INQUIRER FILE PHOTO
MANILA, Philippines—“I have nothing to do with that.”
This was what an accused in the 2009 Maguindanao massacre said, in pleading not guilty in Thursday morning’s arraignment before a Quezon City court.
Datu Jimmy Ampatuan shook his head and said, “Wala akong kinalaman (I have nothing to do with that),” when he was asked in Filipino if he was admitting to the 57 counts of murder he was charged with before the sala of Quezon City Regional Trial Court Branch 221 Judge Jocelyn Solis-Reyes.
Jimmy Ampatuan is among those being tried for allegedly helping in the planning of the November 23, 2009 ambush of the Mangudadatu clan members and 32 media workers.
Police Officer 1 Michael Dasig, of the Maguindanao 1705th Provincial Mobile Group, likewise pleaded not guilty to the charge. He is believed to be a member of the police unit that set up a checkpoint at the crossing of Sitio Deneberan, Malating town and Barangay Salman in Ampatuan town, to trap and herd 57 people before they were slaughtered.
Ampatuan and Dasig are the 77th and 78th accused to be arraigned for the Maguindanao massacre. Based on the information, Ampatuan and Madsig and 194 others allegedly conspired on November 23, 2009 to kill 57 persons on a hilly portion of Sitio Masalay, Barangay Salman, Ampatuan town in Maguindanao.
Judge Solis-Reyes set the pretrial hearing for the two accused on October 22 at the Quezon City regional trial court and directed all parties to be present for the preliminary conference on October 15.
Ampatuan is a barangay councilor of Barangay Bangga, Old Maganoy in Datu Abdullah Sangki town in Maguindanao and a distant Ampatuan relative. At the time of the massacre, he was a trusted aide of former Datu Unsay town mayor Andal Ampatuan Jr.
The prosecution had claimed that he, with four other Ampatuans: Andal, Sr; Datu Zaldy “Puti”; Datu Akmad “Tato” Sr; and Datu Norodin, allegedly planned the November 23, 2009, ambush on the members of the Mangudadatu clan.
Madsig’s arraignment pushed through after the court junked his appeal for the court to dismiss the case, which was already previously rejected by Judge Solis-Reyes.
The policeman had sought the dismissal claiming he was not informed of his inclusion as one of the suspects in the Maguindanao massacre. He added that he was not present at the checkpoint where the victims were blocked and abducted for mass slaughter on a clearing later.