Brutal killing of journalists pushed witnesses to come out

He thought they were just going to shoot the Mangudadatus. But when his companions started killing everyone - including more than 20 journalists - purportedly upon the orders of Datu Unsay town Mayor Andal Ampatuan Jr., his conscience nagged at him, and has left him sleepless ever since. This was the claim of one witness who has come out to the Justice Department to testify against Andal Jr., who is tagged as one of the key suspects in the massacre in Maguindanao province that left at least 57 dead, including journalists and innocent motorists. "Actually yun ang nakapagpakonsensya sa kanya (That is actually what moved his conscience)," said Justice Secretary Agnes Devanadera when asked by GMA News' Arnold Clavio what the witness' reaction was when his purported companions started shooting at the journalists who had accompanied the wife, sisters, and legal aides of Buluan town vice mayor Ismael "Toto" Mangudadatu in filing his certificate of candidacy for the gubernatorial post. [See video of Clavio's interview with Devanadera here.] "Akala niya Mangudadatus lang ang babarilin pero... it turned out na lahat na lahat (He thought only the Mangudadatus would be shot but it turned out that everyone would be killed)," Devanadera said. "Saka yung manner, yung manner of doing it, parang wala ka na sa kaisipan mo pagka ganun, grabe talaga (And the manner by which it was done, no person in his or her right mind could have done that)." The witness, one of an unspecified number that the Department of Justice is communicating with, is supposedly one of the more than 100 men ordered by Andal Jr. to kill the Mangudadatus and their companions to prevent Toto from filing his COC. Andal Jr. is rumored to be being groomed by his father, Maguindanao Governor Andal Ampatuan Sr., to succeed the post. [See: Map and timeline of Maguindanao massacre] The convoy was blocked by the men while on their way to Shariff Aguak, the provincial capital, to file Toto's COC. At least 57 were later found dead, some of them buried in a mass grave apparently dug by a government-owned backhoe, in Ampatuan town. Many of the women's pants were pulled down, said Devanadera, adding that they cannot rule out sexual assault yet as autopsy results are still pending. "Alam mo naman ang tao e may tinatawag na threshold yan (Each person has his threshold)," Devanadera said in explaining what may have made their witness come out and go against the Ampatuans, the most powerful political clan in Maguindanao. "Hindi na siya makatulog e kasi di niya in-expect na talagang tutuluyan nang ganun (He cannot sleep anymore because he did not expect that everyone would be killed that way)," she added. Devanadera said the witness' testimony was exactly like what another supposed witness interviewed by Al Jazeera said: that Andal Jr. orchestrated the massacre. She said all witnesses' testimonies and evidence so far points to Andal Jr., and not to the group of Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) rogue commander Umbra Kato whom Andal Jr. claimed was behind the gruesome massacre. [See: Andal Jr. blames MILF for massacre] "Wala naman kaming nakita doong Umbra Katong salaysay e (We did not see testimonies pointing to Umbra Kato," she said. The DOJ chief said prosecutors will likely come out with their resolution on the inquest proceedings conducted since Thursday, shortly after Andal Jr. turned himself over to authorities for investigation. But this early, Devanadera said they have a good case against Andal Jr., who is currently detained at the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) headquarters in Manila. "Insofar as the mayor is concerned, at this point in time wala akong nakikitang rason bakit yan pwedeng makalabas with the kind of evidence that we have (I don't see any reason why he can be released with the kind of evidence we have)," she said. In a separate interview on dzRH radio, Devanadera said the DOJ has recommended to Malacañang to transfer all suspects in the massacre to a "special" detention facility as it may be dangerous to mix them with other inmates. "Sa report ko kay Pangulo, naglagay ako ng recommendation that there should be a special place for all of them. Mahirap ihalo sa ibang preso at masyadong marami (In my report to the President, I recommended that there should be a special place for all of them. It will be hard if we allow them to mingle with inmates facing other charges, and there may be too many of them)," Devanadera said. Aside from Andal Jr., authorities have also rounded up some civilian volunteers believed to have been involved in the crime. [See: Cops arrest suspects in Maguindanao massacre] - Johanna Camille Sisante/RSJ, GMANews.TV