NBI: 26 witnesses to render Andal Jr's bail bid impossible

(Updated 11:20 a.m.) No less than 26 witnesses will testify against Andal Ampatuan, Jr. — the primary suspect in the most brutal election-related massacre in Philippine history — and their testimonies will be strong enough to thwart his bid for bail. National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) Anti-Terrorism Unit head Ricardo Diaz, the agency's spokesman on the gruesome massacre in Ampatuan town, Maguindanao issued the statement on Wednesday, a day after the accused pleaded not guilty to the mass murder of 57 people last November 23. [See: Andal Jr. pleads not guilty to multiple murder charges] "Speaking from experience, the witnesses will be more than sufficient for the court to deny Ampatuan’s petition for bail. A suspect in heinous crime cases including multiple murder cannot be entitled to bail," Diaz said in an interview on radio dzXL. Diaz said one of the witnesses is the videographer who took a footage of the crime scene in Ampatuan town shortly after the bloodbath and before soldiers arrived at the scene. Last November 23, alleged henchmen of the powerful Ampatuan clan took hostage the entire convoy led by the wife of Buluan town Vice Mayor Ismael "Toto" Mangudadatu.
The wife, accompanied by relatives and journalists, was on her way to the provincial capitol of Shariff Aguak to file Mangudadatu's certificate of candidacy for governor. All the hostages were driven to an isolated hillside and murdered. Soldiers arrived before the killers could conceal all the bodies and their vehicles in mass graves. Andal Jr., mayor of Datu Unsay town, is accused of masterminding the slaughter. Diaz said Mangudadatu might take the witness stand at the next hearing on January 13 to oppose Andal Jr.'s bid for bail. Aside from having the testimonies of 26 witnesses, the evidence of guilt is "very strong," the NBI official said. "The evidence of guilt is strong, di lang strong, very strong, so siguradong denied ang bail niyan (The evidence of guilt is not only strong. It is very strong. So we are certain his bid for bail will be denied)," Diaz said. GMANews.TV tried several times to contact Andal Jr.'s lawyer Sigfrid Fortun through phone for comment, but the calls were not answered. Andal Jr. was believed to be being groomed to be the successor of his father, former Maguindanao Governor Andal Ampatuan, Sr. He was brought to a makeshift courtroom at the Philippine National Police headquarters in Camp Crame under tight security last Tuesday, and is expected to appear again before the court next week. Andal Jr. can speak Filipino During the hearing, Fortun claimed that Andal Jr. cannot understand neither English nor Filipino, and requested that the charges be read in Maguindanaoan. When no interpreter could be found for the arraignment, the accused was left with no choice but to be arraigned in English. Video footage, however, showed that Andal Jr. can speak the national language. [See: Footage belies claim Andal Jr. can't speak Filipino] Even Diaz and Justice Secretary Agnes Devanadera said on Wednesday that Andal Jr. could speak Filipino. Andal Jr. has been detained at the NBI headquarters in Manila since November 26. Diaz said the NBI was not keen on having Andal Jr. transferred from the NBI to the Quezon City Jail as proposed by civil society lawyer Harry Roque, who represents the families of 10 of the 31 journalists slain in the massacre. Roque earlier said Ampatuan must get a taste of being an ordinary inmate, without compromising security at the facility where he is detained. “Dapat itigil natin ang special treatment sa ating lipunan. Di natin sinasabi di natin dapat improve ang condition sa Quezon City Jail, (pero) kailangan maramdaman ni Unsay na yan (We must stop this special treatment in society. I am not saying we should not improve facilities at the Quezon City Jail but Unsay has to feel what it is to be an ordinary inmate)," Roque said in an interview on dwIZ radio. But Diaz said even though the final decision on the matter would depend on the trial court, the NBI believes the Quezon City jail might not have the proper facilities for high-profile detainees. "Do we have enough security for him (Andal Jr) without affecting his or other inmates’ rights? These are among the matters to be considered. And in the Philippines, we must admit, we lack facilities for inmates," he said. Devanadera likewise said Ampatuan is a "high-risk prisoner" that should not be transferred to an ordinary jail. "Dapat mapanatili rin ng pamahalaan ang safety ng ating preso, lalo na ang akusadong ito. Ang mahalaga si Mayor Unsay ay manatiling humarap sa paglilitis ng sakdal sa kanya (The government must ensure the safety of our prisoners, especially this one. Mayor Unsay should face the charges against him)," she said in an interview over GMA News' Unang Hirit, adding that Ampatuan would be unable to face the charges against him if he is harmed and then hospitalized in the event that he stays in an ordinary jail. — with Johanna Camille Sisante, LBG/RSJ/NPA, GMANews.TV