De Lima expresses reservations on using back hoe operator as witness

Justice Secretary Leila de Lima. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines -Justice Secretary Leila De Lima has expressed reservations on using Bong Andal, the backhoe operator, as one of the government’s state witness in the Maguindanao massacre case.

De Lima clarified that Andal was never accepted to the government’s witness protection program.

She said Andal has been covered by the WPP only on provisional and partial basis, meaning he was not given the full benefits of a WPP witness like financial benefits and allowances.

“There is a reason why he (Andal) is not fully covered by WPP, but I cannot discuss the details because of a confidentiality rule in the program,” she told reporters.

Andal applied for WPP coverage and wanted to turn to state witness. However, he went into hiding for fear of his life. He was arrested only last year.

The DOJ chief said whether he will be accepted to the WPP or not will depend on the evaluation and recommendation of the prosecutors.

“Not all witnesses are entitled to exactly the same terms and conditions. Not all witnesses are entitled to exactly the same benefits from the WPP,” she explained.

“In the case of (Andal), his status was a result of the evaluation based on his testimony,” she said.

De Lima said for a witness to be “essential” his testimony must not be only corroborative of testimonies of other witnesses.

On Monday, Andal, in a television interview, detailed his participation in the massacre. He said he acted upon orders of Andal Ampatuan Sr.

He recalled he dug a big hole near where the victims were shot allegedly by the Ampatuans, then pushed the bodies as well as their cars into the pit.

Andal said he closed his eyes as he operated the backhoe to crush every vehicle, with passengers inside, and pile them into the mass grave on a remote hilltop in Ampatuan town in Maguindanao.