Another massacre suspect’s arraignment set

MANILA, Philippines - A Quezon City judge handling the Maguindanao massacre trial has set the arraignment on June 26 of a suspect who claimed to be a victim of mistaken identity.

Datukan Malang Salibo – also known as Butukan Malang – will be arraigned at the Quezon City Jail Annex in Camp Bagong Diwa, Taguig City with three members of the Ampatuan clan who were also charged for the massacre.

Earlier, Regional Trial Court Branch 221 Judge Jocelyn Solis-Reyes set the arraignment of Sajid Islam Ampatuan, Akmad “Tato” Ampatuan, and Anwar Ampatuan Sr. Sajid Islam and Anwar are sons of former Maguindanao governor Andal Ampatuan Sr., while Akmad is the son-in-law and nephew of the clan patriarch.

The arraignment of Salibo was set after Solis-Reyes junked his petition to quash his jail commitment order and drop the charges against him.

In an eight-page omnibus order, the judge dismissed Salibo’s motions for lack of merit based on a testimony of a fellow suspect, Police Officer 1 Pia Kamidon, who identified Salibo as having been with primary suspect Andal Sr. at the time of the massacre.

Salibo earlier claimed that he is not the Butukan Malang named in the charge sheet. He said he was on a pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia from Nov. 7 to Dec. 19, 2009 and that it was impossible for him to have been involved in the Nov. 23, 2009 massacre.

But according to Reyes, while Salibo’s name does not appear in the charge sheet, that name was indicated as Malang’s alias in the return of arrest warrant and the commitment order.

Solis-Reyes added that a mistake in the accused’s name does not necessarily mean a mistake in his identity.