Justice Secretary Leila de Lima. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO
CLARK FREEPORT—Justice Secretary Leila de Lima on Thursday sought to distance herself from the curious case of the late Alijol Ampatuan, who could have been either a conspirator in the grisly Maguindanao massacre or a state witness.
De Lima said there had been no information on who this man was or where he could be found and therefore he could not have been placed under the witness protection program (WPP) of the Department of Justice if, as a lawyer of a complainant reported, he was being sought as a potential witness.
“We had not been able to access [Alijol],” De Lima told reporters after she spoke at the convention of the Central Luzon chapter of the Integrated Bar of the Philippines.
“We can only be answerable, I’m talking of the [DOJ] and [the WPP] office, for those placed under the WPP,” she said. “We cannot force those who don’t want to cooperate.”
The murder of six people— three witnesses and three relatives of other witnesses—in connection with the trial has alarmed her department, De Lima said.
Nena Santos, counsel of Governor Esmael Mangudadatu, whose wife was among the 57 people slaughtered in Maguindanao on Nov. 23, 2009, said that Alijol was shot in the Maguindanao provincial capital of Shariff Aguak on Feb. 12 but his death was only recently confirmed after police authorities positively identified him.
Alijol’s name surfaced in July last year when the late Esmael Amil Enog, a former militiaman, testified in the trial of more than 100 people led by former Gov. Andal Ampatuan Sr. and members of his clan charged with the murders. Enog then said that Alijol had ordered him to bring 36 gunmen to the massacre site on the day of the killings.
Alijol was described as a distant relative of the Ampatuan family.
Enog himself went missing in March after he got out of the WPP. Police recently confirmed his murder, Santos said.
De Lima described Enog as a witness “who did not want to be covered by the WPP for some reasons.” These include restrictions in movement.
“We are strict in the WPP whenever we cover witnesses. They’re our responsibility,” she said.
Palace appeal
“I don’t think you can blame [the] government,” presidential spokesperson Edwin Lacierda said Thursday during a news briefing when asked if any government official should be held liable for the killings of witnesses.
“You know, it’s unfortunate that it happened and I certainly condole with the family of the murdered victim but again the government offered security to these people,” Lacierda said.
He recalled that relatives of the massacre victims had requested security during a meeting with President Benigno Aquino. He said the President personally assured them of their security and those of the witnesses.
“We are urging all witnesses to accept the security offer,” Lacierda said. “Those who have been provided security are still alive.”
He also said Malacañang was urging acting Chief Justice Antonio Carpio to “find a way to hasten the Ampatuan massacre case without sacrificing due process.”
Lacierda said that Malacañang had urged a faster pace in the trial after noting that proceedings had started to get bogged down in technicalities.
“That’s why we are asking the Supreme Court, can you find the way to expedite? Can you redirect the handling judge to make certain that this case moves at the faster pace rather than the pace where it is right now?” Lacierda said. “[While] the pace of this case can go faster, we can ensure also the safety of the witnesses.”
Faulty justice
Also on Thursday, several Catholic bishops expressed sadness over the killing of witnesses in the Maguindanao massacre case and pushed for better protection of witnesses.
Speaking over Church-run Radio Veritas, Archbishop Ramon Arguelles of Lipa, Bishop Dinualdo Gutierrez and Bishop Pedro Arigo of Palawan, all said the elimination of the witnesses was indicative of the faulty justice in the country.
“Our authorities are weak, our justice system is weak. What do we expect?” Gutierrez said. With a report from Jerome Aning
Originally posted at 05:47 pm | Thursday, June 28, 2012