DOJ concludes preliminary investigation vs Ampatuans

MANILA, Philippines - The Department of Justice (DOJ) concluded yesterday its preliminary investigation of five more Ampatuan family members and 633 other local officials and their supporters on charges of rebellion.

The DOJ panel of prosecutors led by State Prosecutor Aldrin Evangelista said they concluded the preliminary investigation even after half of the respondents failed to submit their counter-affidavits for their defense.

Evangelista said the DOJ had given them ample time but the respondents still failed to submit their counter-affidavits.

Police have tagged Rajah Buayan town Mayor Yacob Ampatuan, Mamasapano Mayor Banarin Ampatuan, Datu Ulo Ampatuan, Datu Ipi Ampatuan and Datu Kanor Ampatuan, as the alleged leaders of the rebellion.

They are among the total of 638 people charged with rebellion in their attempt to prevent government forces from arresting the Ampatuans over the massacre.

The supposed rebellion occurring in Maguindanao forced President Arroyo to place the province under martial law for eight days in December last year.

An official of the DOJ - Witness Protection Program, on the other hand, said they have taken into custody all the 10 policemen who have been directly implicated in the massacre.

According to DOJ-WPP region 12 chief Salvador Ramos, the 10 policemen have sought protection and expressed willingness to become state witness in the multiple murder case.

He said police Inspector Rex Diongon is among those who sought state protection under the WPP.

“Except for Inspector Diongon, who is under our case, the rest are being held at the ARMM police headquarters in Camp Parang, Maguindanao for safekeeping,” he said.

Diongon, a vital witness in the Maguindanao massacre, has sought protective custody under the WPP and applied to be a state witness.

Ramos also clarified reports that many of the suspects, including the policemen and militiamen accused in the murders, are still at large, which is the reason why some other witnesses were reluctant to come forward.

“I do not know that many of the alleged perpetrators are still scot-free, but I want to assure everyone that we are making every effort to ensure the safety of witnesses,” Ramos said.

The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), on the other hand, alerted its forces for the weekend on reports of planned attacks by armed groups to spring out principal accused Datu Unsay Mayor Andal Ampatuan Jr. from detention.

The NBI cited the police seizure of a rifle grenade at the Greenhills shopping center in San Juan along with a map purportedly showing the planned attack on the NBI and the Supreme Court in Manila on Sunday.

NBI Counter Terrorism Unit (CTU) chief Ricardo Diaz said they are not taking any precautions, even if the planned attack might be a tactic to force the government to transfer Ampatuan Jr. to another detention facility.

The NBI has beefed up its security to secure Ampatuan Jr. and prevent any attempts to spring him from detention.

“They have to kill all of us here first before they can get Ampatuan,” he said.

Diaz said the security measures on Ampatuan are tight enough that visitors would have to pass through several security blocks.

“But just the same we are not taking any chances, we will be on heightened alert by Sunday – which they said is the target date,” he said.

And if ever Ampatuan Jr. would be transferred to another facility, the accused mass murderer would be better secured, Diaz said.

There had been attempts to force the transfer of Ampatuan Jr. to another jail facility, particularly in the Quezon City Jail to allow complete jurisdiction over him by the Quezon City regional trial court during the trial.

But the DOJ stressed the danger of moving Ampatuan Jr. out of isolation into the more crowded Quezon City Jail during the duration of trial.

The DOJ said they do not want a repeat of what happened to Ampatuan last December where he was mobbed by protesters waiting for him to come out from the NBI office on his way to the preliminary investigation.

Diaz, on the other hand, assailed the harassment on the witnesses and relatives of the victims in the Maguindanao massacre.

Diaz particularly assailed the killing of a cousin of Ampatuan town Vice Mayor Rasul Sangki and the burning of a house of another prosecution witness.

He said the killing of Doc Uli, cousin of Sangki, and Talib Salahuddin, a barangay councilor of Kakal, Ampatuan town, and the burning of house of prosecution witness Noh Akil were not a coincidence.

“These were done to scare the witnesses to continue from testifying for the prosecution. They are also trying to stop other witnesses who have yet to testify from testifying in the next hearings. They also want to stop other witnesses from coming out to testify,” Diaz said.

Meanwhile, the Commission on Elections was urged yesterday to withdraw its accreditation of a party-list group identified with the Ampatuans. – With Sandy Araneta, Nonong Baliao, Jess Diaz, Cecille Suerte Felipe, Paolo Romero