MANILA, Philippines—A powerful politician feared by his enemies and who police say owns at least 19 guns, including assault rifles, is afraid of ghosts.

That was one of the explanations that Mayor Andal Ampatuan Jr. of Datu Unsay town in Maguindanao province gave jail guards for his decision on Saturday night to sleep on a bench outside his jail cell at the National Bureau of Investigation detention facility, a senior NBI official said on Sunday.

“Naiinitan at natatakot daw siya sa multo (He said he was feeling hot and is afraid of ghosts),” the NBI counterterrorism unit chief and designated spokesperson on Ampatuan’s case, Ric Diaz, told reporters, quoting jail guards.

Diaz said Ampatuan did not say if he actually saw ghosts in his high-ceilinged and barred cell.

Ampatuan shares the cell with 17 detainees facing various charges, ranging from estafa (fraud) and human trafficking to murder, according to other NBI officials.

Electric fan, blanket

Ampatuan has been held in the facility since Thursday, facing possible charges of multiple murder as a result of the Nov. 23 massacre of 57 people in Maguindanao. The victims included the wife and relatives of his political rival, Buluan Vice Mayor Esmael Mangudadatu, and 30 journalists.

Ampatuan allegedly ordered the killings. He denies the charges.

News of Ampatuan’s fear of ghosts coincided with a statement by police officials that they were revoking the licenses they had issued to Ampatuan for 19 guns under his name.

Diaz told the Philippine Daily Inquirer that the NBI had allowed Ampatuan some “necessities,” such as an electric fan and a thick blanket, or comforter. He said the guards had observed that the mayor usually hid under the blanket each time he slept.

No hospital confinement

Diaz said that an NBI medico-legal officer, Dr. Ronald Baluyot, had dismissed the idea of transferring Ampatuan to a hospital.

“Dr. Baluyot examined him last night (Saturday night) when he complained of difficulty in breathing. The doctor assured that Ampatuan is healthy so there is no need for his transfer to a hospital,” Diaz stressed.

Diaz said that, although Ampatuan had a history of asthma, the illness “has not manifested” itself, based on the medico-legal division’s findings.

“The procedure, if a detainee is seeking transfer to a hospital, is for the medico-legal division to examine him and recommend that transfer,” Diaz said.

Negative for narcotics

“In this case, Dr. Baluyot found that there would be no problem if Ampatuan remained at the jail,” he added.

Ampatuan tested negative for narcotics but tested positive for the tranquilizer or sleeping aid drug Rivotril, according to initial medical tests conducted by the medico-legal team. The tests included a urine examination.

Ampatuan’s discomfiture in detention could have been aggravated by a daylong power outage that hit the NBI compound, including the jail, Sunday while Manila Electric Co. technicians were conducting maintenance work in the area.

Fortunately for the detainees, the NBI has an emergency generator.