Fate of Maguindanao execs depends on Puno

President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo has given Interior Secretary Ronaldo Puno the free hand to suspend all government officials of Maguindanao, including police and military officials in the province who were supposed to ensure peace and order in the area.

In a press briefing in Malacañang Friday, Press Secretary Cerge Remonde said Mrs. Arroyo's decision was in response to Puno's recommendation to place Gov. Sajid Ampatuan and all the province's 36 mayors under preventive suspension, to give way for an impartial investigation of the killings.

"I would like to inform you that the President has authorized Secretary Puno or has delegated to Sec. Puno full powers of supervision even for the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, which means Secretary Puno is free to carry out his own recommendation," Remonde said.

At least 57 people, including 29 journalists were brutally killed on November 23 by militiamen allegedly working for the Ampatuan clan.

Datu Unsay mayor Andal Ampatuan Jr., the prime suspect in last Monday's massacre, who will be slapped with multiple murder charges by the Department of Justice, was flown to the National Bureau of Investigation office in Manila Thursday night.

On Thursday, Puno said he wanted to take all government officials in the province out of their posts but admitted he could not do so because the DILG has no authority over the autonomous region in southern Philippines.

"There has been total misuse of law enforcement in the area," Puno said. [See: DILG's Puno wants Ampatuans, other Maguindanao execs suspended]

The Philippine National Police (PNP) has already relieved six of its officials in Maguindanao for alleged complicity in the gruesome crime.

Chief Inspector Sukarno Adil Dicay, Shariff Aguak chief; Ampatuan police chief SPO2 Badawe Bakal; and Inspectors Ariel Diongon, Armando Mariga, and Inspector Mokamad.

All the police officials, except for Mariga and Mokamad, had been flown the Manila and is currently under the custody of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group.

Chief Superintendent Paisal Umpa, Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao police director, had also been "transferred" to another unit.

Acting AFP Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Rodrigo Maclang said in the same press conference that the Special Civilian Armed Forces Geographical Unit Active Auxiliary (SCAA) had already been deactivated and its 347 members had already been disarmed. - ARCS, JHU GMANews.TV