More Ampatuan weapons found in Maguindanao — military

A cache of firearms believed to be owned by the Ampatuan clan, some members of which stand accused in the massacre of 57 people in Maguindanao province in 2009, had been recovered by government forces, a military spokesman said on Sunday. Col. Prudencio Asto, public affairs officer of the Army’s 6th Infantry Division, said the armaments were retrieved by elements of the 61st Explosives and Ordnance Disposal based on information from a tipster. The haul, which was recovered in Mamasapano town in Maguindanao, included four M16 rifles, six barrels for cal. 50 light machine guns, two barrels for cal. 30 light machine guns, two barrels for M60 machine guns, two bipod for 81 mm mortar, a barrel guard for cal. 30 light machine gun, more than 200 mortar rounds. “These [were] buried and found through a tipster... This arms cache is part of their [armaments] before," said Asto, referring to the Ampatuans. Asto said the seized materials are currently in the custody of the 61st EOD and due to be turned over to the 6th ID’s Field Service Support Unit for safekeeping. Meanwhile, a press statement from the 45th Infantry Battalion based in Barangay Meta in Datu Unsay town said a single explosion of the hidden war materials would have put so several lives in danger. It said that the discovery indicates that the Internal Peace and Security Plan (IPSP) codenamed “Bayanihan" is strongly supported by all stake holders in the area. Government forces have seized thousands of firearms and millions of assorted ammunition in raids conducted at compounds allegedly owned by the Ampatuan family following the declaration of Martial Law in Maguindanao a few days after the Nov. 23, 2009 massacre. Among the key members of the family linked to the carnage are its patriarch Andal Ampatuan Sr., a former Maguindanao governor; his sons Andal Jr., former mayor of Datu Unsay town; and Zaldy, suspended governor of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM). Killed in the massacre were 32 journalists and members and supporters of incumbent Maguindanao Governor Esmael “Toto" Mangudadatu, a member of the Ampatuans’ rival clan. — with a report by Mariz Rivales/KBK/LBG, GMA News