Philippine Clan Leader Arrested in Connection with Massacre of 57 Civilians
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Andal Apatuan, Jr., the heir to a powerful political dynasty on the southern Philippine Island of Mindanao, and a candidate for governor in 2010, has been taken into custody after a raid by military and police forces. Ampatuan is running to replace his father as governor of Maguindanao province, his father being forced to step down after three consecutive terms due to term limits.
The elder Ampatuan had run unopposed in the last two elections, and there are rumors emerging from the region that the family was enraged at the prospect of the younger Ampatuan facing an electoral challenge. Though some members of the Ampatuan clan had been considered political allies of Pres. Gloria Arroyo, they have been expelled from her party since the massacre.
Ismael Mangudadatu, the politician who was traveling to register for the 2010 polls, along with his family and a press pool, said the gunmen were militia forces loyal to the Ampatuan clan. At least 57 people are now confirmed killed in the massacre, and news reports say anywhere from 13 to 20 were journalists. That figure makes this the worst single attack on journalists anywhere in the world for decades.
The region is now essentially under military rule, as the Philippines’ central government works to uncover the truth behind the killings, arrest those responsible and bring them to justice. There is also an urgent need to act to ensure peace and avoid a broader armed conflict emerging from the killings. Some observers fear the rise of anti-Ampatuan militia, which could make the crisis still more bloody.
Officials named militiamen under the control of Mr Ampatuan Jr – the mayor of a town in Maguindanao – as suspects.
All police officers from one town are under investigation for the killing, AFP news agency reported, citing government officials.
The massacre must be prosecuted aggressively, if the Manila government hopes to counter this type of violent corruption and protect the Philippine constitution. Attacks on journalists are a tool of choice of local mafia-like clans in the Philippines and elsewhere, who seek to use intimidation to cling to power.
But the Maguindanao massacre killed anywhere from one to two dozen members of the press, so the press at large cannot be expected to look in any way favorably on the alleged political backers of the killings. The central government is in a war posture against the regional leadership, and police and public officials are considered complicit and are facing investigation.
Such an extreme act of unrepentant violence is a mystery if for no other reason due to its scale. The younger Ampatuan’s rival Mr. Mangudadatu lost his wife, two sisters and a large number of key supporters. The attack appears to have been an effort to wipe out anyone involved intimately with the rival candidate, either in his personal or professional sphere.
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