De Lima links Maguindanao blast to massacre anniversary

(Updated 9:07 p.m.) An explosion that rocked Shariff Aguak Central School in Maguindanao province at 6 a.m. Sunday, wounding two civilians, was likely the work of those “trying to scare off people expected to flock at the massacre site to the first year anniversary commemoration of the Maguindanao massacre," Justice Secretary Leila de Lima said. One of those injured was the wife of a local official, according to a report by Maj. Gen. Anthony Alcantara of the Philippine Army’s 6th Infantry Division. The blast was likely from an improvised explosive device or IED, the report said. “Whoever [was] behind this latest incident [is] probably trying to scare off the hundreds expected to flock at the massacre site tomorrow [Monday] for the first year commemoration of the massacre site," De Lima said in a text message. “Some people are simply heartless and evil," she added. Relatives of the 57 massacre victims, as well as media organizations, plan to stage a motorcade in Maguindanao this Tuesday as part of the commemoration activities for the carnage. The group will retrace their victims’ last journey from General Santos City to Sitio Masalay in Barangay Salman, Ampatuan town, where the victims were mercilessly shot and buried by men allegedly associated with the powerful Ampatuan clan. Senior Superintendent Marcelo Pintac, provincial police director of Maguindanao, said commuters need not worry if they plan to travel to Shariff Aguak town. “The bombing in Shariff Aguak highway was isolated," he said. Two top military officials, Lt. Col. Noli Samarita of the 33rd Infantry Battalion, and Lt. Col. Jerry Nicudin of the 35th IB, said they would provide security along the way to ensure the security of the activity. Sunday blast Sunday’s explosion came from a parked motorcycle in Barangay Poblacion in Shariff Aguak around 6 a.m., according to a report by GMA News’ Chino Gaston on Balitanghali.
Alcantara of the Army’s 6th Infantry Division identified the two victims as Alandoni Angko Ampatuan and Bai Lyn Uy, wife of Datu Piang Mayor Samer Uy. They were brought to the Maguindanao Provincial Hospital for treatment. An improvised explosive device was planted in the Honda XRM motorcycle parked near the Shariff Aguak Central School, with an 81mm mortar as its main charge, Alcantara said. The strong explosion almost brought down a waiting shed where the motorcycle was parked, and the shrapnel hit nearby houses and parked cars, reported Gaston on Balitanghali. Police authorities have yet to identify the suspects and the motives for the explosion. However, Bai Lyn Uy suspects that the perpetrators’ target was Datu Salibu town Mayor Akhmad Ampatuan, whose car had passed by moments before the explosion, Gaston reported. Sources from the military said the incident may have something to do with the coming anniversary of the Maguindanao massacre, which resulted in the displacement of the powerful Ampatuan clan from various elected posts in the province. Magunidanao massacre On Nov. 23, 2009, a convoy on its way to file the candidacy of then Buluan Vice Mayor and now Maguindanao Gov. Esmael “Toto" Mangudadatu — including his relatives, supporters, lawyers, and 32 journalists and media workers — was flagged down by several armed men. Members of the convoy were then brought to a grassy hilltop in Sitio Masalay, where they were shot and buried allegedly upon orders from then Datu Unsay mayor Andal Ampatuan Jr., who surrendered to authorities on Nov. 26, 2009 and is now under custody of the National Bureau of Investigation. Andal Jr. and 195 others, including his father and other relatives, policemen and militiamen, are facing 57 counts of murder for the carnage. So far, 82 suspects have been arrested while more than 100 remain at large. Senator Joker Arroyo had commented earlier that the trial may take as long as two centuries, but at the rate of two witnesses per month, the Quezon City Regional Trial Court may take some 20 years to hear the testimonies of all 169 prosecution witnesses and 320 defense witnesses. Some motorists trailing the convoy were also killed. The incident was the single worst case of election-related violence in the country’s history, and has made the Philippines the most dangerous place for journalists, according to various media organizations. — With additional reporting by Sophia Dedace and Malu Manar/KBK/LRS/VS, GMANews.TV