'Support acting woman governor'

MANILA, Philippines - Sen. Pia Cayetano urged the government to give full support to the administration of newly appointed Maguindanao officer-in-charge Nariman Ambolodto, the first woman governor of the strife-torn province.

Cayetano cited Ambolodto for her efforts to restore peace and normalcy in the province still reeling from last month's massacre of 57 people that led to the declaration of martial law.

Cayetano stressed Ambolodto needs all the support she could get to rebuild the reputation of the province.

She said Ambolodto faces the extraordinary task of restoring normalcy in Maguindanao under extremely difficult political circumstances.

"As a fellow woman public servant, I am aware of the many challenges that women leaders have to overcome in the male-dominated world of politics and governance," Cayetano said.

Cayetano noted Ambolodto had declared she would not seek any elective post in the 2010 elections, but would rather focus her efforts on running the province's transition government.

"Governor Ambolodto's selfless gesture and commitment to serve her people should be emulated. We need more leaders like her, not only in Maguindanao, but all over the country," she said.

Even as religious hardliners are ranting over the designation of a woman as acting governor of the predominantly Muslim province, various sectors lauded the appointment of Ambolodto.

Amina Rasul of the Philippine Council for Islam and Democracy said Ambolodto's appointment as acting Maguindanao governor is a respite from all the bad publicity and reputation of the province following the massacre.

Ambolodto is an incumbent member of the provincial board representing the first district of Maguindanao. She is married to a human rights lawyer and is the first woman in the male-dominated Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) to be entrusted with running a provincial government covering an area with distinct political settings.

Rasul said Ambolodto's appointment is "a good development."

Since Ambolodto is not interested in seeking any elective post next year, Rasul said the acting governor would manage the affairs of Maguindanao without any political distraction.

Former ARMM regional assembly speaker Ismael Abubakar said Ambolodto's appointment is a big boost to the efforts of different sectors pushing for the empowerment of Muslim women in the autonomous region.

Mirkari Allian, former deputy administration of the Office of Muslim Affairs (OMA), said he considers Ambolodto's appointment as a "right signal to the contending political clans of Maguindanao."

"The appointment of an individual known to be neutral from the province's fractious political factions is the right direction to take," Allian said.

Ambolodto made her first move by calling on the department chiefs and heads of the offices of the provincial capitol to get back to work.

Ambolodto reportedly rallied her department chiefs to focus on restoring local government services to their constituents and not be distracted by developments surrounding the massacre.

Her efforts, however, have sometimes been muddled by the continuing accusations against the Ampatuans, whose family members have lorded it over Maguindanao and the ARMM for many years.

'Let justice deal with them'

The Ampatuans have been named as being behind the Nov. 23 massacre, described as the worst pre-election violence in the country's political history.

The suspects in the massacre were all relatives or supporters of former Maguindanao governor Andal Ampatuan Sr.

His son, Datu Unsay Mayor Andal Jr., has been charged with multiple counts of murder for allegedly ordering the kidnapping and subsequent shooting of 57 people, including journalists and relatives of the clan's local rival, Buluan Vice Mayor Esmael Mangudadatu.

On Saturday, Andal Jr. waived his right to submit any defense on the charges filed against him during the preliminary investigation of the case.

Their lawyer, Sigfrid Fortun, said the Ampatuan family decided not to submit any counter-affidavit to dispute the charges, claiming the government, particularly the Department of Justice (DOJ), had already prejudged them.

Malacañang, however, rebuffed the claims and called on the Ampatuans to allow justice to be served.

"The only thing I can say about that is to just let our justice system deal with them," Press Secretary Cerge Remonde said.

"We are not in a position to give advice to the Ampatuans or anybody for that matter on how they will handle the case," Remonde said.

"All I can say is that President Arroyo and the entire government is determined to give justice to everyone, especially to the victims of the Maguindanao massacre," he added.

President Arroyo placed Maguindanao under martial law last Dec. 4 to allow security forces to move against the Ampatuan family, who has also been accused of fomenting a rebellion to prevent authorities from arresting members of the family.

Officials said the weeklong implementation of martial law in the province had achieved the government's objective of crippling the Ampatuans.

The government had succeeded in taking Andal Jr. into custody and charging him with murder, while 62 other family members led by the Ampatuan patriarch and their supporters have been charged with rebellion.

Armed Forces chief Gen. Victor Ibrado said the imposition of martial law in Maguindanao was justified since it brought the suspects of the massacre to justice.

"Without martial law, the brains behind the massacre could still be free as no court in the province wanted to issue warrants for their arrest," Ibrado said.

Ibrado also welcomed the complaint filed against him and four Cabinet officials over the declaration of martial law.

Ibrado, along with Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita, Justice Secretary Agnes Devanadera, Interior and Local Government Secretary Ronaldo Puno and Defense Secretary Norberto Gonzales, were charged by Akbayan party-list Reps. Risa Hontiveros and Walden Bello, who said there was no clear basis for the issuance of Proclamation 1959 that imposed military rule in Maguindanao.

"I welcome that complaint but had martial law not been declared in Maguindanao, we could not have immediately accomplished our main mission to restore order in the area," Ibrado said. - With John Unson, Marvin Sy and Jaime Laude