Ampatuans held ‘coverup’ meeting a day after massacre, says witness

A day after the massacre of 58 people in Maguindanao on November 23 last year, members and supporters of the Ampatuan clan allegedly gathered at a meeting to discuss how to cover up the grisly crime. This was according to Noh Akil, a councilman of Barangay Salman, who claims he not only witnessed how policemen and militiamen set up a checkpoint at Sitio Malating prior to the massacre but also was invited to the November 24 meeting at an Ampatuan residence in Shariff Aguak, the provincial capital. Sitio Masalay, where the Mangudadatu clan’s convoy was blocked, and Sitio Malating, where the actual mass killing took place, are both part of Barangay Salman, in Ampatuan town just outside the provincial capital. In his testimony before the Quezon City Trial Court on Wednesday, Akil said that prior to the killings, he saw armed men guard the Malating checkpoint from November 20 to 23. He said he saw the group’s movement because he lived near the checkpoint. On the morning of November 23, one of the armed men warned him and his family to flee from the area if they did not want to get into trouble. Akil said he instructed his children to ride a tricycle to the poblacion (municipal center), while he and his wife sought refuge at a near camp of the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF), located around 350 to 400 meters away from the checkpoint. He said he did not see the massacre itself, but claimed he heard firing that lasted between 20 to 30 minutes. He also claimed to have seen a prime mover (a heavy vehicle designed to transport other bulky vehicle) carrying a backhoe driving toward the crime scene around noontime. A day after the killings, Akil and his wife returned to their residence. Not too long later, Akil said, he was fetched by men aboard a Toyota Hi-Lux van and brought to an Ampatuan mansion in Shariff Aguak. There, he claimed having seen then Chief Inspector Sukarno Dicay and Inspector Ariel Rex Diongon, both among the 196 currently accused in the multiple murder case that stemmed from the Ampatuan massacre. Akil also listed the following as among those present at the meeting: Maguindanao officer-in-charge Gov. Sajid Ampatuan, son of the clan patriarch Andal Sr. and co-accused in the case; Cynthia Sayadi, lawyer of Sajid's brother, Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao Gov. Zaldy Ampatuan; and then Maguindanao provincial administrator Nori Unas, who is known as the “right-hand man" of Andal Sr. and principal accused Andal Jr. Akil said Dicay approached him and instructed him to tell the authorities that he did not see the policemen and militiamen and that he returned to his home at around 11 a.m. of November 23. According to Akil, they also discussed how to explain to authorities why the backhoe, which was found abandoned at the crime site, was there in the first place. Akil said one of the men present at the meeting, whom he described as "dark-skinned," suggested that they tell authorities the backhoe had been at the site for the past six days. But Sayadi allegedly shot down the suggestion and replied: "Hindi pa puwede dahil hindi pa tayo nag-scrape [That can’t be because we haven’t scraped yet]." Nena Santos, legal counsel for now Maguindanao Gov. Esmael "Toto" Mangudadatu, later explained to reporters that "scrape" meant that the Ampatuans wanted to make it appear that the backhoe was being used for a non-existent road pavement project in the area, and thus avoid suspicion that it was used for the crime. During the November 24 meeting, Akil also said Sajid approached him, tapped him on the left shoulder, and allegedly slipped P2,000 into his breast pocket so he could buy fish for his family. Akil also said in court that he paid a price for deciding to testify against the Ampatuans. On January 29, a day after he became known as one of the witnesses the prosecution was planning to present, armed men burned down his house in Sitio Masalay. After Akil's testimony, defense lawyers agreed to reserve their cross examination during the next hearing on Thursday. Waiver of appearance Andal Jr. did not show up for Wednesday's hearing, after Judge Jocelyn Solis-Reyes approved on November 30 his camp's move to waive his right to appear in the proceedings. In a request filed before the sala of the Quezon City judge, Andal Jr.'s lawyer Sigfrid Fortun said his client no longer needs to be present at the hearings because they have already long stipulated that the former mayor who is called Datu Unsay by witnesses in their respective testimonies was his client. Santos said the defense's stipulation could only work against Andal Jr. "Ibig sabihin, inaamin nila na si Datu Unsay ay naandito sa ganitong lugar at sa ganitong oras," she said. (This means they are admitting that Datu Unsay was here in this specific place at this specific time.) "So bakit ka pa magko-cross examine kung inaamin mong ang kliyente mo ay nandoon sa area?" she added. (So why do you still need to cross-examine, when you have already admitted that your client was there in the area?)—JV/HS, GMANews.TV