NBI: 4,000 firearms still in the hands of Ampatuan followers

Government agents on Monday said there are at least 3,000 to 4,000 loose firearms believed to be still in the possession of supporters of the powerful Ampatuan clan in Maguindanao province. Ricardo Diaz of the National Bureau of Investigation’s (NBI) Counter Terrorism Unit said they have started applying for search warrants in several courts in the province to retrieve these weapons. “The Counter Terrorism Unit is tasked to locate the firearms so that these will not be used to commit violence, political violence and intimidations in the coming elections and to have free elections in the province of Maguindanao and the whole Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao," he said. Some members of the Ampatuan family, including its patriarch Andal Ampatuan Sr., are currently detained in connection with the grisly massacre of 57 people in Ampatuan town last Nov. 23. Among those killed were members of the rival Mangudadatu family and 32 journalists. “The military and police have recovered over 1,000 firearms. But there are 5,000 police, military and civilian security who are involved in security surveillance on the roads when the Nov. 23 massacre was carried out. All these 5,000 people are armed according to our witnesses. But over 1,000 guns were only recovered so we need to retrieve thousands of firearms between 3,000 to 4,000 firearms," Diaz said. He said the firearms could be hidden in warehouses, safe houses or even buried underground. “The legal way to retrieve these firearms is to have search warrants. The martial law was already lifted so the process may be lengthy because it may take time to apply and get search warrants," he said. President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo placed Maguindanao under martial law for eight days in early December to contain an alleged looming rebellion to be led by Ampatuan loyalists. A large number of loose firearms were recovered by government security forces during that period. - KBK, GMANews.TV