MANILA, Philippines – Two police and paramilitary checkpoints reportedly denied the presence of the convoy led by the Mangudadatus, several hours before the gruesome killings were discovered last November 23, a ranking police official said on Monday.

These two checkpoints reported no untoward incidents in the area neither was there a convoy that passed, despite the crime scene and mass grave being situated a few kilometers from these two checkpoints, said Chief Superintendent Felicisimo Khu, Task Force Alpha commander.

The first checkpoint is situated 2.3 kilometers from the mass grave, specifically along the national highway between Cotabato City and Isulan. This checkpoint was manned by Chief Inspector Sukarno Dicay and Senior Inspector Ariel Diongon. Both are now under restrictive custody at the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group in Camp Crame.

The second checkpoint, situated 300 meters from the first, was a paramilitary checkpoint and detachment, Khu said.

Khu said initial interviews with police and authorities in these checkpoints revealed that they denied the presence of the convoy led by the Mangudadatus.

“They were asked if there were unusual incidents, if the convoy of this description passed. They denied. They totally denied that there was an incident. They denied that the convoy passed,” Khu said in a phone patch interview with reporters at Camp Crame.

Ironically, the scene of the crime was also just a short distance from the Ampatuan municipal police station.

The PNP national headquarters has since relieved all members of the town’s police station, including its chief, Senior Police Officer 2 Badawi Bakal.

Asked if the authorities in these checkpoints were involved in the killings, Khu said, “Pwede ganun yung conclusion natin. Pwede rin na hindi talaga nila alam yung nangyari dun. Kasi siyempre ganitong malaking insidente, iilan lang talaga nakakaalam (Either they know or don’t have a clue of what really happened. In this case, only a few would have really known what’s going to happen).”

Khu added that the landscape in the area was very mountainous and rugged, making it difficult to hear gunshots, even if these occurred just a few kilometers away from the checkpoints.

Khu narrated to reporters that several hours after the Mangudadatu convoy was reported missing, members of the Philippine Army’s 601st Infantry Brigade went to the area to check.

Army personnel questioned those manning the checkpoints but they denied that a convoy passed.

“But one detachment discreetly gave hint that the convoy went up the mountain,” Khu said, adding that Army personnel even heard the backhoe’s engine still running. “But when they reached the area, the backhoe’s engine was already turned off.”

Diongon, who was manning the first checkpoint, even went up the scene of the crime, Khu said.

Khu also said that in the vicinity of the crime scene alone, police already recovered 126 shells from various firearms, specifically from M16 rifles, AK47, a shotgun, and M14 rifles.

Khu said while several of the victims were shot in a firing-squad manner, 14 women were shot at close range, specifically inside the vehicles.

“There were eight gunmen plus the one who was using a shotgun,” he said, adding ballistic examination of recovered empty shells is still ongoing.

In Manila, Senior Superintendent Ericson Velasquez of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Division said they have in their custody five more witnesses that could shed light on the incident.

Velasquez, while not completely tagging Andal Ampatuan Jr., said they have strong evidence against the suspect.