Gibo to Arroyo: Look beyond political alliances in solving massacre

No less than administration standard bearer Gilberto Teodoro Jr. on Tuesday urged President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo to look beyond political alliances and punish the perpetrators of Monday’s gruesome massacre of 22 people, including several journalists, in Maguindanao. "This goes beyond political alliances. Kung may complicity, tamaan kung may tamaan, kahit sino man (They should be made accountable, whoever they are)," said Teodoro, a former Defense chief, in a statement. The massacre has been blamed on the influential Ampatuan clan that is allied with President Arroyo. The killings were allegedly ordered by Datu Unsay town mayor Andal Ampatuan Jr. During the Lakas-Kampi-CMD’s national convention last Nov. 19, it was Autonomous Region for Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) governor Zaldy Ampatuan who assured that local leaders would be campaigning for Teodoro. Aside from the journalists, the victims include supporters and relatives of Vice Mayor Ismail "Toto" Mangudadatu of Buluan, Maguindanao. The Mangudadatus, also allied with the administration, reportedly have a long-standing feud with the Ampatuans. The victims were part of a convoy that was on its way to the Commission on Elections (Comelec) office in Shariff Aguak to file the certificate of candidacy (COC) of Toto, who intends to run for governor in the province. Other presidential aspirants echoed Teodoro’s statement, with former President Joseph Estrada describing the massacre as “beyond shocking" and a reflection of the alleged lawlessness under the Arroyo regime. “This event, which is beyond shocking, is testament to the reality that under this regime, there is a blatant disregard of the rule of law. Those responsible must be caught at all costs," he said. Senator Manny Villar's Nacionalista Party (NP) said the party is calling on the national government “to find the perpetrators and give justice to the victims." NP spokesperson Adel Tamano also said "there should be more teeth" in the state of emergency declared by President Arroyo in Maguindanao. Liberal Party (LP) bet, Sen. Benigno Simeon “Noynoy" Aquino III, said all sectors must join forces to prevent such incident from happening in the future. Malacañang has instructed the military, the police, the Commission on Human Rights and the National Bureau of Investigation to jointly investigate the incident. After placing Maguindanao under a state of emergency, Mrs. Arroyo said there would be "no untouchables" during the course of the investigation. - KBK, GMANews.TV