Mangudadatu faces prosecutors investigating slay of Ampatuan's aide

DAVAO CITY , Philippines  – Buluan Vice Mayor Esmael “Toto” Mangudadatu and two of his young children faced a panel of prosecutors yesterday investigating the killing of the supposed bodyguard of his political rival inside a shopping mall here on Feb. 11.

Mangudadatu’s two police security details were also called to face the panel to give their side of the story on how they allegedly shot Tamano Kagi Kamendan, said to be a trusted aide of former Maguindanao governor Andal Ampatuan Sr.

The prosecutors led by Prosecutor Jofre Saniel conducted the questioning on Mangudadatu’s two children at the Gender and Child Sensitive Interview/Investigation Room of the Regional State Prosecution Office here.

Saniel led an ocular inspection at the crime scene at the fourth floor of the J.S. Gaisano South Mall in the morning before the clarificatory hearing was held in the afternoon.

The panel is investigating the claims of Natividad de Arce that Mangudadatu ordered his two police escorts to shoot her husband Kamendan.

Mangudadatu denied De Arce’s allegations. He said Kamendan attempted to grab one of his children that prompted his two police escorts to act accordingly and shot the victim.

Mangudadatu has been charged with murder for the killing of Kamendan. He denied reports that he had gone into hiding after the murder charges were filed against him.

Not in hiding

“I am not in hiding. There is no arrest warrant against me. I have always made myself available to the investigators. In fact, I brought my children to the police station right after the incident for investigation purposes,” he said.

Mangudadatu is the principal complainant in the criminal charges against the Ampatuans who were blamed for the massacre of 57 people in Maguindanao on Nov. 23.

Among those killed was his wife Genalyn who led a convoy on their way to file Mangudadatu’s certificate of candidacy for gubernatorial post in the coming May elections.

Apart from the Ampatuans, among those implicated in the massacre are several police officials and militiamen.

One of the police officials implicated in the massacre is former Maguindanao provincial police director Superintendent Piang Adam.

The police Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) was tasked to lead a team from the Philippine National Police Regional Office-12 and the PNP regional office in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao to track down Adam.

Adam escaped from detention at the Sultan Kudarat provincial jail on Feb. 17.

Although Adam was not directly charged in the Nov. 23 massacre, the former Maguindanao police director was suspected to have been the source of the firearms that were used in the killings.