Lawyer: Zaldy Ampatuan to give up politics for good

Suspended Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao governor Rizaldy "Zaldy" Ampatuan, who is embroiled in multiple-murder charges stemming from the gruesome massacre of 57 people in Nov. 2009, is giving up politics for good, lawyer Howard Calleja said. Calleja, Zaldy's defense lawyer in the massacre case trial, made the statement to clear the air of speculations that his client might follow the footsteps of convicted former Zamboanga del Norte Representative Romeo Jalosjos who ran for congress while being detained for rape. According to Calleja, the answer to rumors that Zaldy might be running in the 2013 ARM polls is "No." "Ang sinasabi namin, at uulitin namin, wala nang ambisyon o balak lumaban si Governor Zaldy sa pulitika," he said. To recall, Jalosjos was found guilty of rape by a Makati court in 1997 but he still managed to reap consecutive victories in the 1998 and 2001 elections, while his case was being reviewed by the Supreme Court. Jalosjos was ultimately dropped from the list of congressmen after the high court upheld with finality his conviction. Last month, Zaldy dropped a bombshell when he expressed in several media interviews his willingness to spill the beans on the grisly Maguindanao massacre on November 23, 2009 that was allegedly planned and carried out by prominent Ampatuan clan members, including his brother Andal Jr. and father Andal Sr. Several prosecution witnesses claimed Zaldy was part of a meeting in one of the Ampatuan mansions in Shariff Aguak when the massacre plan was hatched. Zaldy has repeatedly denied the accusation saying he was in Davao City on the day of the supposed meeting and in Manila on the day of the massacre. Relatives of the massacre victims reacted negatively to Zaldy's "bombshell" and doubted his true intentions. Lawyer Harry Roque, legal counsel for families of 15 of the 57 massacre victims, said Zaldy's acts were merely a "brilliant ploy" to get himself out of detention by having himself admitted to the government's Witness Protection Program (WPP). "A person admitted into the WPP shall have the right to 'secure housing facility' until the threat to his life should have ceased. This means that Zaldy’s admission into the WPP... would mean that he will never spend time in Muntinlupa for the [57] counts of murder," Roque said in his blog. Roque even suspected that Zaldy's camp might be planning on striking a deal with the Aquino administration by offering his knowledge about the massacre and supposed poll fraud in ARMM in exchange for his absolution. But Calleja maintained running for public office anew was already the least of Zaldy's concerns, as his client now has more priorities at hand. "Ang kanyang prayoridad ngayon ay hindi pulitika kung hindi ang paano makasama ang kanyang pamilya at makatulong sa kanyang kababayan," the lawyer said. Zaldy twice served as ARMM governor, starting in 2005 and only ended when he and his relatives were implicated in the Maguindanao massacre. Calleja said Zaldy, despite being a detainee in Manila, has vowed to extend help "in any capacity" to his people in ARMM and to the future ARMM officers-in-charge that will take over the region until 2013. "He supports moves of Congress to suspend the ARMM arm polls and allow the President to appoint OICs. He has no reservations about it," Calleja said. — LBG, GMA News