No sign of 4 arrested massacre suspects

MANILA, Philippines - Authorities have yet to turn over to the jurisdiction of the Quezon City court handling the Maguindanao massacre trial at least four suspects reportedly arrested as early as February 2012.

Court records show that police have yet to commit Sahid Guiamadel alias Arnel Bacar Abdullah/Iden, Nasser Guia, Kominie Inggo, and Inspector Saudi Mokamad to the Quezon City Jail-Annex in Camp Bagong Diwa, where those arrested for the massacre are currently detained.

Based on the latest information received by the Regional Trial Court Branch 221, Guiamadel is still detained at the Sultan Kudarat District Jail. He was arrested for illegal possession of firearms on Feb. 22, 2012.

His connection to the massacre was only established earlier this year as a different Guiamadel – also known as Jun Aliman – was recorded as under the custody of the court.

In a ruling in January, Judge Jocelyn Solis-Reyes ordered the release of Aliman as “reasonable doubt clouds the inference” that he is the Guiamadel charged for the massacre.

Sultan Kudarat jail warden Chief Inspector Marlon Robles on March 31 has asked Solis-Reyes to issue an order directing the transfer of the real Guiamadel to the Quezon City Jail-Annex in Camp Bagong Diwa.

Nearly a month has passed but the suspect has yet to be brought to Metro Manila.

Missing?

Meanwhile, Guia was reportedly arrested by the police in Datu Odin Sinsuat, Maguindanao on Feb. 8, 2013.

Weeks after his supposed arrest, he was included in a STAR report that listed suspects who have been reportedly arrested but have yet to be turned to the jurisdiction of the court.

Police later turned over four arrested suspects, including one who was later freed after it was proven that he was mistakenly arrested for the massacre.

Guia, however, was not among those who were turned over to the court.

Another suspect – Maguid Amil – was reportedly killed in a separate encounter on Feb. 8, 2013 with the elements of the Maguindanao police who tried to arrest him. The court also received no information on the incident.

Recent arrests

Over the weekend, it was reported that two more suspects have been arrested.

Inggo and Mokamad, who both had a P250,000 reward for their arrest, were reportedly arrested separately in Maguindanao and Lanao del Sur on March 22 and April 26, respectively.

The court has yet to receive the returns of warrants of arrest for the two suspects.

Once placed under the jurisdiction of the court, the four will be the 109th to 112th suspects arrested by authorities for the Nov. 23, 2009 massacre, which claimed the lives of 58 people, including 32 media practitioners.

A total of 197 people were initially charged for the incident. Charges against three of those arrested have been dismissed by the court.