Lakas-Kampi-CMD standard-bearer Gibo Teodoro has joined the families of the 57 victims of the Maguindanao massacre in bewailing the decision of the Department of Justice (DOJ) to drop two prominent members of the Ampatuan clan from the multiple murder and abduction case in connection with the Nov. 23 killings in Maguindanao.
Gibo said that a Teodoro presidency would give top priority to the reinvestigation of this case against over a hundred persons led by former Gov. Andal Ampatuan Sr., his sons Zaldy and Andal Jr. and other members of the Ampatuan clan.
He was reacting to a DOJ resolution dropping Zaldy, the suspended governor of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM), and Akmad Ampatuan Sr., as respondents in this murder case on the ground that these two had presented evidence showing they were neither present when the crime was plotted nor when it was committed last Nov. 23.
“Ano pa bang mas titibay na ebidensya na mahigit 50 ang namatay dun. Ano pa bang titibay dun at si Mayor lang ang may kagagawan nun, maraming testigo (What more solid evidence can you get that more than 50 people were killed there? What additional evidence do you need to conclude that only the mayor was involved, there were many witnesses),” Gibo said in an interview.
Gibo was referring to Andal Jr., the mayor of Datu Unsay, who was tagged by witnesses as the leader of more more than 100 armed men that stopped a convoy along the highway and later on killed all the passengers in a remote patch near that national road.
Among the victims were the wife of Buluan Vice Mayor Datu Esmael Mangudadatu, who was then running for governor against Andal Jr.; three other Mangudadatu relatives; lawyers and some 30 journalists who had joined them.
The Mangudadatu convoy was on its way to the Commision on Elections office to file the vice mayor’s certificate of candidacy as govenor when stopped by Andal Jr.’s group at a checkpoint along the highway.
“Kailangan pag-aralan ko muna ang mga pangyayari, pero nakalulungkot kung ang mga ito ay maabswelto. Sa kabila ng lahat ng pinsala na idinulot nila dito sa ating bansa (I still have to study the resolution, but it is saddening that these people will be exonerated, amid all the damage they have done here in our country),” Gibo said.
Gibo asserted the cases against the Ampatuans should be pursued by the government.
“Ako’y nanalig na malakas ang kaso laban sa mga Ampatuan. Ewan ko lang kung rebelyon or conspiracy dahil sa murder na nangyari. So, dapat pursigihin ang prosecution ng lahat ng kaso laban sa mga Ampatuan. Inimbestigahan yan. Pinagmulan pa ng martial law yan. Dapat pursigihin ng gobyerno yan. (I believe the case against the Ampatuans is strong. I just don’t know if rebellion or conspiracy is the proper case against them for the massacre that happened. So, there’s a need to really pursue the prosecution of all the cases against the Ampatuan. The government should pursue that),” Gibo said.
Former press secretary Mike Toledo, who is Gibo’s campaign spokesman and director of the G1BO 2010 Media Bureau, said that Gibo has put on record that Andal Jr., the primary suspect, should not be exonerated for his alleged role in the Maguindanao massacre.
He recalled that Gibo immediately called last year for the surrender of Andal Jr., the prime suspect in the massacre of over 50 people, to authorities.
Gibo, who was the chairman of the ruling party at the time, immediately had the three Ampatuans—Andal Sr., Andal Jr., and Zaldy Ampatuan–expelled from the party over their alleged involvement in the incident.
Gibo had also flown at once to Maguindanao after the massacre to condole with Vice Mayor Mangudadatu, and had picked him as Lakas-Kampi-CMD candidate for governor. -30
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
.JPG)
No comments:
Post a Comment