Witnesses in Maguindanao massacre arrive at DOJ
Witnesses to the November 23 Maguindanao massacre arrived at the Department of Justice (DOJ) building in Manila as authorities beefed up security for the first preliminary investigation into the mass killings in Ampatuan town on Friday afternoon. GMA News' Tina Panganiban-Perez reported that the Philippine National Pollice (PNP) convoy carrying at least 20 police officers implicated in the gruesome mass murder of 57 people arrived at the DOJ compound around 11:20 a.m. for the 2 p.m. preliminary investigation. Police officers have beefed up security at the DOJ, checking everyone who enters the compound. The parking space inside the compound has also been cordoned off, the report said. The media were prohibited from entering the multi-purpose hall where the preliminary investigation will take place, but cameras have been set up inside the venue to allow them to monitor the situation from outside. The DOJ issued subpoenas to around 200 people, including prime suspect Datu Unsay Mayor Andal Ampatuan Jr., who was the first member of his powerful clan to be charged for multiple murder. Other members of the Ampatuan clan told to attend the preliminary investigation include patriarch and former Maguindanao governor Andal Ampatuan Sr., Autonomous Region for Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) Governor Zaldy Ampatuan, Maguindanao Governor Sajid Islam Ampatuan, Vice Governor Akhmad Ampatuan, and Shariff Aguak Mayor Anwar Ampatuan. All have been charged with rebellion, which the Arroyo administration cited as the basis for its one-week imposition of martial law over the southern Philippine province.