By CARLOS H. CONDE
The New York Times
Published: December 1, 2009
MANILA — Prosecutors charged the scion of a powerful political clan in the southern Philippines with multiple counts of murder on Tuesday, eight days a after the massacre of 57 people, more than half of them journalists and media workers.
Andal Ampatuan Jr., the mayor of Datu Unsay in Maguindanao Province, was accused of leading the Nov. 23 slaughter of the wife, two sisters and an aunt of another politician, Esmael Mangudadatu, as well as his supporters and the journalists.
The chief state prosecutor, Jovencito Zuno, told reporters in Manila that authorities have detained at least 10 witnesses, several of whom allegedly saw Mr. Ampatuan with dozens of armed men stopping the victims’ convoy along the national highway in the town of Ampatuan. The victims were on their way to Shariff Aguak to file Mr. Mangudadatu’s candidacy papers for governor of Maguindanao, the position that Mr. Ampatuan also was seeking.
Investigators earlier said that the convoy, which included a vehicle with several passengers in it that happened to be at the checkpoint at the time the victims were flagged down, was then escorted to a grassy hilltop not far from the highway. There, armed men shot, hacked and buried the victims, using a backhoe that belonged to the provincial government whose governor is the defendant’s father, Andal Ampatuan Sr.
The Ampatuans are the closest political allies of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo in the Muslim south and she has been under intense pressure to resolve the case, which is considered the worst election-related violence in Philippine history. Mrs. Arroyo ordered Interior Secretary Reynaldo Puno to take charge of the province and the rest of the Muslim region.
The prosecutors filed the charges against Mr. Ampatuan in the southern city of Cotabato, which is adjacent to Maguindanao, but are expected to ask the court to move the trial to Manila for security reasons.
Nestor Burgos Jr., chairman of the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines, said a transfer to Manila would be ideal given the influence of the Ampatuan clan in the region. “Is there any judge in Mindanao willing to preside over the trial?” Mr. Burgos said in an interview. “A special court dedicated to the case would also hasten the process,” he added.
Mr. Burgos also urged the government to arrest more suspects. So far, only Mr. Ampatuan is in custody. “What about the 100 or so armed men who took part in the killing? Where are they now?” he asked, adding that the government had been “painstakingly slow” to act.
Prosecutors said Tuesday that seven other Ampatuan men, including the defendant’s father, are considered suspects but no charges have yet been filed against them. Mr. Zuno, the chief state prosecutor, said he expected more arrests in the coming days as investigators continue gathering evidence.
Mr. Ampatuan Jr. turned himself to the authorities last week and denied any involvement in the killings. On Sunday, his brother Zaldy, governor of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, held a press conference in the capital town of Shariff Aguak where he pleaded with investigators to “to observe due process of law.” He also asked the media to “please be fair in your reporting.”
Leo Dacera, who leads the team of prosecutors assigned to the case, told reporters on Tuesday they have two boxes of sworn statements by the witnesses and that they are confident they have a strong case.
Earlier, Justice Secretary Agnes Devanadera revealed that several of the men who allegedly participated in the killings had agreed to testify and have sought government protection. She added that, according to the witnesses, the massacre had been planned in advance by the Ampatuans and that the mass graves had been dug before the attack.
Aside from the members of the Ampatuans’ militia, police officers were also involved in the killings, with at least two of them seen at the crime scene during the massacre, according to Erickson Velasquez, head of the police’s criminal investigation division.
Recent Comments