Mangudadatu says ‘Ampatuan emissary’ offered him P150M to drop case

Maguindanao Gov. Esmael "Toto" Mangudadatu claims that he has received bribe offers ranging from P150 to P300 million from an alleged emissary of the Ampatuans last month and that he has a recorded phone conversation to prove his claim. Producing his cellphone from his pocket after he stepped out of the court room at the Quezon City Hall of Justice, Mangudadatu on Wednesday let reporters listen to his recorded conversation with the supposed emissary, who he claims used to be in his ward but later "transferred" to the Ampatuan camp. In the recording, the man could be heard offering P150 million in exchange for the dropping of charges against suspended Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao Gov. Zaldy Ampatuan. Mangudadatu, who lost his wife, sister and several other relatives in the November 23 massacre last year, was among those who filed 57 counts of murder against 196 individuals being linked to the carnage, including prominent members of the Ampatuan clan. Mangudadatu said he joked about the offer not being high enough, and suggested to the man to see if the offer could be jacked up further. The man replied, "Meron pa, malaki pa ang pera [There’s more. The available money is more than enough]." According to the governor, the phone calls started about early November with the man asking if Zaldy's wife, Datu Hoffer town mayor Bai Bongbong Ampatuan, could pay a visit to Mangudadatu's mother who was sick with cancer. Mangudadatu said he refused to give the location where his mother was confined "for security reasons." As the days passed, Mangudadatu claimed, his conversations with the man progressed into bribe offers, with the governor not promptly telling the emissary he was not interested in the offer because "gusto ko munang makakuha pa ng information [I wanted to get more information]." In early December, however, Mangudadatu no longer heard from the emissary. "Siguro nakahalata na siya na at iniisip niya baka tina-trap ko siya, kaya hindi na uli tumawag." (Maybe he sensed that I might be trapping him, so he stopped calling.) "And so I decided, I would just tell it to the public," he added. But Mangudadatu's legal counsel, Nena Santos, said they do not intend to just publicize the bribe attempt issue, as they are preparing to bring it up before Judge Jocelyn Solis-Reyes. Santos said the recorded conversion could not be considered a wiretapped conversation because "that was his own recording. That was him talking and he just recorded it. It's his possession." The lawyer said her client would later execute an affidavit about the conversation. Also, Mangudadatu would be testifying anew in court to recount details of the bribe try by the supposed Ampatuan emissary. "That is no longer part of wire-tapping because he will be testifying," Santos stressed. Mangudadatu's bribe allegation came a week after Interior Secretary Jesse Robredo and Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) director Rosendo Dial confirmed reports that jail officials where the accused are detained have been offered bribes to facilitate the escape of the Ampatuans.—JV, GMANews.TV