A year after massacre, Ampatuans also seek justice

A year after the November 23 Ampatuan massacre last year, members of the clan accused of committing the killings are also crying for justice. Life has not been easy for many members of the Ampatuan clan, whose younger leader Andal “Unsay" Ampatuan Jr. has been tagged as the alleged mastermind of the gruesome massacre. As some of their of them have been jailed, members of the clan are also seeking justice, according to an exclusive report by GMA News reporter Chino Gaston on 24ORAS on Monday.
Pleading for justice Bongbong Ampatuan, wife of Zaldy Ampatuan — the brother of the main suspect Andal Jr. — made a public appeal for justice to be served to her husband. "Almost one year na po kaming lumalaban — humihingi ng hustisya — na sana naman mapakinggan kung ano ang nasa side namin," she said. (It’s been almost a year that we’ve been struggling — seeking justice — that somehow our side would also be heard.) Zaldy was governor of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) from August 8, 2005 until he was suspended on November 25, 2009, two days after the massacre. He was also the former chairman of the Lakas-Kampi CMD (Christian Muslim Democrats) for ARMM, but was ejected, together with his father, Andal Ampatuan Sr. when Andal Jr. was accused of masterminding the massacre. "Napakahirap po sa amin. Long-lalo na sa mga anak ko, kasi apat po ang anak namin. Bilang asawa ni Zaldy, ako po ay nananawagan para sa kanya, na sana mabigyan din siya ng ...justice," Bongbong said. (It’s very hard for us. Especially for our children, because we have four children. As Zaldy’s wife, I am appealing for him, that hopefully he will also be served justice) Zaldy has denied involvement in the massacre and has declared his innocence on the multiple murder charges that were filed against him and the 82 other suspects. Zaldy’s lawyer is also asking the Court of Appeals to reinstate the April 16, 2010 resolution of the Department of Justice that cleared him of the charges and declared that evidence was insufficient to indict him for multiple murder. Blood thicker than water Despite the hardships they are now facing after their fall from power, clan members say they are still strong and united. "Hindi masisira yung pamilya namin ng mga ganyan-ganyan lang, kasi buo kami (Our family can’t be destroyed just like that, because we are united.)" said Bai Rebecca Ampatuan, sister of Andal Jr. She added that no matter what happens, Andal Jr. will remain their brother whom the family would not forsake. "Kahit anong mangyari, kapatid namin si Unsay. Hindi maaalis sa balat namin. Kadugo namin siya (No matter what happens, Unsay is our brother. It can’t be removed from our skin. He is our blood relative)," Rebecca said. "Blood is thicker than water," she stressed. Fall from grace A year after the massacre, much has changed for the Ampatuans. In the past no one dared challenge their power but the recent May elections have brought defeat for them in many posts. Eshmael Mangudadatu, whose wife, relatives and supporters were killed in the massacre, beat Datu Odin Sinsuat, an ally of the Ampatuans in the bid for governor. However, the Ampatuan’s still wield considerable influence. In the May 2010 elections, the Ampatuans won 15 local posts in Maguindanao, including one of the two congressional seats. Many Ampatuans also won the Oct. 25 barangay elections. (See: How dynasties fared in the May 2010 elections) People voted those they thought had good policies and whose governance was good, Rajah Buayan town mayor Yacob Ampatuan said in the same 24ORAS report. "Talagang ang tao ang pinili kung sino ang alam nila na maganda ang pamamalakad at maganda ang pagtakbo sa gubyerno. Hindi nila tinignan yung apelyedo namin na Ampatuan — na ang kasangkot doon sa Maguindanao massacre ay Ampatuan. Hindi iyon ang tiningnan nila," Yacob said. (Really, what people did was choose who they knew had a good way of running things and of governing. They didn’t look at our family name — that an Ampatuan was implicated in the Maguindanao massacre. That’s not what [people] looked at.) The safety of some Ampatuans are also now at risk. On Sunday morning, two people were hurt when a bomb exploded near the houses of Mayor Akmad Ampatuan of Datu Salibo town and Mayor Samir Uy of Datu Piang, in Maguindanao. The mayor said the blast was the second attempt on his life. The Ampatuan massacre On November 23, 2009, a convoy of journalists, relatives and supporters of Mangudadatu were traveling to Shariff Aguak, the capital of Maguindanao to file candidacy papers for his gubernatorial bid. When they reached Barangay Salman, Ampatuan, they were halted by armed men, allegedly led by Andal Jr. All 57 people in the convoy were gunned down and their bodies dumped into an open pit. The killings, dubbed the worst case of election violence, were allegedly also rooted in the political system entrenched in Maguindanao — one in which vicious feuds called “rido" erupt between powerful political clans, often sending villagers fleeing as refugees. A Human Rights Watch report released on November 16 claimed that the Ampatuans ruled the province by sowing fear and committed abuses with impunity. The HRW said the Ampatuans were allegedly responsible for more than 50 incidents of killings, torture, sexual assault and abductions in the last 20 years. — Danilova Molintas/RSJ/VVP, GMANews.TV