Piñol: Palace was warned of possible clash of clans months ago

Could the grisly Maguindanao massacre have been prevented had the government acted on a warning raised months ago of an impending clash between the Ampatuans and Mangudadatus? A transcript of the hearing of the Senate committee on national defense and security on August 28 in Zamboanga City showed North Cotabato vice governor Emmanuel Piñol saying he already warned Malacañang of the “war" between the two families. Piñol described the Ampatuans as a big political family that is backed by the military and the government. [See: 2 Army officials relieved over Maguindanao massacre] This alleged backing will drive the Mangudadatus to the orbit of MILF, Piñol had said. “Mind you, I have already forewarned Malacañang of an impending bigger trouble come 2010 elections because the Ampatuans are facing another big family, the Mangudadatus, and the Ampatuans are being backed by the military – the government and that sends the Mangudadatus towards the MILF orbit and this could spell trouble for Maguindanao in 2010," the transcript of the hearing read. “I have already warned the GRP (government of the Republic of the Philippines) panel about this and I have forwarded this message to chairman Rafael Seguis of the GRP panel," he added. Buluan vice mayor Ismael “Toto" Mangudadatu is running for a gubernatorial post in Maguindanao, while Datu Unsay mayor Datu Andal Ampatuan Jr. is being groomed to replace his brother who holds that post now, acting Maguindanao Governor Sajid Ampatuan. In a phone interview with GMANews.TV Friday, Piñol said that as early as July he already informed the GRP about the possible clash when they were assessing the security situation in Central Mindanao in preparation for the peace talks. “Hindi pwedeng pabayaan dahil puputok ang sitwasyon (We can’t neglect this because the situation might explode). The conflict in Central Mindanao is confined to Maguindanao and that would have implication on politics," he said. Asked what action the government took when he told them about it, Piñol said he was not aware of any. “Mine was to report, I left it to them to take action," the vice governor said. He further said that former Defense secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr., Lakas-Kampi-CMD standard bearer, cannot claim that he has no knowledge of the Ampatuans’ activities. “He has been the secretary of defense for so long. They knew about this. They knew that the Ampatuans use the military in their activities," Piñol said. Teodoro, who was appointed to the Department of National Defense in 2007, left the agency recently to pursue his presidential bid. Political accommodation Senator Rodolfo Biazon, chairman of the Senate committee on national defense and security, believed that the government chose to provide political accommodation for the Ampatuans and Mangudadatus instead of addressing the issue. The two clans are both members of Lakas-Kampi-CMD. “In most probability, what the government did was political accommodation to satisfy both political allies instead of taking preventive measures to prevent the clash, such as deployment of additional forces," the senator said. Biazon said Piñol’s report to Malacañang and the GRP indicates that the authorities were well aware of the impending clash between the two families. He also questioned why the Army allegedly refused to provide security for the Mangudadatus, who had asked for protection in filing their COC at the provincial capitol, while conceding that the public could do nothing now but wait for the investigation to finish. “I think further investigation should include who really killed the victims. (Datu Unsay Mayor) Datu Andal Ampatuan Jr could not have done it alone," Biazon said. Press Secretary Cerge Remonde is yet to give a comment on the issue as of posting time. – Amita O. Legaspi/JV, GMANews.TV