Text invitations to media from jail guards belie the defense of jail officials on the controversial press conference last Tuesday of the prime suspect in the Nov. 23 Maguindanao massacre, a lawyer of the families of the victims said Thursday. In a radio interview, Lawyer Harry Roque Jr. said many journalists he talked to had said they were "invited" by guards of Mayor Andal Ampatuan Jr. "Ang kasama sa media nagsabi ang nag-text sa kanila para pumunta sa press conference na yan.... [nag-text] ang gwardya ni Unsay na taga-BJMP (Media representatives who covered the event said they received text messages from Andal Ampatuan Jr.’s guards at the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology, about a press conference)," Roque said in an interview on dwIZ radio. Andal Jr., a.k.a. Unsay, is one of the key suspects in the massacre of 57 people, including 32 journalists, in Ampatuan town in Maguindanao last Nov. 23.
On Tuesday, Andal Jr. told reporters at the detention facility inside Camp Bagong Diwa in Taguig City that he was endorsing the presidential bid of Liberal Party standard bearer Sen. Benigno Simeon "Noynoy" Aquino III. Aquino rejected the endorsement. The controversial press conference has since elicited a public outcry, with lawyers representing families of the massacre victims mulling filing contempt charges against jail officials who allowed the briefing to take place. [See:
Raps eyed vs Andal Jr., jail execs over prison presscon] Malacañang washed its hands off the incident. On Thursday, Roque said media representatives he talked to narrated the place of the supposed “interview" with Andal Jr. was arranged for a press conference. "
Nagpapatunay ang press conference na yan may nagplano. Tingin namin kasama sa plano siraan si G. Aquino at G. Roxas (That press conference indicates a bigger plan to discredit Aquino and his running mate Manuel Roxas II)," he said. "
Alam ko ang Ampatuan may personal na relation sa ibang kandidato. Ang punto doon kahit sino ang suportahan nila alam nila 'kiss of death' ang kanilang endorsement. Kung sino ang ie-endorse nila, yan ang kaaway nila (I know the Ampatuans have personal ties with other candidates. And they are aware their support will be a kiss of death, so whoever they support will be their enemies)," he added.
'Simple interview' But Senior Inspector Lloyd Gonzaga, officer-in-charge of the jail facility where the Ampatuans are detained, stressed that the event was a “simple interview" and was not a “press conference." Gonzaga said such interviews are allowed so long as the "correct process" is observed in speaking to the media. "
Simpleng interview lang ito sa accused.
Ito ay nangyari dahil may request at wala namang tutol ang attorney (It was just a simple interview and it happened because there was a request and none of the lawyers objected to it)," he said.
— LBG/RSJ, GMANews.TV 
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