'Arroyo not to blame for Maguindanao violence'

Malacañang chided on Thursday a political ally who blamed it for the government’s supposed failure to stop the "violent" Ampatuan clan from bullying its political rivals in Maguindanao province. Cabinet Secretary Silvestre Bello III insisted that President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo is not to blame for the violence that led to the massacre of at least 57 people in Ampatuan town in Maguindanao last November 23. "It is not right to blame the President. The violence in Maguindanao stemmed from a feud between two families, some whose members are related to each other. The President had nothing to do with this political rivalry that started from both parties," Bello said in Filipino in an interview on dzXL radio. He was referring to an earlier claim by Buluan town Vice Mayor Esmael Mangudadatu last Wednesday that the Arroyo administration was to blame for the violence that led to the November 23 massacre. Mangudadatu had claimed that former Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. and other Malacañang officials knew of the Ampatuans’ violent nature but failed to stop them. Mangudadatu lost his wife, two sisters and an aunt in the bloodbath. At least 32 journalists were also killed in the incident. [See: The Ampatuan Massacre: a map and timeline] The government has charged members of the Ampatuan clan with murder and rebellion for the massacre. "Walang pakialam ang presidente, nagkataon pareho silang kaalyado ng pangulo. Hindi pumapanig ang pangulo sa kanila, pareho silang allies. I don’t know ano ibig sabihin ni Vice Mayor Mangudadatu [na] sinisisi [niya] ang pangulo (The president keeps out of that feud because the parties involved are both political allies of the administration. I don’t know why Mangudadatu is blaming the President)," Bello said. Already, the multiple murder charges against detained Datu Unsay Mayor Andal Ampatuan Jr. are being heard by a Quezon City trial court but hearings on the rebellion case against the other members of the Ampatuan clan have yet to commence. - RSJ, GMANews.TV