Mangudadatu says Andal Jr faked illness

Maguindanao Gov. Esmael “Toto" Mangudadatu said he does not believe that Andal Ampatuan Jr., prime suspect in the Maguindanao massacre case, skipped Wednesday’s hearing due to sickness. Mangudadatu, who lost his wife and sisters in the massacre, told reporters after the hearing that Police Inspector Sukarno Dicay, also a suspect in the case, had told him that Andal Jr. was faking his illness. "Sabi sa akin kanina ni Dicay, niloloko lang tayo ni Andal Jr. Kanina daw nagja-jogging pa yan dito sa labas. At palagi daw iyan nagba-basketball dito (Dicay told me Andal Jr. was even jogging earlier, and that he frequently plays basketball)," Mangudadatu said. Dicay confirmed this to GMANews.TV in a separate – but brief – interview. Mangudadatu said perhaps Andal Jr., mayor of Datu Unsay town at the time of the massacre, just did not want to listen to the testimony of his alleged bodyguard, Police Inspector Rex Ariel Diongon, a co-accused in the case and a prospective state witness. Before Wednesday's hearing, a jail warden told the court that Andal Jr. couldn't make it to the proceedings because he was suffering from "stomach aches, colds, and dizziness." He said a doctor was already conducting a check up on the suspect at that time. [See: ‘Dizzy’ Andal Jr skips multiple murder hearing] Dr. Claro Munding, medical officer at the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology-Metro Manila, said in a medical certificate he prepared and later presented in court that Andal Jr. was suffering from acute gastroenteritis. Mangudadatu's legal counsel, Nena Santos, said she doubts the authenticity of the medical certificate, pointing out the wrong spelling – “accute" instead of “acute" – in referring to Andal Jr.’s condition. Mangudadatu private army? In his testimony, Diongon said the checkpoint was set up to stop the ill-fated convoy and bring them to Andal Jr. He said the Ampatuans originally thought Mangudadatu would be filing his certificate of candidacy (COC) accompanied by his supposed private army named Buwaya sa Lanao (Crocodile of Lanao). But asked after the hearing if he indeed has a private army, Mangudadatu said: "Hindi puwedeng magdala ng private army sa mga ganyan (Private armies are not allowed when filing certificates of candidacy)." Mangudadatu said Diongon's testimony was "okay" and ran "consistently" with testimonies from other witnesses so far presented by the prosecution. [See related: Andal Jr, men beat up victims first before shooting them - witness] Among the witnesses who had already taken the witness stand were Lakmodin Saliao, an Ampatuan house help who claimed the Ampatuans planned the massacre over dinner; farmer Norodin Mauyag, who claimed that Andal Jr. and his uncle Datu Kanor were at the checkpoint where the Mangudadatu convoy was stopped; and Abdul Esmael Abubakar, who witnessed the killings and the burial of the victims' remains using a backhoe. - KBK, GMANews.TV