Andal Sr. nephew shot dead in Sultan Kudarat

A nephew of a key suspect in the November 23 massacre in Maguindanao was shot dead by unidentified assailants in Sultan Kudarat on Wednesday, according to an Army division spokesman. In a text message, Lt. Col. Benjamin Hao, spokesperson of the Philippine Army’s 6th Infantry Division said Datu Cliff Ampatuan, 50 years old and a nephew of former Maguindanao Gov. Andal Ampatuan Sr., was gunned down by two unidentified men at around 5:30 p.m. in Barangay Laginding, Esperanza town in Sultan Kudarat. The victim was reportedly home-bound on board his red Toyota Celica with his wife Bai Normiya Ampatuan and two others, Ali Omar and Harris Gaya, when the suspects attacked on board a black Honda XRM motorcycle. Hao said the suspects used a .45-caliber pistol, based on three empty shells recovered from the scene. The victims were brought to Tamondong Memorial Clinic and Hospital in nearby Barangay Ala, where Datu Cliff was declared dead on arrival, while his wife and two other companions were critically wounded. The motive for the crime is still unknown, Hao added. Andal Sr., the patriarch of the powerful Ampatuan clan of the Maguindanao province, is facing charges of 57 counts of murder together with his son Andal Jr. and nearly 200 others for his alleged involvement in the massacre in November 23, 2009 of 57 people, including 32 journalists, in the town named after them.—With Jerrie M. Abella/JV, GMANews.TV