. Part of the mission is to visit the site.

"The mission will also document further accounts on the incident that will be of use in the pursuit of the case against the suspects of the massacre and in demanding accountability from all levels of government found complicit or negligent in the crime," said the Kalinaw Mindanao paper.

The participants of the mission will conduct interviews with families of victims, military officials and civilian residents in Maguindanao.

Lawyer Carlos Isagani Zarate, of the Alliance Against Impunity in Mindanao and one of the convenors of Kalinaw Mindanao, said the November 23 massacre showed the link between the suspects’ brutality and the kind of government the Philippines has.

"Our aim is not only to further expose the brutality of the butchers of massacre but more importantly, to unmask the monstrous complicity of the Arroyo government, its culpability in backing not just the private armies of the warlord Ampatuans but also in maintaining the public army--the AFP--that has engendered the violence," said Zarate, also the secretary general of the Union of People's Lawyers in Mindanao.

"This journey is also a show of solidarity with the families of the victims. All of us here lost a family, a colleague and a friend on that fateful day of the massacre, and we are united in fighting for justice and in saying that we will never forget this incident," Zarate added.

Bayan Muna Representative Satur Ocampo, who joined the mission, said justice will only be delivered for the victims of the massacre if more and more people from all sectors will come together and pressure the National Government.

"Condemnation of the massacre must continue until justice will be served. And efforts to end impunity in Maguindanao must not even end if justice is finally served because we all know that there could be more victims of human rights abuses and killings in this province," Ocampo said.

He said there is a need for the government to really show its sincerity in dismantling private armies that are local official’s killing machinery.

The government, he said, must also show that it has the capacity to protect and serve its people.

"Massive decay of injustice happens when the justice system is partial. If this injustice continues, he said, the people's anger and disgust against the government will remain," he added.

---------------

Published in the Sun.Star Davao newspaper on January 26, 2010.

Guns, explosives, ammo unearthed near Ampatuan mansion

12/04/2009 | 01:39 AM


http://www.gmanews.tv/story/178476/guns-explosives-ammo-unearthed-near-ampatuan-mansion

Government troops have unearthed a big weapons cache of light artillery and heavy infantry weapons, including commando weapons, explosives, ammunition, and military uniforms from a vacant lot near the mansion of the Maguindanao-based Ampatuan clan in Shariff Aguak, the provincial capitol.

Col. Leo Ferrer, new commander of the Army’s 601st Brigade who replaced Col. Medardo Geslani, said it was likely that the items unearthed in Poblacion Tres, Sharif Aguak belonged to the perpetrators of the grisly mass murder on November 23.

"We believe that these were used during the massacre," Ferrer said, adding that the discovery of the weapons cache could point to the perpetrators of the crime.

The inventory was still going on as of posting time, but the Army provided an initial list of seized weaponry as of 7 p.m. Thursday, which included the following:

Two 90-mm recoilless rifles (RR),
One 57-mm RR,
Three 60-mm mortars,
Four M60 machine gun,
Two 81-mm mortars,
One cal. .50 Barrett machine gun,
One Ultimax light machine gun,
One Bushmaster 5.56-mm automatic gun,
Two Browning Automatic rifles (BAR),
One Belgian-made light automatic rifle (FAL),
One AK 47 automatic rifle,
One HK 11 light machine gun,
One 5.56-mm M4 carbine,
Four 9-mm pistols,
Seven ammo for cal. .45 pistol,
140 boxes of 5.56-mm ammo,
One extra barrel, cal. .50,
14 magazines, cal .45 ammo
Six bolt carriers for M16

Ferrer said the items were unearthed about 4 p.m. by the joint military and police personnel after they received a tip from residents that some weapons have been buried in the area.

Philippine National Police chief Director General Jesus Verzosa, for his part, said law enforcers even needed a bulldozer to recover the weapons.

In a separate report, Chino Gaston of GMA News said some of the firearms were stamped with markings that read, “Department of Defense (DND) Arsenal" and “Arms Corporation of the Philippines."

Gaston also quoted military officials stationed in the area as saying that the recovered weapons were enough to arm two Army brigades, with each brigade composed of an estimated 1,200 soldiers.

Gaston said the arsenal would be preserved as evidence in an undisclosed area.

Witnesses have pointed to the six members of the powerful Ampatuan clan, including its patriarch Maguindanao Gov. Andal Ampatuan Jr., as the ones who masterminded the grisly murder of 57 people, including 31 journalists.

So far only Datu Unsay town mayor Andal Ampatuan Jr. has been apprehended and indicted with 25 counts of murder. He is currently under the custody of the National Bureau of Investigation.

The Ampatuans have denied involvement in the crime.
- Aie Balagtas See/JV, GMANews.TV

US suspends Mindanao development projects

By Pia Lee-Brago (The Philippine Star) Updated December 04, 2009 12:00 AM


MANILA, Philippines - The United States has indefinitely suspended their development projects in Maguindanao while the gruesome murder of 57 civilians and journalists is being investigated.

The US builds classrooms, libraries, and roads in one of the most impoverished areas in the country.

“What we have done is to suspend work for our projects in Maguindanao for a little bit just so we make sure that the security situation is safe. And I think anytime when you have a massacre like that, you don’t know who’s behind it or what happened. I don’t want any of our employees to get hurt,” US Ambassador Kristie Kenney said in an interview during the Christmas lighting event at the US embassy in Manila. She said the security situation in Maguindanao will be evaluated before work on the projects resumes.

“As soon as we evaluate the security situation. You know, on a case by case basis but frankly what’s most important is that they investigate and people be brought to justice,” she said.

The US government strongly condemned the massacre in Maguindanao. Washington has urged the Philippines to conduct a thorough, rapid, and transparent investigation to bring the perpetrators to justice.

The Armed Forces of the Philippines has deployed more soldiers to Maguindanao to heighten security in the region.

Military spokesperson Lt. Col. Romeo Brawner said the 33rd Infantry Battalion from Lanao del Sur was detailed to augment the forces already stationed in Shariff Aguak, the provincial capital where the Ampatuan mansion is located.

After the massacre, five infantry battalions and two companies of elite Scout Rangers and Special Forces were deployed to Maguindanao, Sultan Kudarat and Cotabato.  

Also sent to Maguindanao were two mechanized battalions equipped with armored vehicles.

“We have deployed more troops to secure the province and prevent other groups from taking advantage of the situation. Their mission is to secure the place and we need more forces just in case,” he said.

There are now at least 3,500 troops securing the three provinces.

Brawner said troops are also protecting the Ampatuans because their safety is being threatened by groups outside the Mangudadatu clan.

The military is also preparing for resistance from the supporters of the Ampatuan clan if they will be served arrest warrants tagging them in the massacre.

AFP National Capital Region Command chief Maj. Gen. Reynaldo Mapagu said intelligence units are monitoring developments in the province to determine if there is a possible spillover of atrocities to Metro Manila.
________________________
http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=529135&publicationSubCategoryId=67

The Ampatuan Massacre: a map and timeline

ANALYN PEREZ and TJ DIMACALI, GMANews.TV
11/25/2009 | 07:48 PM

It is called the Ampatuan Massacre here because the crime was committed in Ampatuan town. Elsewhere on this news site, it is still referred to as the Maguindanao Massacre, which is the more common reference, but no other massacre in modern Philippine history has been publicly associated with an entire province.

We offer the following detailed text version showing the timeline of events leading to the tragedy:

About 9:00 am - A convoy of six vehicles carrying journalists, lawyers, and relatives of Maguindanao vice mayor Datu Ismael “Toto" Mangudadatu leaves Buluan to file Mangudadatu’s Certificate of Candidacy at the Comelec office in Shariff Aguak, Maguindanao's capital.

- The convoy is composed of six vehicles: four Toyota Grandia vans (one grey, one green, and two white) owned by the Mangudadatu family; and two media vehicles – a Pajero owned by dzRH broadcast journalist Henry Araneta and a Mitsubishi L-300 van owned by UNTV.
- There is a seventh vehicle, a Grandia van boarded by mediamen. But it lags behind and decides to turn around once the passengers sense what is happening.

- There are two other vehicles that are not part of the convoy but happen to be traveling on the same highway: a red Toyota Vios and a light blue Toyota Tamaraw FX.
- The Vios has five passengers: Eduardo Lechonsito, a government employee who is bound for a hospital in Cotabato City after suffering a mild stroke Monday morning. He is with his wife Cecille, co-workers Mercy Palabrica and Daryll delos Reyes, and driver Wilhelm Palabrica.
- The FX is driven by Anthony Ridao, employee of the National Statistics Coordination Board, and son of Cotabato City councilor Marino Ridao.

About 10:30 am - The convoy and the two other vehicles nearby are traveling on a stretch of the Cotabato-Isulan national highway when they are accosted by a group of about 100 armed men at a checkpoint in Sitio Masalay, Ampatuan town, about 10 kilometers (four, according to another version) from their destination.

- Genalyn Mangudadatu, Toto's wife, manages to make a call to her husband to briefly tell him what was happening.

About 11:00 am - Philippine Army units in the area are alerted and launch a search for the hostages and their abductors.

About 12:00 noon - 25-year-old Noel Decena of the Koronadal-based weekly, Periodico Ini, sent an SMS to his brother, Joseph Decena, who was in Midsayap: "Lab, i-ampo ko diri kay naa na mi diri sa Ampatuan. I-pray mo kami dito. Kritikal amo sitwasyon diri. (Lab, we’re here already at Ampatuan. Pray for us here. Our situation is critical)."

Undetermined times between 10:30 am and 3 pm - Commandeered by the armed men, the vehicles in the convoy, including the Vios and the FX, are driven to a hilly and sparsely-populated part of Sitio Masalay (in other accounts, Sitio Magating) in Brgy. Salman, Ampatuan, Maguindanao. It takes them 30 minutes to reach the area, which is 2.5 kilometers from the highway checkpoint where the victims were abducted.

At the site, a heavy-duty backhoe is used to dig three mass graves.

The armed men systematically kill the hostages using rapid-fire automatic guns. (It is unclear if bladed weapons were used.) The killers start dumping the bodies and vehicles into the mass graves, and begin covering up the site using the backhoe.

This takes place in just over an hour, if one is to believe a masked witness interviewed on Al Jazeera. He claimed to be one of the armed men ordered to do the killing but was bothered by his conscience.

About 3:00 pm - The same witness said that the perpetrators received a call warning them of approaching Army soldiers. The killers hurriedly flee just before Army soldiers arrive, leaving behind more than two dozen unburied victims and their vehicles.

When the Army troops are still approaching about one kilometer from the crime scene, they hear the backhoe's engine roar and see engine smoke coming from the heavy equipment. But when they reach the site, all the killers had already left the area.

The graves are found and the buried vehicles and bodies retrieved

When the Army soldiers arrive, they see 22 of the victims lying dead on the ground and, soon after, discover the newly-covered graves.

There are three gravesites:

(1) In Grave 1 are retrieved 24 of the victims, including three of the five Vios passengers, FX Tamaraw driver, Anthony Ridao, Genalyn Mangdadatu, Eden Mangudadatu, and Farina Mangudadatu
(2) In Grave 2 are found six others along with the Vios, L-300 and the Tamaraw-FX.
(3) In Grave 3 are found five people.

- The first two graves are 10 to 12 feet deep, while the third is just about five feet deep.

All in all, 35 victims are found buried in the three graves, while 22 are found lying on the ground, for a total of 57 fatalities. There are still three to four unidentified bodies.

Contrary to the initial reports released by the Mangudadatu family, none of the retrieved bodies were beheaded and there were no signs of rape. But at least some of the victims were shot in the genital area. Many were shot in the face, rendering them virtually unrecognizable.

Initial findings about the killers' weapons

It appears that all the victims were killed with belt-fed mini-M16 rifles, except for Manila Bulletin reporter Alejandro “Bong" Reblando, who was killed with a shotgun. Reblando was found hogtied in the driver’s seat of the Pajero owned by Henry Araneta.

The backhoe

The yellow-colored backhoe is stamped with the words “Property of the province of Maguindanao - Gov. Datu Andal Ampatuan Sr." – in black letters on the engine casing at the back of the operator’s booth. The backhoe is a heavy-duty model of yet unknown brand.

(Andal Ampatuan Sr., Maguindanao governor, is father and namesake of prime suspect Andal Ampatuan Jr., mayor of Datu Unsay town in the same province. The younger Ampatuan was allegedly seen at the scene of the abduction.)

The operator of the backhoe is missing as of this latest update.

The ensuing public outcry and government actions

Three days after the carnage, amid world-wide condemnation, Presidential Adviser Jesus Dureza convinces the Ampatuan family to give up Andal Jr. He is taken, without handcuffs, from Shariff Aguak to General Santos City where underwent inquest conducted by Justice Secretary Agnes Devanadera.

From his detention cell at the National Bureau of Investigation in Manila on Nov. 26, suspected mastermind Andal Jr. accused the MILF of committing the atrocity.

We will provide more details on this page as police, media, and researchers gather more pieces of the puzzle to reconstruct the whole chain of events.
_______________________________
http://www.gmanews.tv/story/177821/the-ampatuan-massacre-a-map-and-timeline

After 57 deaths, no suspects

PNP awaits complaints from kin

BY RAYMOND AFRICA

ELEVEN more bodies were found yesterday in a village in Ampatuan town, Maguindanao, bringing to 57 the number of fatalities in the Monday massacre which is being blamed on the Ampatuan clan.

The fatalities – 35 men and 22 women -- included at least 16 media men invited by the rival Mangudadatu clan.

There were four survivors, according to Esmael "Toto" Mangudadatu, and the PNP is requesting him to present them because it said it still has no "suspect."

The Mangudadatus were on their way Monday to the Shariff Aguak capitol to file a certificate of candidacy for Esmael, vice mayor of Buluan town who is running for governor, when their convoy was stopped by about 100 armed men in Saniag village.

The armed men then herded them to the remote hillside village of Salman in the same town, where they were killed with M-16 rifles and machetes.

Authorities have yet to establish the exact number of persons in the convoy, with initial reports placing it at 60.

Chief Supt. Leonardo Espina, PNP spokesman, said Esmael told police investigators he would present the survivors "at the proper time."

He said it would be best for Esmael to let police investigators get the statements of the four supposed because the police "technically" have no suspects yet.

He said the PNP is waiting for Esmael to file a formal complaint.

"We have set of suspects being named by the vice mayor but he has not yet put that in writing. Mahirap yung sinabi nga niya pero baka bandang huli ay ayaw naman niyang pirmahan ang reklamo. Dapat i-formalize niya," he said.

Espina said the CIDG has sent a formal invitation to the Ampatuans.

He said the police have been coordinating with the Mangudadatus. "Please give us your witnesses. Meron pala kayong witnesses diyan pero ayaw bigay sa amin agad. Kung ibigay kunwari to other investigating agencies, for example DOJ, eh di sana natapos na yun. Meron na kaming pinangangalanan ngayon," Espina said.

Pressed as to why the police could not act against the Ampatuans amid the insistence of the Mangudadatus that its rival clan was behind the massacre, Espina said, "Mas maganda na si vice mayor ay i-formalize yung complaint laban sa sino man."

Justice Secretary Agnes Devanadera said there is yet no direct evidence linking the Ampatuan clan to the massacre.

Devanadera, Chief State Prosecutor Jovencito Zuño and a panel of prosecutors were in Koronadal City to personally supervise the investigation and conduct of autopsy on victims, through the help of medico legal teams from the National Bureau of Investigation.

She said the DOJ and the NBI are still in the process of gathering information from witnesses.

"We have to verify that. Kaya kami nagpunta dito ay dahil sa ganyang reports, gusto naming ma-validate. And also gusto naming makita talaga ang mga ebidensyang nakalap," she said.

Espina said as of now, the four policemen relieved from their posts are the only ones under investigation.

They are Senior Supt. Abusana Maguid, Maguindanao police chief; Chief Insp. Sukarno Dicay, the assistant provincial police chief; Insp. Diongon; and SPO2 Baccal.

Dicay, Diongon, and Baccal were reportedly seen at the crime scene. Maguid was booted out due to command responsibility.

Espina said CIDG Director Raul Castañeda is gathering the statements of the first responders to the massacre.

He said Chief Supt. Paisal Umpa, director of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao police, will also be investigated by the CIDG.

He said Umpa will be investigated after reports came out that he turned down the request of Esmael for him to provide police escorts to the convoy.

"Ano ba ang naging action nila nung tumawag na raw yung asawa ni vice mayor na humingi sila ng tulong? Bakti hindi sila gumawa ng aksiyon from the time they received the call? Kasi dapat may immediate action," Espina said.

Esmael on Monday said that after his wife’s telephone call, he called the Maguindanao provincial police director to inform him of the incident. He quoted the police official as saying, "Hindi ko alam yan, wala kaming pakialam diyan."

Esmael’s wife, Genalyn Tiamson-Mangudadatu, was among the fatalities.

Espina said the policemen will be also investigated as to why they did not do anything when the name of Andal Ampatuan Jr., mayor of Datu Unsay town, was being implicated in the crime.

Esmael on Monday said that in their last phone conversation, his wife named Andal Ampatuan Jr. as one of those who blocked their convoy, and that he was acting on orders of his father, Andal Sr., Maguindanao governor.

The conversation of Mangudadatu with his wife lasted for only 15 seconds.

Supt. Arthur Llamas, of the PNP Legal Service, said Esmael’s last conversation "is very vital in the investigation."

But, he said, Esmael "will just have to prove that the conversation really happened."

SLOW PROBE

Esmael expressed frustration over the "slow" investigation and the absence of any arrest.

"I am not satisfied," he said.

He belied the military’s statement that pursuit operations are being conducted.

"There is no pursuit happening because you know it’s Andal," he said referring to the Andal Sr. "We all know Andal, who he is and what he is. He is so strong with the government...What I can say is that the Ampatuans have committed a lot of wrongdoings," he said.

Esmael said it is very clear the Ampatuans were behind the kidnapping and execution of his family members and the media men.

He noted the backhoe owned by the town government that was used to dig the graves of some of the victims.

"I call it a mute witness because it’s a heavy equipment, it cannot speak, but that is a very clear indication that the Ampatuans were the ones who instigated the perpetrators," he said.

Earlier, Mangudadatu’s brother, Madasser, and the military revealed that Andal Jr. was among those who intercepted the group. They suspects were with a group of policemen, police auxiliaries, and government militiamen.

PURSUIT OPERATIONS

The AFP belied Esmael’s statement there is no pursuit operation.

"How will he know since the operations are in the mountains," said Lt. Col. Romeo Brawner Jr., chief of the AFP public affairs office.

He said at least two companies are directly involved in the pursuit operations and several other companies are manning a cordon to prevent the suspects from escaping.

Subject of the pursuit is the 100-man group which waylaid the Mangudadatus’ convoy.

"We know their general area…Our pursuit operations are ongoing. We have also established blocking positions. They are there, I talked with the battalion commander and he has two companies pursuing them," said Brawner.

He said the Army’s 46th Infantry Battalion was returned to Maguindanao yesterday. The battalion was sent off by the Army’s 6th Infantry Division to Samar Monday before the kidnapping.
He said the 46th IB is backed up by armor assets. The Air Force, he said, has also alerted four of their helicopter gunships.

Brawner said the arrival of the 46th IB increased to three the total number of battalions operating in the province. A battalion is composed of about 500 officers and men.

CAFGU GROUPS DISBANDED

The Armed Forces has disbanded the two companies of Special Cafgu Active Auxiliary (SCAA) in Maguindanao which were initially linked to the massacre.

A company is composed of about 120 men.

Brawner said the SCAAs were formed last year on the request of the Ampatuans as "incumbent" local chief executives amid threats posed by rogue members of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front.

The military had issued these Cafgus with M14 and Garand rifles.

Initial reports said the SCAAs were with Maguindanao policemen and police auxiliaries who intercepted members of the Mangungudatu political clan and mediamen in Ampatuan town. The victims were later executed.

Brawner said the SCAA in Maguindanao is under the administrative control of the local officials. Nevertheless, he said the SCAAs are professional and doubted if they are being used by the Ampatuans as goons.

GOV’T AFRAID?

Esmael said his wife and relatives had no other intention in going to the provincial capitol in Sharif Aguak town, where the local Commission on Elections is situated, but to file his certificate of candidacy.

"It’s clear that my opponents are the Ampatuans but why is it they are not being pursued?" said Mangudadatu, noting that in other cases, law enforcers would immediately detain and even beat an ordinary suspect.

"Now, a big fish committed a crime that is gruesome to the world. How come they are not arrested? Is the government afraid (of the Ampatuans)?" asked Esmael.

Told of the military’s statement that at least two battalions are pursuing the suspects, Esmael said: "They deployed (troops) but there are no movements. They are not going arrest them. Why? Is it because they (Ampatuans) are moneyed, that’s why they cannot be arrested."

"The military should not be slow. Please tell the military not to be slow," he said but added he was not accusing the military of conniving with the Ampatuans.

MUTILATION

Esmael described the Ampatuans as "monsters."
He said his wife was not only shot in the mouth. He said her eyes were pierced, her breasts also shot, her legs were mutilated, and her private part slashed four times.

"This is not done by animals. I don’t know the term that should be used...I cannot call the Ampatuans animals because I take care of animals which I tamed. The term there is not an animal, they are monsters," he said.

Esmael said his family would not retaliate against the Ampatuans and would instead let legal processes take their course. "

We are law-abiding citizens. We are not going to do anything. We are educated," he said.

Esmael’s uncle, Rep. Datu Pax Mangudadatu (Lakas-Kampi, Sultan Kudarat) sought a House inquiry.

"It is reported that the murder were perpetrated together with some members of the Philippine National Police (PNP) and armed civilian personnel led by (Datu Unsay) Mayor Datu Andal Ampatuan Jr. whose power and influence in Maguindanao politics must be stopped," he said in a resolution.

At the Senate, Senators Benigno Aquino III and Manuel Roxas II also filed a resolution expressing "the sense of the Senate condemning in the strongest possible terms the brutal and inhuman election-related massacre and carnage of innocent civilians in the Maguindanao province."

They also called for an inquiry.

`NO EVIDENCE OF RAPE’

Devanadera said there were "significant findings" of powder burns in the bodies of the victims.

"This is an indication that they were killed at close range. There were also slugs recovered that showed that the suspects used high-powered guns. But so far, there’s no evidence of rape or beheadings," Devanadera said.

She declined to answer queries whether investigators have witnesses in their custody who could identify the perpetrators.

"We still have nothing pointing to the Ampatuans as suspects or perpetrators... we are concentrating in gathering evidence for the filing of cases."

Devanadera said they are awaiting a formal report from the NBI.

Of the 57 bodies recovered, 24 are being autopsied by the NBI.

Lawyer Reynaldo Esmeralda, NBI Deputy Director for Technical

ARMY RESPONSE

The killers could have gotten away with the crime had Army soldiers not verified on time the information that nobody from the Mangudadatu convoy could reached by cellphone.

Sources said Maj. Gen. Alfredo Cayton, commander of the Army’s 6th Infantry Division, sent a chopper to check the area.

After seeing bodies, the chopper team radioed their colleagues who in turn went to the area to check.

Upon arrival of the Army troopers, the killers scampered in different directions, leaving five vehicles and 22 bodies they have yet to bury. The killers also left the government-owned backhoe behind.

"That was when the massacre was discovered, when the Army soldiers came in. They (killers) could have gotten away with the crime," one of the sources said.

Three vehicles – an L-300 van owned by UNTV, a Toyota Tamaraw FX, and a Toyota Vios – were also dug up in the area. – With Evangeline de Vera, Victor Reyes, Jocelyn Montemayor, Wendell Vigilia and JP Lopez
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http://www.malaya.com.ph/11262009/news1.html

Witnesses point to Andal Jr. as ‘commander’ in slaughter

GMANews.tv

11/27/2009 | 05:14 PM


Purported participants in the gruesome massacre in Maguindanao have pointed to Datu Unsay town mayor Andal Ampatuan Jr. as ordering the slaughter of at least 57 people last Monday, with one witness saying the mayor shot at the victims himself.

Justice secretary Agnes Devanadera made the revelation in an interview over GMA News' Hirit Friday morning, hours before the Department of Justice (DOJ) was set to release its resolution on the inquest proceedings on the massacre.

When asked by GMA News' Arnold Clavio whether witnesses whom the department has talked to confirmed rumors that Andal Jr. shot at the victims himself, Devanadera said: "Dun sa isa, meron nasabing ganun. Dun sa isa talagang nag-uutos, talagang kumander, ganun."

(One witnesses said something like that [that Andal Jr. shot at the victims himself]. Another witness said he was really giving orders, really acting as commander.)

Devanadera said one witness in particular came to the DOJ because he was already too bothered by his conscience.

"Kasama siya sa grupo pero mukhang hindi nakabaril e sa dami nila (He was with the group, but it looked like he wasn't able to shoot at the victims because they were so many)," she said.

Devanadera said the witness' conscience nagged at him because he thought only the members of the Mangudadatu clan, the Ampatuans' political rival, would be shot.

"Akala niya Mangudadatus lang ang babarilin pero... it turned out na lahat-lahat (He thought only the Mangudadatus would be shot but it turned out that everyone would be killed)," Devanadera said. "Saka yung manner… of doing it, parang wala ka na sa kaisipan mo pagka ganun, grabe talaga (And the manner of doing it, no person in his or her right mind could have done something like that, that’s really heinous)."

The witness, one of an unspecified number that the DOJ is communicating with, is supposedly one of the more than 100 men ordered by Andal Jr. to kill the wife, two sisters, and supporters of Buluan town vice mayor Ismael "Toto" Mangudadatu.

Journalists and lawyers who were in the Mangudadatus' convoy, which was on its way to Shariff Aguak to file Toto's certificate of candidacy, were also killed. Andal Jr. is said to be being groomed by his father, Maguindanao governor Andal Ampatuan Sr., to succeed him in the gubernatorial post. [See: Map and timeline of Maguindanao massacre]

At least 57 have been found dead, many of them buried in three mass graves apparently dug by a government-owned backhoe, in Ampatuan town just at the outskirts of the provincial capital.

Some of the female victims’ pants were pulled down, said Devanadera, adding that the genitals of many of the women were shot. The Justice chief said they cannot rule out sexual assault yet as autopsy results are still pending.

"Alam mo naman ang tao e may tinatawag na threshold yan (We all know that each person has a certain threshold)," Devanadera said in explaining what may have made their witness come out and go against the Ampatuans, the most powerful political clan in Maguindanao.

"Hindi na siya makatulog e kasi di niya in-expect na talagang tutuluyan nang ganun (He cannot sleep anymore because he did not expect that everyone would be killed that way)," she added.

Devanadera said the witness' testimony was exactly like what another supposed witness interviewed by Al Jazeera said: that Andal Jr. orchestrated the massacre.

She said all witnesses' testimonies and evidence so far point to Andal Jr., and not to the group of Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) rogue commander Umbra Kato whom Andal Jr. claimed was behind the gruesome massacre. [See: Andal Jr. blames MILF for massacre]

"Wala naman kaming nakita doong Umbra Katong salaysay e (We did not see testimonies pointing to Umbra Kato)," she said.

The DOJ chief said prosecutors will likely come out with their resolution on the inquest proceedings conducted since Thursday, shortly after Andal Jr. turned himself over to authorities for investigation. But this early, Devanadera said they have a good case against Andal Jr., who is currently detained at the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) headquarters in Manila.

"Insofar as the mayor is concerned, at this point in time wala akong nakikitang rason bakit yan pwedeng makalabas (I don't see any reason why he can be released) with the kind of evidence we have," she said.

In a separate interview on dzRH radio, Devanadera said the DOJ has recommended to Malacañang to transfer all suspects in the massacre to a "special" detention facility as it may be dangerous to mix them with other inmates.

"Sa report ko kay Pangulo, naglagay ako ng recommendation that there should be a special place for all of them. Mahirap ihalo sa ibang preso at masyadong marami (In my report to the President, I recommended that there should be a special place for all of them. It will be hard to mix them up with other inmates since there may be too many of them)," Devanadera said.

Aside from Andal Jr., authorities have also rounded up some civilian volunteers believed to have been involved in the crime.
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http://www.gmanews.tv/story/177984/witnesses-point-to-andal-jr-as-commander-in-slaughter

Ampatuan Jr. Held at NBI

‘Not guilty,’ says main suspect in massacre

Philippine Daily Inquirer
Posted date: November 27, 2009

GENERAL SANTOS CITY — Andal Ampatuan Jr. was in denial and even tried to hide his face behind a scarf under a barrage of questions from reporters asking if he masterminded Monday’s massacre of 57 people.

“There is no truth to that,” said Ampatuan, mayor of Datu Unsay town in Maguindanao, ruled by his family that is a close ally of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. “The reason I came out is to prove that I am not hiding and that I am not guilty.”

Ampatuan was placed in government custody after his brother, Gov. Zaldy Ampatuan of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, turned him over to Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process Jesus Dureza Thursday morning.

But as Mayor Ampatuan stepped out of the helicopter that transported him from Shariff Aguak town to the airport here, the scarf was gone. He was sporting a red and blue putong, a headband usually used by Moro warriors.

Justice Secretary Agnes Devanadera waited two hours for the arrival of Ampatuan, accompanied by Dureza. The mayor was then led to the airport’s VIP lounge for a summary inquest at mid-afternoon after his lawyer, Seigfred Fortun, arrived.

Esmael Mangudadatu, the vice mayor of Buluan town whose wife, two sisters and two lawyers were among the 57 killed while en route to file his certificate of candidacy for governor of Maguindanao in the May elections, was visibly enraged.

He tried to raise his fist toward Ampatuan, who was just a meter away, sitting. But agents of the National Bureau of Investigation intervened.

Mangudadatu later told reporters he was enraged but that he had to contain his anger. “I don’t know what I could do, but truth will come out. Whatever the court decides, should be accepted,” he said in Filipino.

‘We Want Justice’

His brother, Buluan Mayor Ebrahim Mangudadatu, said: “We want justice. We leave this to the law ... We are educated. We do not kill people,” Ebrahim said.

During the brief inquest at the airport, state prosecutors heard preliminary evidence given by police, victims’ relatives and Mayor Ampatuan himself.

Devanadera told reporters after the hearing that prosecutors would evaluate the evidence and decide by the weekend whether criminal charges would be brought against Ampatuan.

“Wait until we come out with our resolution in 36 hours,” Devanadera said, when asked if charges would be laid.

At the hearing, victims’ relatives asked prosecutors to charge Ampatuan with multiple murder.

At 3:50 p.m., Ampatuan was flown to Manila, where he arrived three hours later. He was then whisked off to the NBI office in Manila under tight security.

Dureza told the Philippine Daily Inquirer that Ampatuan would be held at the NBI jail “for as long as needed” based on the agreement between the complainants and the accused.

Devanadara said Thursday night in Manila that prosecutors were working overnight on a charge sheet for multiple murder to be filed Friday in the Cotabato City Regional Trial Court.

Allah Will Take Care of Them

But Ebrahim Mangudadatu told the Inquirer his family was not yet satisfied because the other assailants were at large.

“The massacre was planned. All those involved should be held to account,” he said.

The vice mayor also asked journalists to closely watch the progress of the case to avoid a whitewash.

“Let our family make the sacrifice. Allah will take care of them,” he said. “The blood that many of your colleagues shed should not go to waste.”

Mayor Ampatuan is the son of the Maguindanao governor, a Muslim clan chief of the same name who during his rule gave Ms Arroyo and her allies victories in the presidential election of 2004 and the senatorial contest in 2007.

The elder Ampatuan had been grooming his namesake son to take over as governor of Maguindanao. The victims’ relatives alleged the Ampatuans organized the murders so that Mangudadatu would not run for that post.

The attackers herded the victims to a remote hillside and attacked them with M-16 rifles and machetes.

27 Journalists Slain

The 57 dead included 27 journalists and up to 15 motorists who, like the reporters, had no known quarrels with the Ampatuans, said Lt. Col. Jonathan Ponce, a military spokesperson.

The 15 motorists unrelated to the Mangudadatus were aboard at least two vehicles that happened to drive past as the convoy was stopped by the gunmen, Ponce added.

Police continued the search around the sites of the mass graves Thursday, but no more bodies were found, Ponce said.

Police and troops deployed in Maguindanao have disarmed 347 members of the Special Active Auxiliary (SCAA) of the Civilian Armed Forces Geographical Unit (CAFGU) employed by the provincial government.

“All security people are also possible suspects,” said Director Andres Caro of the Philippine National Police. “We are investigating them. More or less it will total about 400, including cops and families.”

Provincial Officials are Suspects

Four senior policemen from Maguindanao had also been brought to Manila for questioning about their roles in the massacre, and all policemen from Ampatuan town were being considered suspects, according to Interior Secretary Ronaldo Puno.

He said he had also recommended to Ms Arroyo that all provincial officials be suspended and that Ampatuan Sr. be investigated for his potential links to the murders.

Puno said authorities had not been able to act as quickly as many wanted because local police and soldiers were suspected of being loyal to the Ampatuans.

“It was very difficult for us to rely on the local military and police forces to carry out the directives of the central headquarters on both the armed forces and police side,” he said.

Puno said he had warned the family they risked a military attack unless they turned over Ampatuan by midday Thursday.

As the helicopter carrying Ampatuan took off from Shariff Aguak, shots rang out but the aircraft was not hit, said Lt. Gen. Raymundo Ferrer, chief of the Eastern Mindanao Command. It wasn’t clear who fired the shots.

Maguindanao Tense

Ferrer said the area around the Maguindanao capital was tense after troops disarmed the militiamen loyal to the Ampatuans. Such militias are meant to act as an auxiliary force to the military and police in fighting rebels and criminals but often serve as politicians’ private armies.

The military deployed tanks and truckloads of troops throughout the province under a state of emergency to hunt down the attackers and prevent retaliatory violence from the victims’ clan.

And despite more than 1,000 extra soldiers being sent into Maguindanao to restore order, the military said most of the Ampatuan family’s militiamen alleged to have carried out the massacre were still on the run.

“Most of the armed group that perpetrated this crime have run away towards the mountainous area of Maguindanao,” said Lt. Col. Romeo Brawner Jr., spokesperson of the Armed Forces of the Philippines. “That is where we are conducting our pursuit operations.”

Palace Welcomes Surrender

Malacañang on Thursday welcomed the surrender of Ampatuan.

“The taking in, inquest and the subsequent filing of charges against Datu Unsay [Mayor] Ampatuan is just the beginning,” Press Secretary Cerge Remonde said. “President Arroyo wants all the culprits punished without fear or favor.”

Caro said that investigators were not ruling out the involvement of Ampatuan Sr. and Zaldy Ampatuan in the massacre.

“We are also looking into that,” Caro said.

Caro explained the situation on the ground was complex because of several factors.

“This is an autonomous regional government area. There is actual real immediate threat from MILF (Moro Islamic Liberation Front) groups. There are infamous reports of warlordism culture and we have to admit the fact that some of our local security forces are in some way were or are under influence of political leaders,” he said.

“We cannot trust the local forces so we have to inject troops from the outside.” Reports from TJ Burgonio, Jocelyn R. Uy, Jeannette I. Andrade, Dona Z. Pazzibugan, Leila B. Salaverria, Volt Contreras, Aquiles Z. Zonio, Rosa May V. de Guzman, Dennis Jay Santos, Charlie Señase and Julie S. Alipala, AP, AFP and Reuters

©Copyright 2001-2009 INQUIRER.net, An Inquirer Company
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http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/inquirerheadlines/nation/view/20091127-238647/Ampatuan-Jr-held-at-NBI

Massacre women victims shot in genitals—DoJ chief

Agence France-Presse
First Posted 12:52:00 11/27/2009

MANILA, Philippines – Female victims of a political massacre in the Philippines that left 57 people dead were shot in their genitals and may have been raped, Justice Secretary Agnes Devanadera said on Friday.

"Even the private parts of the women were shot at. It was horrible. It was not done to just one. It was done practically to all the women," Devanadera said on GMA Network.

"The zippers of their pants were all undone. We have yet to determine whether they were raped. But it is certain that something bad was done to them."

Police previously said at least 22 of the victims were women.

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http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/breakingnews/nation/view/20091127-238713/Massacre-women-victims-shot-in-genitalsDoJ-chief

Andal Jr. Known as ‘Hatchet Man’

Philippine Daily Inquirer Agence France-Presse

Posted date: November 27, 2009

MANILA, Philippines — Feared and loathed by his enemies, Andal Ampatuan Jr. is known as the “hatchet man” of a powerful Muslim clan in Mindanao whose family history is written in blood.

A chubby, stone-faced man in his 40s with a penchant for expensive guns, he is the son and namesake of the clan patriarch who has ruled as governor of Maguindanao province for most of this decade.

Ampatuan Jr. denies any role in this week’s massacre of 57 people in Maguindanao who were allegedly targeted to end a political challenge from a rival clan.

But Ampatuan Jr. and his father have long had reputations for using fear and violence to stifle opponents and expand their power, according to the country’s top human rights officials and others who have knowledge about the family.

“The Maguindanao political warlords are really the ones giving crucial or swing votes to administration candidates,” Leila de Lima, chair of the Commission on Human Rights, told Agence France-Presse.

She said the Ampatuan family “act like Gods” in Maguindanao.

De Lima is a former election lawyer who once represented an official who lost to an Ampatuan family member in the 2007 congressional vote allegedly through fraud.

‘I am Loved’

In a previous interview with Reuters news agency, Ampatuan Sr. said the reason he was able to stay long in power in Maguindanao was “because of popular support.”

“Because I am so loved by the constituencies of the municipalities, they ask me to have my sons as representatives,” Ampatuan Sr. said in that interview, referring to his sons who have also been elected into office.

De Lima said the local population was fearful of the Ampatuans, noting that there had been similar, but smaller-scale killings, to Monday’s massacre in Maguindanao in recent years that had been linked to the family.

No One Dares

Reporters in the region also said many people lived in fear of the clan.

“No one here dares to go against the Ampatuans,” one local journalist said, speaking on condition of anonymity for fear of his own life.

“It is public knowledge that he (Ampatuan Jr.) is the ‘hatchet man’ for the family,” the reporter, who has covered the clan’s rise to power, claimed.

The Ampatuans belong to an old warrior lineage in Maguindanao.

Many Ampatuan clan members fought military repression during the martial law rule of Ferdinand Marcos, according to Julkipli Wadi, an Islamic studies scholar at the University of the Philippines.

Consolidating Power

Their rise to political prominence, however, came when Ampatuan Sr. was named officer in charge of the province after Marcos fell in 1986, Wadi said.

He eventually was elected governor of the province in 2001, consolidating his grip on power by stockpiling arms and co-opting government militiamen deputized to fight against insurgent groups, Wadi said.

“The Ampatuans are the political warlords in the area. Any attempt at politics by a rival family they consider as threat to their rule is violently cut short,” Wadi said.

“They shared power among themselves, ruling with an iron fist in Maguindanao backed up by their huge armory.”

End in Sight

For administration presidential candidate Gilberto Teodoro Jr., an “ending” may be in sight for the political dominance of the Ampatuan clan in Maguindanao.

“They blew their chance to lead the ARMM (Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao),” said the standard-bearer of the ruling Lakas-Kampi-CMD coalition.

“What kind of an ending is this?” Teodoro asked rhetorically, referring to the massacre which he described as something “beyond hate crime, but an act of lunacy.”

New Blood

The executive committee of Lakas-Kampi-CMD voted unanimously on Wednesday to expel the Ampatuans for “their failure to uphold party ideals and principles in their area of jurisdiction, specifically relating to the peaceful, legal and democratic pursuit and exercise of political power.”

“For the time being politically, nobody will touch them,” Teodoro told reporters in General Santos City.

Teodoro made the remark when asked to assess what the future holds for the Ampatuans in the political arena.

He said expelling the Ampatuans “will not hurt” the ruling party and could even present an “opportunity for Lakas to get new blood.”

Security Concerns

Teodoro flew from Manila to General Santos City supposedly to meet witnesses to the crime and escort them to the capital. But the plan was aborted at the last minute due to security concerns, he said.

Teodoro said that “realistically speaking,” a full-blown trial that could arise from the massacre may not be over before President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo steps down next June.

But he said what was important was for the prosecution to immediately start lest “the witnesses lose courage.” Reports from Agence France-Presse and Volt Contreras

©Copyright 2001-2009 INQUIRER.net, An Inquirer Company
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Massacre Witness Surfaces, Tags Ampatuan

By Lira Dalangin-Fernandez
Reporter
INQUIRER.net

Posted date: November 26, 2009

MANILA, Philippines – A witness in the carnage in Maguindanao that claimed the lives of at least 57 people has surfaced and claimed that he was merely “following orders” and identified Andal Ampatuan Jr. as the alleged mastermind, according to an article posted on the Al-Jazeera news website.

“Anyone from the Mangudadatu clan – women or children – should be killed... We don't ask why, we just followed orders," the witness who identified himself as “Boy” told Al-Jazeera correspondent Marga Ortigas in an interview posted on the network’s website Thursday.

“Boy” said that the orders came directly from Andal Ampatuan Jr., Datu Unsay mayor, and whose family was also an ally of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.

Ampatuan Jr. is the son of Maguindanao Governor Andal Sr., both belonging to the powerful Ampatuan clan in Mindanao. The younger Ampatuan was charged with multiple murder before the Department of Justice Thursday when he was surrendered by a member of his family to authorities. He was tagged by, among others, the wife of his family’s political rival, Buluan Mayor Esmael Mangudadatu, before she was killed last November 23, along with 56 others.

“Boy” admitted that he was one of the 100 armed men who stopped the six-vehicle convoy of the Mangudadatus who were on their way to file the certificate of candidacy of the Buluan mayor. Also in the convoy were Mangudadatu’s two sisters, two lawyers, and journalists who were to cover the event.

The group was massacred in a mountainous area, said “Boy,” adding that all the slain women were raped, and the journalists who were part of the convoy, also killed so that no one would talk about the incident.

The bodies of the victims were in shallow graves that were dug using an excavator, according to the report.

"Boy" said the whole process lasted little more than an hour before they abruptly abandoned the scene following a warning that members of the military were nearby, the report added.

"We didn't get to finish, which is why the excavator was left there," he said. "Someone called and said soldiers were on their way. I feel they have connections among the soldiers."

But “Boy” denied killing anyone, saying he just stood while the massacre was being carried out. He told Al-Jazeera that he was now in hiding for fear of his life.

INQUIRER.net tried to get a reaction from Defense Secretary Norberto Gonzales, but the official said he was in a meeting.

©Copyright 2001-2009 INQUIRER.net, An Inquirer Company
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http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/breakingnews/nation/view/20091126-238535/Massacre-witness-surfaces-tags-Ampatuan

Cops ‘arrest’ suspects in Maguindanao massacre

11/26/2009 | 08:04 AM


Amid claims that Malacañang is going easy on the suspects in the Maguindanao massacre, the Philippine National Police announced Thursday the arrest of some civilian volunteers linked to the crime.

PNP chief Director General Jesus Verzosa also said a member of the Ampatuan clan linked to the murders has sent feelers he will “surrender."

“Meron tayong nakuha (We have taken into custody some people who are now) subject to investigation. Their firearms will be examined, their fingerprints will be compared with those we have taken in the crime scene," Verzosa said in an interview on dzBB radio.

The arrests came three days after the grisly massacre that drew condemnation from national and international groups, which noted that the Ampatuans are political allies of President Arroyo.

Verzosa did not identify the suspects, or say how many of them were in police custody as of early Thursday.

But he cited testimonies by witnesses who were earlier interviewed as saying that the suspects included Citizens Armed Forces Geographical Unit (Cafgu) and civilian volunteer organization members.

Verzosa also said the police have secured the compound of the Maguindanao provincial capitol in Shariff Aguak, and the town hall in Ampatuan town, which has jurisdiction over the massacre site.

“May report na nagpuntahan sila sa kapitolyo ang mga suspek, that’s why we are securing the capitol. We will be conducting investigation on suspects and possible witnesses na makita sa lugar na yan (There were reports the suspects fled to the capitol to hide, that’s why we secured it. We will investigate suspects there, and interview possible witnesses as well)," he said.

Meanwhile, Verzosa said some members of the Ampatuan clan are considered “suspects" in the incident where armed men blocked the convoy led by the wife of Buluan Vice Mayor Esmael Mangudadatu last Monday.

At least 59 people were killed in the incident, including Mangudadatu’s wife Genalyn.

“They are considered suspects," Verzosa said when asked how the PNP considers the Ampatuans.

“At this point, Datu Unsay town mayor Andal Ampatuan Jr. is a suspect. Presidential adviser for Mindanao Jesus Dureza will accompany him for the investigation," he said.

Vice Mayor Mangudadatu had recalled his last phone conversation with Genalyn who said Mayor Ampatuan slapped her shortly before his men killed the victims.

Verzosa said the PNP “already invited" Mayor Ampatuan for questioning. “Siya ngayon ay isang suspect (The mayor is a suspect)," Verzosa said.

“Kung sinong tao ang ma-implicate sa investigation, they will be invited (Whoever will be implicated in the investigation, they will be invited). If charges are filed we will be arresting them," he added.

For its part, the Armed Forces of the Philippines said it has deactivated the Cafgu in Ampatuan town.

AFP spokesman Lt. Col. Romeo Brawner Jr. added they have set up additional checkpoints and are checking for loose firearms.

But Brawner said there is no reason to shake up the leadership of the local military in Maguindanao.

“As far as the AFP leadership is concerned, we see no need for of a shake-up," he said in an interview on dzXL radio.

Lack of arrests

An international media watchdog group on Thursday raised questions over what it claimed as “failure of making arrests" of suspects in Monday’s massacre.

“Is one of Mindanao’s most powerful clans more powerful than the law itself?"

Reporters Without Borders (Reporters Sans Frontieres) hurled this question at the Gloria Macapagal Arroyo administration Thursday after it failed to make arrests over the bloodbath that killed at least 57 people in Maguindanao province.

“The toll from this massacre keeps rising but the governor’s son, the leading suspect, still has not been questioned by the police. President Gloria Arroyo says those responsible will be arrested and tried but all the information coming from the field so far indicates the contrary," the RSF statement said.

“Why have the governor’s son and the governor himself not been arrested? Are Mindanao Island’s power barons more powerful than the law itself? The Philippine government’s credibility is at stake," it added.

RSF said 26 journalists were among those killed in the massacre, supposedly carried out by alleged supporters of Governor Andal Ampatuan Sr.

It quoted a journalist from Koronadal City as saying the “bloodbath is beyond human understanding."

Nonoy Espina of the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP), who is in Mindanao, told RSF that tallying and identifying the bodies is slow, but 26 journalists from several towns were killed.

“The government is not doing enough to arrest those responsible. How can the president’s adviser be pleased about obtaining undertakings from the governor when his son, the leading suspect, is still free? Settling for mere promises is unacceptable after this massacre,"
Espina said.

RSF noted the murdered journalists are as follows: Alejandro “Bong" Reblando of Manila Bulletin, Henry Araneta of radio DZRH, Bart Maravilla of Bombo Radyo Koronadal, Nap Salaysay of DZRO, Ian Subang of Pilipino Star Ngayon and Dadiangas Times, and freelance reporters Humberto Mumay, Ranie Razon, Noel Decena, John Caniba, Joel Parcon, Marife Montano, Art Belia and Jun Legarta.

The fatalities could include four UNTV reporters – Joy Duhay, Victor Nuñez, Macario Ariola and Jimmy Cabillo. Philippine news media have also named Leah Dalmacio of Mindanao Focus, Gina de la Cruz and Marites Cablitas of Today, Andy Teodoro of the Mindanao Inquirer, Bienvenido Lagarte of the Sierra News, Neneng Montaño of the weekly Saksi and Rey Merescon of MindaNews.

“The attackers reportedly raped, tortured and beheaded some of the victims. Most of the bodies have been found in mass graves," it said.

So far, it noted several members of Maguindanao police have been arrested and are being held in barracks while the Army announced the Ampatuan clan’s private militia will be disbanded. - LG, GMANews.TV
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http://www.gmanews.tv/story/177848/cops-arrest-suspects-in-maguindanao-massacre

Maguindanao massacre claims at least 36 lives (update)

AIE BALAGTAS SEE, GMANews.TV

11/23/2009 | 05:52 PM

(Updated 7:42 p.m.) They belonged to the rival Mangudadatu clan, but since they were women accompanied by a media delegation, they believed they were safe, protected by the Koranic prescription to spare women.

No one could have predicted the ruthlessness that met them.

At least 36 people, mostly identified with Buluan, Maguindanao vice mayor Datu Ismail "Toto" Mangudadatu and including a dozen media people, were abducted and later killed on Monday by gunmen allegedly led by members of the Ampatuan political clan.

Toto's wife, Genalyn Tiamzon-Mangudadatu, was among those killed, according to Toto himself.

Madaser Mangudadato, Toto's brother and assemblyman in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM), said some of the victims were beheaded.

Even in the annals of political violence in the Philippines, this incident may have no equal in its brutality and in number of lives taken. The Plaza Miranda bombing in 1971 killed nine at a rally of the Liberal Party.

Philippine journalism's worst tragedy

The National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP) said the victims in Maguindanao included at least 12 journalists.

NUJP officer Rowena Paraan said this is the worst single tragedy to hit Philippine journalism. "Not even in Iraq has there ever been this many dead journalists in one incident. And this one was deliberate,"she stressed. The Philippines has long been regarded as among the deadliest countries for journalists.

Paraan identified some of the victims as Bart Maravilla of Bombo Radyo-Koronadal, Henry Araneta of DZRH-Cotabato, Bong Reblando of the Manila Bulletin, and Neneng Montano of radio station DXCP.

Reports from NUJP chapters in Mindanao also listed the following media persons, whose affiliations were not immediately available, as among the victims: Ian Toblan, Leah Dalmacio, Gina dela Cruz, Marites Cabutas, Joy Duhay, Andy Teodoro, Mac-Mac Areola, and Jimmy Cabillo.

Lt. Col. Romeo Brawner Jr., spokesman of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), said in a local television interview that 21 bodies - 13 female and eight male - have so far been recovered from the Maguindanao massacre.

The victims were abducted at about 10:30 a.m. while on their way to the Maguindanao Comelec office in Shariff Aguak to file a certificate of candidacy (COC) in behalf of Toto, who intends to run for governor in the province. Shariff Aguak, the provincial capital, is widely known as Ampatuan turf.

Sources in Cotabato City fault the Comelec for transferring the regional office there this year from Cotabato City where it would have been easier for rivals to file their COCs.

Knowing that it would be suicidal for him to venture into Ampatuan territory, Toto Mangudadatu sent his wife and two sisters, believing that fellow Muslims would not dare harm the women. For good measure, the women were accompanied by lawyers and media professionals. They were all abducted anyway. A source familiar with the two families says there is little hope that any one of the hostages survived.

"Away politika po ito dahil yung nangyari pong pagdukot sa mga kamag-anak ni (Mangudadatu) by the elements of Mayor Ampatuan, sa ngayon po tinitingnan natin itong anggulo na ito," Brawner said on "24 Oras."

ARMM Governor Datu Zaldy Ampatuan, center, joins Shariff Kabunsuan Congressman Didagen Dilangalen, left, in welcoming President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo upon her arrival at MSU-Maguindanao, Shariff Kabunsuan Province in this photo taken July 21, 2008. Ronald Navarro-PCPO

"Unequaled in history"

Presidential adviser on Mindanao affairs Jesus Dureza said the "gruesome massacre" was "unequaled in recent history."

"Even women and media men were not spared. There must be a total stop to this senseless violence," Dureza said as he recommended the placing of the entire Maguindanao province under a state of emergency.

"Anything less will not work," he said.

According to officials, most of the 36 or so victims were shot but some were run over by vehicles.

Commission on Elections (Comelec) spokesperson James Jimenez withheld comment, saying Commissioner Elias Yusoph, who is from Mindanao and is more familiar with the situation, would issue a statement on Tuesday.

President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo condemned the violence and ordered the Philippine National Police (PNP) to go after the perpetrators.

"The President has ordered the AFP to mobilize its forces to capture the perpetrators and recover the remaining hostages," said deputy presidential spokesman Lorelei Fajardo.

In response, PNP chief Director General Jesus Verzosa directed the formation of a joint task force between the police and the military that would conduct hot pursuit operations against the perpetrators and recover the remaining hostages.

One source in Cotabato who is familiar with Maguindanao politics said that the PNP was virtually "the security of the Ampatuans" in the province.

In an earlier interview with Radio dzBB, Brawner said the abducted victims included Mayor Mangudadatu's sisters Bai Farinah and Bai Eden Mangudadatu, the incumbent vice mayor of Mangundadatu town, also in Maguindanao province.

Toto said other abducted victims were lawyers Connie Brizuela and Cynthia Oquendo, Rasul Daud, and Faridah Sabdulah, and some 30 journalists. He said the female victims were sexually assaulted.

Heinous

"Karumdumal po talaga ang ginawa. Pinagdurog-durog ang ulo at yung mga pantalon nila binaba po, nakausli po yung mga ari ng babae (What they did was really heinous. The heads of the victims were bashed and the females stripped from the waist down)," he said.

Brawner said they were abducted by some 100 men allegedly led by Mayor Datu Unsay Ampatuan and one Police Senior Inspector Dicay of the Shariff Aguak police force.

The NUJP said the "Ampatuan massacre" went beyond the issue of freedom of the press.

"The Ampatuan massacre, which the military has confirmed was perpetrated by Shariff Aguak Mayor Andal Ampatuan Jr. and police Sr. Inspector Dicay, goes beyond the issue of freedom of the press and of expression and strikes at the very foundations of democracy," it said in a statement.

Fajardo said Malacañang is extending its sympathy to the media.

"We stand in solidarity with our friends from media and we shall provide all necessary support to assuage their fears and grief," she said.

Despite the massacre, Toto said he would continue with his plans for 2010. "Tutuloy po ako (I will push through with my plan) and no one can compel me not to run for governor." - JV, HS, GMANews.TV
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http://www.gmanews.tv/story/177644/maguindanao-massacre-claims-at-least-36-lives

Maguindanao massacre claims at least 36 lives

AIE BALAGTAS SEE, GMANews.TV
11/23/2009 | 05:52 PM

At least 36 people, mostly identified with Buluan, Maguindanao vice mayor Datu Ismail "Toto" Mangudadatu but including some media people on Monday were abducted and later killed by gunmen allegedly led by members of the Ampatuan political clan.

Lt. Col. Romeo Brawner Jr., spokesman of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), said in a local television interview that 21 bodies - 13 female and eight male - have so far been recovered. They had been beheaded.

The 36 victims were among the more than 50 abducted by the suspects. Some of the victims were women and media men covering the filing of the COC.

"Away politika po ito dahil yung nangyari pong pagdukot sa mga kamag-anak ni (Mangudadatu) by the elements of Mayor Ampatuan, sa ngayon po tinitingnan natin itong anggulo na ito (This is politically-motivated because the hostage-taking of Mangudadatu's relatives by the elements of Mayor Ampatuan, we're looking at this angle)," Brawner said in an interview with GMA News 24Oras.

Toto's wife, Genalyn Tiamzon-Mangudadatu, was among those beheaded, according to Toto himself.

A Malacañang official immediately recommended that the entire Maguindanao province be placed under a state of emergency.

"This is a gruesome massacre of civilians unequalled in recent history. Even women and media men were not spared. There must be a total stop to this senseless violence," said presidential adviser on Mindanao affairs Jesus Dureza in a text message to reporters.

"I strongly recommend that a state of emergency be imposed in the area and that everyone be disarmed. Anything less will not work," he added.

In an interview Monday evening, Commission on Elections (Comelec) spokesperson James Jimenez said he will refrain from making any comment but expects Commissioner Elias Yusoph, who is from Mindanao and is more familiar with the situation there, to issue a statement tomorrow.

In an earlier interview with Radio dzBB, Brawner said the abducted victims included Mayor Mangudadatu's sisters Bai Farinah and Bai Eden Mangudadatu, the incumbent vice mayor of Buluan town.

Other abducted victims, according to Mangudadatu, included lawyers Connie Brizuela and Cynthia Oquendo, Rasul Daud, and Faridah Sabdulah, and some 30 journalists.

The victims were abducted about 10:30 a.m. while on their way to Maguindanao elections office to file a certificate of candidacy (COC) in behalf of Mangudadatu, who will run for governor in Maguindanao province.

Brawner said they were abducted by some 100 men allegedly led by Mayor Datu Unsay Ampatuan and one Police Senior Inspector Dicay of the Philippine National Police (PNP) in Shariff Aguak.

“I cannot give you the exact number of all the dead persons but rest assured merong namatay, meron namatay (they were killed, they were killed) and according to the information, some of them were beheaded, some of them were shot to death and some of them sinagasaan (were run over)," said Madaser Mangudadato, assemblyman in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM). - GMANews.TV
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http://www.gmanews.tv/story/177644/maguindanao-massacre-claims-at-least-36-lives

Buluan vice mayor's wife, media men beheaded

abs-cbnNEWS.com | 11/23/2009 5:10 PM

MANILA - Bodies of 21 of the 30 beheaded kidnap victims, including the wife and relatives of Buluan town's vice mayor, were recovered by government troops in Ampatuan town in Maguindanao province Monday afternoon.

AFP spokesman Lt. Col. Romeo Brawner Jr. confirmed to ANC that 13 female and 8 male bodies were found by members of the 601st Infrantry Brigade of the AFP around 4:30 p.m. Monday.

Buluan vice mayor Esmael "Toto" Mangadadatu told ANC that his wife, Genalyn, his sister, and some relatives were on their way to file a certificate of candidacy on his behalf when a group of about 100 armed men abducted them.

Mangudadatu, who is running for governor of Maguindanao, said some media men who went to cover the event were also seized.

Mangudadatu believes the abduction was politically motivated. He told ANC that he sent his wife and female relatives to file his certificate of candidacy in the hope that his political rivals would spare them.

He said his wife called him at around 9:30 in the morning to say an armed group, supposedly of the Ampatuan clan, a political rival, flagged down their convoy.

He told ANC it was the Ampatuans who beheaded his wife, his sister, relatives, supporters and other civilians, after robbing them.

The Mangundadatu clan is known to have a long-running feud with the family of Maguindanao's incumbent governor Andal Ampatuan, who police say is known to control his own private army.

Brawner said there were about 100 gunmen, most of whom were militiamen deputised as government guards by Ampatuan's family.

Brawner said the leader of the militiamen who staged the kidnapping was one of Ampatuan's sons. Ampatuan was not immediately reachable for comment.

Revenge killings and clashes among rival political families are common in Maguindanao and other parts of Mindanao island, where unlicensed firearms proliferate and parts of which are lawless.

Islamic militants on Mindanao have also been waging a separatist rebellion for decades. - with AFP
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http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/nation/regions/11/23/09/buluan-vice-mayors-wife-media-men-beheaded

Abu Sayyaf kidnaps 2 Chinese traders, 2 others

By John Unson (The Philippine Star) Updated November 11, 2009 12:00 AM

COTABATO CITY , Philippines – Gunmen in camouflage uniforms snatched four people in Maluso town in Basilan yesterday.

Police said around 20 gunmen barged into the Basilan Hi-Tech Wood Craft Industry where they forcibly took Michael Tan, Oscar Lu and a worker identified as Mark Singson.

The gunmen also took with them the security guard identified as Sakilan Lumayon, whom they disarmed before entering the compound.

Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) police spokesman Superintendent Danilo Bacas said the gunmen initially opened fire with automatic weapons, surprising Lumayon before they broke into the compound and snatched the three other victims.

“The kidnappers first fired at Lumayon before they succeeded in subduing him,” Bacas said The abduction came a day after the beheading of Gabriel Canizares, a school principal kidnapped by the Abu Sayyaf in Patikul, Sulu three weeks ago.

The kidnapping also came while authorities are still trying to resolve the abduction of Irish priest Michael Sinnott.

Although authorities suspect the Abu Sayyaf may have carried out the kidnapping, police said they are not ruling out an inside job.

Basilan provincial police director Superintendent Abu­bakar Tulawi said they received information that one of the security guards of the shop has a son who is a member of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).

There had been reports that some MILF rebels carried out the snatch in an attempt to take the heat off from the rescue operations for Sinnott.

Regional military spokesman Maj. David Hontiveros, however, refused to say if the MILF or the Abu Sayyaf was behind the latest snatch. – With James Mananghaya, Roel Pareño, Edith Regalado, AP

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http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=522289&publicationSubCategoryId=63

Teacher beheaded in Philippines

updated at 05:12 GMT, Monday, 9 November 2009

Police in the southern Philippines say the severed head of a kidnapped schoolteacher has been found in a bag at a petrol station.

Gabriel Canizares was abducted by Abu Sayyaf militants three weeks ago. His body is still missing.

He was travelling with colleagues on the island of Jolo when he was seized.

The militants had demanded a ransom equivalent to $42,000 (£25,000; 28,000 euros) for Mr Canizares, which his family refused to pay.

Security fears

Education Secretary Jesli Lapus expressed shock at the teacher's killing, saying six other teachers who had been kidnapped by Abu Sayyaf earlier this year had all been released despite threats to behead them.

He said his department was at a loss as to how to ensure security for public schoolteachers in high-risk areas, and feared that the kidnappings would discourage others from teaching underprivileged youths in Muslim areas.

"We shall make them pay for the enormity of this savagery," President Gloria Arroyo's spokeswoman Lorelei Fajardo said in a statement after Mr Canizares' head was found.

She said Mrs Arroyo had ordered "punitive action" to "put an end to the Abu Sayyaf group's heinous and inhumane atrocities".

"The people of Jolo are condemning this dastardly act," Jolo municipal mayor Hussin Amin said in a television interview aired in Manila.

The beheading came three days before a visit to Manila by US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, when security issues are expected to be a key topic.

Abu Sayyaf has been blamed for many of the country's worst terrorist attacks, including the firebombing of a ferry in Manila Bay that claimed more than 100 lives in 2005, and the abduction of American tourists in 2001.

A land mine explosion under a military convoy carrying American troops on 29 September killed two US Army Special Forces soldiers - the first US military deaths in the southern Philippines in seven years.

About 600 US troops are currently stationed in the south for training and humanitarian missions, but are barred by Philippine law from engaging in direct combat.

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http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/8349771.stm