Peace stakeholders asked to help in arrest of 92 Maguindanao massacre suspects

MANILA, Philippines—The special investigation team on the 2009 Maguindanao massacre has sought the help of Mindanao peace process stakeholders to facilitate the speedy arrest of the 92 suspects who remain at large, a Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) official said Monday.

In a press conference at the Philippine National Police headquarters in Quezon City, Special Investigation Task Group “Maguindanao” chief, Senior Superintendent Keith Ernald Singian, appealed to participants of the government’s peace pact with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front for coordination to track down the remaining fugitives who may have been hiding in MILF-controlled areas.

Singian said their team has confirmed that some of the remaining suspects are hiding in MILF areas, although it has yet to be validated if these suspects, indeed, joined the group.

“Accordingly we have information they joined the MILF. However, this information needs to be validated. But we have confirmed that these still at large suspects sought refuge in MILF areas so we will try to coordinate with the peace process panel if they can help us track these suspects,” Singian said.

He, however, added that the coordination will avoid impressions that authorities are operating against the MILF.

“We can’t say the MILF is providing them refuge. But we don’t like to create an impression that the police and military are operating against the MILF,” the task force chief said.

He said their team is having difficulty in identifying the suspects.

Singian said some of the suspects’ faces have not yet been established until now, more so as some of them have assumed different names.

“We have three cases of mistaken identity. Last week tracker teams reported they have arrested [suspects] in Sultan Kudarat and later we found out they picked the wrong men,” he said.

He said this will be a big challenge for them unless a witness comes forward and make positive identification of the suspects.

At present, nine of the alleged principal suspects are already accounted for and are facing 56 counts of murder before Judge Jocelyn Reyes-Solis of Quezon City Regional Trial Court, along with 103 others who are now under detention.

Among the suspected principal suspects are Datu Akmad “Toto” Ampatuan Sr., Datu Andal Ampatuan Sr., Datu Anwar Ampatuan, Datu Sajidb Ampatuan, Datu Zaldy “Puti” Ampatuan, Esmael Canapia, Takpan Dilon, Datu Andal “Unsay” Ampatuan and Datu Anwar Upam Ampatuan alias “Ulo” who was arrested last August 28 in BF Resort, Las Piñas City.

“With the signing of the Framework of Agreement between the Philippine Government and the MILF, the CIDG through the peace process panel will seek the cooperation of the MILF to help government law enforcers to account for the remaining [suspects] hiding in MILF territories,” the CIDG said.

The CIDG will also ask the cooperation of the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines, the National Press Club (NPC), the PNP Press Corps and other media organizations to drumbeat the appeal, and to urge the MILF to show their sincerity in building lasting peace and bringing justice to the victims—mostly journalists, by helping the government arrest the remaining suspects.