Maguindanao massacre victims warned of looming danger - witness

Victims of the grisly massacre in Maguindanao province knew of the danger that was waiting for them on their way to Shariff Aguak on the fateful day of November 23, 2009. According to Khadafeh Mangudadatu, older brother of Maguindanao Gov. Esmael “Toto" Mangudadatu, the journalists who joined the ill-fated convoy were informed of the checkpoints and the presence of heavily armed men along the road before they left General Santos City. “They were informed through text message that there were many armed men na naka-blockade sa papuntang Shariff Aguak," said Khadafeh, who took the witness stand Wednesday as the prosecution’s sixth witness in the ongoing trial on the Maguindanao massacre. Kadafeh was among the Mangudadatus who organized the convoy and was responsible for inviting journalists to cover the filing of the certificate of candidacy of Esmael, which was supposed to be done on his behalf by his wife, sisters and several supporters. The witness said he, his relatives, the family's supporters, and the journalists he invited gathered at their house around 6 a.m. of November 23 to prepare for the trip to Shariff Aguak. The convoy didn’t make it to Shariff Aguak, however. They were flagged down and mercilessly shot to death by armed men allegedly upon the order of Andal Ampatuan Jr., scion of the wealthy Ampatuan clan. Khadafeh later told reporters that the warning probably came from colleagues of the journalists who were in the area where the checkpoints had been set up. The checkpoints, manned by the members of the local police's regional and provincial mobile group, as well as alleged members of the Ampatuans’ private army, were allegedly meant to prevent the convoy from reaching Shariff Aguak. Despite the warning indicated in the text message, Khadafeh said some of the reporters insisted on pushing through with the filing of Mangudadatu’s certificate of candidacy (COC). “Sabi ng iba, filing lang naman. Punta tayo dun, mag-file, take some pictures tapos uwi na (Some of them said, it’s just a filing. We’ll just go there, file the COC, take some pictures, and go home)," Khadafeh told the court. Khadafeh said they were also confident that no harm would befall the convoy because most of those who were in it were women, including Toto’s wife, Bai Genalin, and his two sisters, Bai Eden and Bai Farina. “It was agreed upon that Bai Eden, Bai Farina, and other female relatives will be filing the COC to avoid trouble. Kasi alam namin na ang babae ay nirerespeto (Because women should be respected)," said Khadafeh. Khadafeh said they learned about the blocking of the electoral convoy through a text message from another person. "Holi nila ang media. Pinagkukuha ang camera nila [They held the media and seized their cameras]," read the text message. Citing security reasons, the witness refused to identify in court who sent the text message, but said the person was a "former regional official in Maguindanao" who has a relative among the members of the convoy and likewise related to suspect Chief Inspector Sukarno Dicay. Khadafeh said they went to a nearby mosque to pray after learning of the massacre. On the night of November 23, Khadafeh, Toto and other members of the Mangudadatu clan proceeded to a funeral parlor in Koronadal City to see the remains of their slain loved ones. “Masakit ang ang nangyari kasi kitang-kita mo kung paano sila nahirapan at pinahirapan (It was painful because it was obvious that they were tortured)," Khadafeh said. “Iyong isa basag yung bungo. Yung isa naman (One victim’s skull was crushed, while another one), her private part was slashed. While another of our relatives, the zipper of her pants was pulled down," he added. During his testimony, Khadafeh also identified through photographs shown to him several members of the convoy, including his relatives and the 32 journalists killed in the massacre. - KBK, GMANews.TV