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DOJ subpoenas Ampatuan patriarch, 4 kin


The Department of Justice (DOJ) on Thursday subpoenaed five members of the powerful, Arroyo-allied Ampataun clan, including its patriarch, to face the investigation on the grisly massacre of 57 people in Maguindanao province last week. Covered by the subpoena were Maguindanao Governor Andal Ampatuan Sr.; Shariff Aguak Vice Mayor Ulo Ampatuan; Mamasapano Mayor Bahnarin Ampatuan; Salibo Vice Mayor Kanor Ampatuan; and Tony Kenis Ampatuan, a member of the police auxiliary in Shariff Aguak. Andal Sr.’s son and namesake, Datu Unsay town Mayor Andal Jr., is now detained at the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) after he was arrested Thursday last week. Also ordered to appear before the DOJ prior to the preliminary investigation on December 14 are six local executives and police officers in Maguindanao. They were: • Muhamad Sangki, Sangunihang Bayan member in Datu Abdullah Sangki town; • Tammy Masukat; • Tumi Timba Abas, police auxiliary in Sharif Aguak; • PO1 Abbey Guiadem, OIC of Datu Unsay Police; • A certain alias “Kumander Beri," civilian volunteers organization of Datu Unsay; and • A certain alias “Dahutay," a Cafgu assigned at Sitio Binibiran, Matagabong in Ampatuan The subpoena was based on the complaint filed by the Philippine National Police (PNP) against the individuals being linked to the Nov. 23 carnage at Ampatuan town. The victims were on a six-vehicle convoy traveling to Shariff Aguak to formalize the gubernatorial candidacy of Buluan Vice Mayor Ismael “Toto" Mangudadatu when waylaid by armed men allegedly upon orders by Andal Jr. Among those killed were 31 journalists covering the event and several unsuspecting motorists. The Mangudadatus are known political allies of the Ampatuans.


Also on Thursday, the military said it has sealed off the provincial capitol of Maguindanao and at least two mansions of the Ampatuans in Shariff Aguak to protect the beleaguered clan from possible retaliations of the supporters of the Mangudadatus. As this developed, two human rights experts from the United Nations (UN) have urged the Philippine government to conduct a “comprehensive and independent" investigation of the massacre. Philip Alston, UN Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial executions, and Frank La Rue, UN Special Rapporteur on freedom of opinion and expression, said only a thorough probe of the incident would ensure that those responsible for the killings will be prosecuted. “The pre-meditated killing of political opponents, combined with a massive assault on the media, must be tackled at various levels that go well beyond standard murder investigations," the UN officials said in a news release dated December 2. The two experts likewise voiced out dismay over the “wholesale killings of journalists" in the country, and expressed the need for a broader inquiry into the Philippine political system to prevent similar incidents. “This will require a thorough-going investigation of the broader context to be undertaken by a credible and independent body, appointed with full legal powers to carry out an effective inquiry and make recommendations," they said. Alston and La Rue also called on the government to immediately set up a high-level task force to avoid other poll-related violence and “widespread extrajudicial killings." - KBK, GMANews.TV
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