Counsel: Killers of massacre witness linked to Ampatuans

A lawyer of the families of the victims in the Maguindanao massacre on Monday linked the Ampatuan clan to the killing of self-confessed gunman and possible witness ‘Jessie’. "Ayon sa witnesses, kilalang empleyado ng mga Ampatuan yung mga suspek," said lawyer Harry Roque, who represents families of slain journalists in what is considered as the Philippines’ worst, single-day, election-related violence. (According to witnesses, the suspects are known employees of the Ampatuans.) Roque did not identify the four suspects, who reportedly served as militiamen for the Ampatuan clan, accused of masterminding the massacre of 57 people, including 32 journalists, in Maguindanao in November last year. Police are hunting down the suspects in the killing of Jessie, Roque said at a press conference in Manila. "Ako po ay naniniwala na ang motibo ng pagpatay sa kanya ay dahil sa kanyang posibleng maging testimonya (sa Maguindanao massacre)," Roque said. (I believe that the motive in the killing of Jessie is connected with his possible testimony on the Maguindanao massacre.) Alleged gunmen Jessie, who also used the names Sweb Dalagdag Tasil, Sweb Dalagdag Bedol and Suwaib Upham, was killed two weeks ago. [See: Maguindanao massacre witness killed — lawyer] He claimed he was one of the seven gunmen who participated in the massacre. The six other alleged gunmen were Datu Unsay mayor Datu Andal Ampatuan Jr. himself, Ampatuan’s cousins Datu Kanor, Datu Ban, and Datu Mama; police officer Ando Masukat; and a certain Kudja. Jessie was brought to Manila four months ago to apply for the Department of Justice’ Witness Protection Program (WPP) but talks broke down after the government prosecutors insisted that Jessie should go to the DOJ. Jessie refused because the DOJ was allegedly "hawak ng mga Ampatuan (controlled by the Ampatuans)." Roque and other lawyers brought Jessie to a seminary in an undisclosed place on March 1. However, five unidentified men ‘attacked’ it by trying to find the witness, prompting the transfer of Jessie to another place. Jessie’s last communication with the lawyers was sometime May. Since the meeting between Jessie and the government prosecutors did not push through, Roque submitted to the DOJ a detailed narration of what would have been Jessie’s testimony. Because of the alleged stubbornness, Roque and Philippine Alliance of Human Rights Advocates blamed the DOJ for failing to prevent Jessie’s death. Two witnesses now in custody The four suspects were all known employees of the Ampatuans according to two witnesses who are now under the custody of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group-Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, the lawyer said. "May hawak na dalawang testigo ang CIDG-ARMM (Criminal Investigation and Detection Group-Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao) na may [mga] written statement," Roque said. (The CIDG-ARMM already has two witnesses in its custody.) It was Senior Superintendent Elmo Francis Sarona from the CIDG office in Camp Crame, who updated him about the case, Roque said. Accusations unfair, Ampatuan lawyer says Lawyer Phillip Pantojan, counsel of the Ampatuans, on the other hand, said the accusations were unfair. He said the CAFGUs (Civilian Armed Forces Geographical Unit), where the four suspects allegedly belong, is not under the employ of the Ampatuans but with the Department of National Defense. "We should study the statements of these witnesses. How would the public take these? Those statements are uncalled for. It creates prejudices against my clients," Pantojan told GMANews.TV in a phone interview. The lawyer said the statement that the supposed killers of Jessie were under the Ampatuans would make people conclude that the Ampatuans were responsible for the death of a possible witness against them. Pantojan said they are monitoring the statements being issued to the media by the other camp. "Kung lumampas sila sa kanilang limitasyon, sa right to make an opinion, we will not hesitate to file libel charges against them to protect the right of our clients," he said. "Everybody seemed in cahoots with each other, throwing false accusations. These are wild guesses, walang basehan," the lawyer added. — Amita O. Legaspi, RJAB Jr., RSJ, GMANews.TV