2 suspects in murder of massacre witness nabbed

Police have arrested two suspects in the killing of Suwaib Upham, a potential key witness in the multiple murder case stemming from the Ampatuan carnage last year that shocked the world. An initial radio report on Saturday quoted police officials as identifying Upham's attackers as a certain Abdullah Pasawilan alias "Dedo Pasawilan," and Morted Sintal. Upham claimed to be one of the gunmen in the November 23, 2010 massacre in Maguindanao that left dead 57 people, including 32 journalists, in what is regarded the worst, single-day election-related violence in Philippine history. After deciding to turn his back on the Ampatuans, Upham approached the prosecution and in February faced the media — although masked under the alias "Jessie" — to explicitly state that the powerful Ampatuan clan was behind the killings. Upham tried to apply for the government’s witness protection program, but was killed before he was granted protection. Private prosecutor Harry Roque earlier claimed that he already knew the identities of Upham's four attackers but refused to reveal them to media. Roque had said they learned about the suspects' identities through Upham's relatives and a person who claimed to have witnessed his killing. Reached by GMANews.TV on Saturday night, Roque refused to confirm if the suspects arrested by the police were among those he had earlier eyed as suspects in the crime. "Hindi muna ako magco-confirm kasi baka maaberya iyong paghahanap doon sa dalawa pa (I won't confirm anything yet because it might snag efforts to find the other two)," Roque said over the phone. Roque promised he would reveal the names of all four suspects once he gets an assurance that police have already collared them. "Everyone knows I am all for the 'freedom of information,' [meaning] I share eveything I know. But this is an exception," Roque said in jest, alluding to the House bill that would have allowed the public to gain easier access to government documents and transactions.—JV, GMANews.TV