Our families suffer too, wives of 'massacre cops' say

The wives of some of the Maguindanao policemen accused in the Ampatuan multiple murder case staged their own "peace rally" in Cotabato City on Saturday to demand justice for their detained husbands. The lawmen's wives, collectively known as the "11/23 advocates," took to the streets of Cotabato City to ask for the speedy resolution of their husbands' case, according to a weekend report on radio dzMM. Gladys Solano, wife of suspect SPO1 Ali Solano, said that she and other detained policemen’s wives are already suffering financial woes because the salaries of their husbands have been withheld for several months now. The 62 policemen, who have been detained for more than a year now, are currently facing administrative charges of grave misconduct before the National Police Commission. The accused police officers belong to the 15th Regional Mobile Group, 1507th Provincial Police Mobile Group, and the 1508th PPMG. They were charged for conspiring with the main perpetrators of the massacre by manning several checkpoints at Sitios Masalay and Malating, both in Barangay Salman, Ampatuan town. The protesting wives said they plan to travel to Manila later in the month to further underscore the urgency of their appeal. They would also be holding peace rallies from December 19 until Christmas. The cops, along with prominent members of the influential Ampatuan clan and its alleged private army, are currently being tried for 57 charges of murder in connection with the November 23 massacre. The case is being heard at the sala of Judge Jocelyn Solis-Reyes of the Quezon City Regional Trial Court Branch 221. Hearings are currently being held twice a week inside a makeshift courtroom inside the Quezon City Jail Annex Building inside Camp Bagong Diwa in Taguig Ciy. Separate from the criminal case, the adminstrative case of the policemen is being heard on Fridays by a three-man panel of the National Police Commission also at Camp Bagong Diwa. Killed in the worst election-related violence in the Philippines are members of an electoral convoy of the Mangudadatu clan, lawyers, supporters, 32 journalists, and motorists of two vehicles that were not part of the convoy but were commandeered just the same. The members of the convoy were planning to file the certificate of candidacy of then Buluan Vice Mayor Esmael "Toto" Mangudadatu for the May 2010 elections. Mangudadatu, whose clan was originally known to be an ally of the Ampatuan but later turning into a rival, eventually won as governor.—JV, GMANews.TV