Police-witness says gov't functions in Maguindanao stopped during operations vs massacre perpetrators

February 9, 2010 10:50 pm 

MANILA, Feb. 9 – Some government offices in Maguindanao province stopped functioning at the height of operations against the perpetrators of the gruesome massacre of at least 57 civilians and media practitioners in Ampatuan town last November, a police official told a court hearing of rebellion charges against the powerful Ampatuan clan.

In his testimony, Supt. Roberto Badian, chief of the police Criminal Investigation and Detection Management (DIDM) in Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM), particularly mentioned that local governments in three towns in Maguindanao ceased in operations during the intensified government operations against those responsible in the massacre.

Badian backed his testimony before the sala of Honorable Judge Vivencio Baclig with a number of photographs showing municipal halls and even the Maguindanao capitol closed.

“I noticed that the towns of Datu Unsay, Ampatuan, Shariff Aguak… and the provincial capitol were padlocked as I was heading to the Provincial Police Office to inquire on it (massacre)… I documented all of these using my camera because I was directed to do so by the acting ARMM regional director,” said Badian, referring to Senior Supt. Bienvenido Latag.

The mayors of the three towns mentioned by Badian were all identified with the powerful Ampatuan clan led by Datu Unsay town Mayor Andal Ampatuan Jr., who was tagged as the principal suspect in the gruesome November 23, 2009 massacre and presently detained at the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) headquarters in Manila facing 56 counts of murder charges.

Badian also told the court that he was “puzzled” on the non-existence then of an official report from the Maguindanao Provincial Police Office (PPO) under Senior Supt. Abusana Maguid regarding the abduction and subsequent massacre of 57 civilians in Ampatuan town.

The hearing at the sala of Judge Baclig was for the determination of probable cause for the rebellion case against several members of the Ampatuan clan led by the patriarch erstwhile Maguindanao Gov. Andal Ampatuan Sr. and suspended ARMM Governor Zaldy Ampatuan.

Also, the court is hearing the petition of the defense panel, led by Attorney Sigfried Fortun, to defer the transfer of the accused Ampatuans to a jail facility in Metro Manila. The accused Ampatuans are presently detained in the cities of General Santos and Davao.

Fortun did not conduct cross examination on Badian but questioned the prosecution presentation of another witness, Dante Dingcong, claiming the person had nothing new to say in addition to the sworn affidavit submitted before the court. Prosecutor lawyer Lamberto Fabros called for re-scheduling for his presentation of their main witness, Lt. Gen. Raymundo Ferrer who was the martial law administrator in Maguindanao.

After sidebar with Judge Baclig, both panels agreed to have Ferrer on the witness stand in the next hearing scheduled on Friday also in Camp Crame.

Government prosecutors filed rebellion charges against the Ampatuans after allegedly ordering their armed supporters in Maguindanao to mass up at the height of the imposition of Martial Law in the province last December.

Government security forces recovered thousands of firearms, most of them high-powered firearms, and hundreds of thousands of various types of ammunition during massive crackdown on places identified with the Ampatuans in Maguindanao province. (PNA) LAP/MM

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