Philippines Massacre Suspect Charged

Philippine prosecutors charged the heir of a powerful clan with murder on Tuesday in connection with the massacre of 57 people.

At least 10 witnesses will testify they saw Andal Ampatuan Jr. leading gunmen, including police officers, moments before the November 23 massacre.Hours later, troops found bodies near the highway, sprawled in the grass and hastily buried in three mass graves.

Ampatuan turned himself in last week and denied the charges. He is the leader of a clan allied with President Gloria Arroyo and has reportedly ruled southern Maguindanao province unopposed for years.

His father, the family's patriarch, and six other family members also are considered suspects but have not been charged.

Prosecutors initially filed 25 murder charges against Ampatuan who is expected to be tried in Manila for security reasons. Lead prosecutor Al Calica said that the evidence was strong, adding that at least 10 witnesses provided written testimonies linking Ampatuan to the killings.

He said three of them were in the convoy just before the attack. They managed to turn their cars around at the tail end of the convoy and escape after shots were fired by the gunmen. The witnesses also claimed police cars were parked along the road as the gunmen led the victims up to a remote hilltop where they were massacred.

Police said earlier they took into custody six officers, including the Maguindanao provincial police chief and his deputy. The Ampatuans denied any responsibility in the killings in a rare news conference on Sunday.

Meanwhile in Manila, about one-thousand journalists and activists marched on Monday to demand justice for the single worst attack on the media anywhere in the world. Thirty of the victims were journalists or their staff.

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• Philippines
• Massacre
• Reaction
• Murder
• Ampatuan
• Andal
• Arroyo
• Al Calica
• Maguindanao
• News
• Asian News

[zalamikazee]

sabihin mo i track ip ko?? mga gago wag nyo ako utuin!! naka static ip ako mga tanga!! mga salot kayo!! dapat sa inyo pinapalamon ng baboy pag nakukulong kayong mga puking ina nyong lahat kayo!

[zalamikazee]

mga putang ina nyo mga muslim!! salot kayo d2 sa maynila mga puking ina nyo!! mga gago!! dapat sa inyo inaisolate sa ARMM hindi dapat kayo pinapaapak d2 sa maynila mga puking ina nyo!! ang ugali nyo kuyog d kayo marunong tumanggap ng paliwanag mga putang ina nyo! pano! mga wala kayong pinag aralan!! puro kayo mang mang!! puro ilitirate at walang pinag aralan!! mga gago mga salot!! dapat sa bundok nalang kayo!! doon nalang kayoi kumain ng saging!! putang ina nyong lahat!! mga baboy!~

[aikoceka]

Wlang awa!!!

[stevendale211]

@askuIIs hindi lahat ng muslim mamamatay tayo.,. hindi lahat ng muslim terorista., at hindi rin salot ang mga muslim.,

kaya lang nging terorista ang ilan sa knila ay dhil sa lupang pinag lalaban nila., at dhil sa khirapan at kawalan ng edukasyon.,

at isa pa.,. marami din ang mga muslim na nag sisilbi sa AFP., kaya hindi lahat ng muslim masama.,.

[xmicfernzx]

gago ka askulls ah wag mo lahatin.. lakas mo mag trolll d2 ah ma trace nga yan ip address mo

[genericsfarm1127]

teka anu ba nangyayari dito? bat kayu nag aaway? malala' na ba tama'? kulang pa ba ang tuma' at babae? hehe ah, alam ku na! kaya mainit ang ulo kulang sa sex puro patayan alam eh, hehe

[MegaWwhite]

And I am strongly against sa lahat ng mga organization gaya ng MNLF,MILF,NPA pati na rin ang gobyerno na nag create ng patayan at gulo sa bansa.

[MegaWwhite]

andy, I disagree, pero opinion mo iyan. I just wish everyone na magrespeto sa isat isa. Bawat isa ay merong feelings at masakit rin na ilahat natin ang pagkakamali ng isa sa anumang membro.

Alalahanin rin natin na karamihan sa mga muslim ay biktima hindi lang sa patayan pati na rin sa criticizes na ipinapataw sa kanila na karamihan sa kanila ay di naman nila ginawa. But I am strongly against with Ampatuan pag napatunayan na minurder nila ang mga tao na mostly in my opinion ay mga muslim rin.

[22AndyAmpatuan]

@MegaWwhite

lahat ng taga-maguindanao...mga fake datu...datu my ass

[22AndyAmpatuan]

putang Ina mo!!!!!

baboy ka subukan mo umapak sa mindanao...gagawin kita mas matindi pa sa Ampatuan Mass...ipapadala ko utak mo sa nanay mo,bayag mo sa tatay mo,kapatid mo bituka mo....kung gusto mo ng muslim ako taga-jolo,..welcome ka ASKULLS-Putang ina ka

SEE YOU SOON