DOJ not keen on taking the Ampatuans to Manila

Members of the Ampatuan clan and other figures who were arrested after martial law was imposed in Maguindanao over the weekend may not be brought to Manila due to security concerns. Justice Secretary Anges Devanadera said that security arrangements may not be sufficient if the Ampatuan family members, who were rounded up since Saturday, were to be brought to Manila. “Sa dami ng naaresto hihilingin namin na sa halip ilipat dito sa Manila, doon na lang sa area (With the number of those arrested, we are asking that they should not be brought to to Manila. To transfer them is difficult)," she said in an interview on dzBB radio Sunday morning. Security forces took into custody several local government officials including clan patriarch Andal Ampatuan Sr. and his three sons, who have been linked to the Nov. 23 massacre. Andal Sr. was taken into government custody before dawn Saturday, but had to be brought to the Davao Doctors Hospital in Davao City after his blood pressure shot up. Press Secretary Cerge Remonde cited reports from the field on Saturday that the patriarch would be transferred to the Eastern Mindanao Command where there is a military hospital. Zaldy Ampatuan, governor of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, and his brothers - acting Governor Sajid Ampatuan and Shariff Aguak mayor Anwar - were brought to the provincial police headquarters in Maguindanao. In the meantime, Devanadera said that the DOJ is concentrating on filing separate cases of multiple murder and rebellion against those arrested after martial law was declared. She pointed out that under the 1987 Constitution, those arrested during martial law should be freed after three days if government fails to file a case against them. “Kailangan namin ma-file ang cases (We have to get ready to file the cases)…in three days," she said. On Saturday, Devanadera said a “looming rebellion" was the basis for the declaration of martial law in Maguindanao as armed groups had shut down municipal halls and government offices. She said there is enough evidence to file rebellion cases against those arrested last Saturday. “Our evidence is strong. This was not an ordinary disorder. It had an armed component, the elements of rebellion are there. Allegiance or loyalty to the Republic had been removed," she said. - LBG, GMANews.TV