Govt forces look for more Ampatuan weaponry

With martial law in place and local judges literally 'missing in action,' government forces can now scour Maguindanao for more artillery that the powerful Ampatuan clan may still be hiding. Lt. Gen. Raymundo Ferrer, who became acting military governor of Maguindanao after the martial law declaration, said he has received reports that some members of the powerful clan could still be harboring more hidden firearms, apart from those seized in the house of Datu Unsay mayor Andal Ampautan Jr. "We suspect there are still some firearms hidden in the houses. So now that we don't need a search warrant from the judges... we can continue searching the houses of the suspected perpetrators of the massacre," Ferrer said. Ferrer said that authorities initially had a hard time securing search warrants from the local courts in the province since "most of them are on leave and they don't want to issue warrants." Known to be one of the most powerful clans in Maguindanao, the Ampatuans -some of whom currently occupy the highest posts in the province- are said to be in control of a private army, much to the fear of local residents. This same private group of armed men is being blamed for the massacre of 57 people, including lawyers and journalists, in Ampatuan town last November 23. The Ampatuans have repeatedly denied involvement in the carnage. The Palace on Friday said it would be creating a commission that will be given broad powers to dismantle clan-controlled private armed groups in the province. Ferrer agreed with the Palace's plan, saying they were already "looking at disarming and dismantling all private armies in Maguindanao." The government earlier disbanded and disarmed almost 400 members of the Special CAFGU Active Auxilliary (SCAA). On Thursday, authorities unearthed a stash of firearms and explosives, among other weapons, from a vacant lot in Shariff Aguak that was barely 300 meters away from the house of a relative of the Ampatuans. Authorities have yet to identify the owner of the buried weapons. A day later, a raid of Andal Jr's house, also in Shariff Aguak, led to the discovery of hidden ammunition and ammo cases. Police said Andal Jr could face charges of illegal possession of firearms for keeping the items inside his property. Andal Jr. is currently facing 25 counts of murder after being tagged as a prime suspect in the Maguindanao massacre. Not for long? Despite criticism against the martial law declaration, Ferrer assured that military rule in Maguindanao would not spill over to neighboring provinces. "Ang limitation is to do our job not exceeding 60 days. I think we can do our job within that time," Ferrer said. "There's no need to extend it outside Mindanao. Ito lang naman ang problemado from the very start because there is lack of governance." Ferrer said their main focus after the declaration is to apprehend perpetrators of the Maguindanao massacre. "There are no functioning courts kaya pag may problem with the recent massacre, we could not find any judge in the area," he added. Security forces earlier invited for questioning former Maguindanao Governor and clan patriarch Andal Ampatuan Sr. and his sons, ARMM Gov. Zaldy Ampatuan, acting governor Sajid Ampatuan, and Shariff Aguak mayor Anwar Ampatuan. Verzosa said the Ampatuans and other local officials in their custody will only be released in three days if no charges are filed against them. Another task of the military while martial law is in place is to ensure that no rebellions are staged against the government. Authorities said they have been receiving reports that armed men connected to the Ampatuans have begun massing in Mamasapano, Shariff Aguak, and Datu Unsay -all considered bailiwicks of the powerful clan. "Iyong 100 na suspected involved doon sa massacre ay pumunta at nag link up with other sympathazers [sa mga lugar na iyon] so ito ang hinahabol natin (The 100 armed men suspected to be involved in the massacre have fled to those areas and linked up with sympathizers there)," Verzosa explained. - TJD, GMANews.TV