Maguindanao massacre witnesses under guard

Several witnesses to the massacre of 57 people, mostly journalists, in Maguindanao in 2009 have been placed under government protection following a spate of killings of other witnesses to the country’s worst political bloodletting in recent years, officials said Thursday.

State prosecutor Peter Medalle said six witnesses have been added to the Department of Justice’s witness protection program to ensure their safety. Additional protection has been given to at least four other witnesses already in the program, he said.

Maguindanao Governor Esmael Mangudadatu, who is also the husband of one of the 57 victims, said at least six witnesses or their relatives have been gunned down since the massacre trial began in September 2010, sowing fear among other witnesses.

One witness, Esmail Amil Enog, is believed to have been killed in March, his body cut into pieces, but authorities learned about his death only recently, according to prosecutor Nena Santos.

Enog, a government militiaman, testified in court last year that he drove dozens of gunmen to the hilly site of the massacre in Maguindanao from the residence of one of the suspects, Santos said, adding he refused to be placed under government protection to avoid being separated from his family.

Mangudadatu said the witnesses placed under government protection include a town vice mayor. He has not testified so far because defense lawyers have been trying to block his testimony, he said.

“They don’t want him to talk because he has some damning things to say,” Mangudadatu told a news conference.

Members of the politically powerful Ampatuan clan, which controlled dozens of militiamen, have been blamed for the massacre of rival Mangudadatu clan members, their supporters and media workers who were traveling in a convoy when they were stopped by dozens of gunmen.

The Mangudadatus planned to challenge the governorship of Maguindanao which had been controlled by the Ampatuans for years. AP